Downtown
Two years ago, after a 17-year career as a communications consultant with some of the area’s larger human resources firms, Denise Reynolds decided she wanted to put a little color in her job. So after she was laid off from her last position, she launched Outside the Lines Creative Group (OTL), a company that uses cartoons to convey company messages.
“I wanted to take all of my knowledge about benefits, wellness, policies and procedures and make it fun,” she says of her newfound venture. “I thought, this stuff is so boring. If only we’d put cartoons with it, people would actually read it.”
So she recruited nationally syndicated cartoonist Jenny Campbell to illustrate Reynolds’ HR messages. Reynolds uses humor and illustrations to communicate sometimes not-so-exciting subject matter, like dress codes and employee safety rules. “Companies love it,” she says. “And employees think it’s great.”
Currently, OTL has about 20 clients, ranging from Jergens Industrial Supply to the Conservancy for the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. In fact, finding clients hasn’t been too hard, says Reynolds. “You have to find clients who want to do something innovative."
Jergens liked Reynolds’ campaign so much they asked that the cartoon characters be painted on the plant’s machinery. “Companies try everything to get the attention of employees, but they haven’t tried cartoons yet,” says Reynolds. The Cuyahoga Valley National Park hired OTL to create a children’s educational activity book featuring a river otter. The book won an international award and the otter has been made into a plush stuffed animal.
In fact, OTL won five international awards in two competitions in 2013 for its work on projects for Akron Children’s Hospital, ACRT, Jergens Industrial Supply and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
OTL recently was awarded a $5,000 loan from Bad Girl Ventures, which Reynolds plans to use to update her website and post some work samples. She also plans on hiring a second cartoonist.
Source: Denise Reynolds
Writer: Karin Connelly
“I wanted to take all of my knowledge about benefits, wellness, policies and procedures and make it fun,” she says of her newfound venture. “I thought, this stuff is so boring. If only we’d put cartoons with it, people would actually read it.”
So she recruited nationally syndicated cartoonist Jenny Campbell to illustrate Reynolds’ HR messages. Reynolds uses humor and illustrations to communicate sometimes not-so-exciting subject matter, like dress codes and employee safety rules. “Companies love it,” she says. “And employees think it’s great.”
Currently, OTL has about 20 clients, ranging from Jergens Industrial Supply to the Conservancy for the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. In fact, finding clients hasn’t been too hard, says Reynolds. “You have to find clients who want to do something innovative."
Jergens liked Reynolds’ campaign so much they asked that the cartoon characters be painted on the plant’s machinery. “Companies try everything to get the attention of employees, but they haven’t tried cartoons yet,” says Reynolds. The Cuyahoga Valley National Park hired OTL to create a children’s educational activity book featuring a river otter. The book won an international award and the otter has been made into a plush stuffed animal.
In fact, OTL won five international awards in two competitions in 2013 for its work on projects for Akron Children’s Hospital, ACRT, Jergens Industrial Supply and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
OTL recently was awarded a $5,000 loan from Bad Girl Ventures, which Reynolds plans to use to update her website and post some work samples. She also plans on hiring a second cartoonist.
Source: Denise Reynolds
Writer: Karin Connelly
As recently as last year, the Colonial and Euclid Arcades downtown suffered from 40 percent vacancy. But oh, how fortunes have changed. The once-moribund properties, rebranded as 5th Street Arcades, have gone from half-empty to almost full. Fresh Water photographer Bob Perkoski spent some time in the arcades window shopping with his camera.
Tomorrow's economy-boosting titans are today's middle and high school students, and there's no good reason to make them wait until college or later to start honing their business acumen. Fortunately, area programs aimed at would-be high school entrepreneurs are providing experience that will serve them well regardless their future paths.
writer offers solution to silicon valley tensions: cleveland
Tongue firmly in cheek, Slate writer Matthew Yglesias offers up a solution to the rising tensions between tech giants like Google and Apple and the rest of the residents in San Francisco: relocate the companies to Cleveland.
"The Bay Area is sick and tired of the antics of entitled techies, and the nouveaux riches want a place where they’ll be appreciated. It’s time for federal authorities to step in and move the show someplace else. Cleveland, say," he writes.
"Cities such as Buffalo, N.Y., or Pittsburgh come to mind, although unlike Detroit and Cleveland, they lack a major airport. Plans to save Detroit, however, are a bit cliché at this point, and I worry that any tech hub you tried to build there would naturally drift over to Ann Arbor, Mich., anyway. But Cleveland’s got plenty of affordable housing, plenty of available office space, flights to every important North American city, and even its own Federal Reserve bank."
Read the rest of the article here.
"The Bay Area is sick and tired of the antics of entitled techies, and the nouveaux riches want a place where they’ll be appreciated. It’s time for federal authorities to step in and move the show someplace else. Cleveland, say," he writes.
"Cities such as Buffalo, N.Y., or Pittsburgh come to mind, although unlike Detroit and Cleveland, they lack a major airport. Plans to save Detroit, however, are a bit cliché at this point, and I worry that any tech hub you tried to build there would naturally drift over to Ann Arbor, Mich., anyway. But Cleveland’s got plenty of affordable housing, plenty of available office space, flights to every important North American city, and even its own Federal Reserve bank."
Read the rest of the article here.
When Craig Lewis, a mechanical science and engineering major at CWRU, was given an extra credit assignment in 2011 to come up with something that would increase household energy efficiency, he started thinking about how much water people use in the shower.
“We did a little preliminary research to see if people could track their water consumption in the shower,” Lewis recalls. “We found that 76 percent of people we surveyed had no idea what their water consumption was.”
So Lewis and his partners, Andrew Schad and CJ Valle, set out to create a shower head that tracks water consumption. “How can you be efficient if you don’t know what you’re consuming,” asks Lewis. The result is Sprav, a company that makes a water meter by the same name for the shower. Today’s model is wireless and works with the users’ mobile devices to provide usage data. It takes seconds to install and requires no tools.
Sprav entered Case's St. Gobain Design Competition in the fall of 2011 with a prototype and came in second place. Listening to feedback from the judges and the audience, Lewis and his team redesigned the meter, making it sleeker and with more functionality, and proceeded to take top honors at the following year's competition.
Sprav ran a Kickstarter campaign earlier this year. While they fell short of their fundraising goal, the company enrolled in Bizdom’s fall class. “It’s been a great opportunity,” Lewis says of Bizdom. “They’ve done a great job of guiding us along the path.” The company has also turned to Blackstone Launchpad for guidance and resources.
Lewis has taken a year off from school to work on Sprav full-time. While the device is still in development, the company has an agreement with CWRU to test it in the dorms in 2014. While Lewis calls Sprav a “grass roots effort” right now, he has his sights set on getting Sprav in big box stores like Walmart and Home Depot, “where people expect to buy these types of things.”
Source: Craig Lewis
Writer: Karin Connelly
“We did a little preliminary research to see if people could track their water consumption in the shower,” Lewis recalls. “We found that 76 percent of people we surveyed had no idea what their water consumption was.”
So Lewis and his partners, Andrew Schad and CJ Valle, set out to create a shower head that tracks water consumption. “How can you be efficient if you don’t know what you’re consuming,” asks Lewis. The result is Sprav, a company that makes a water meter by the same name for the shower. Today’s model is wireless and works with the users’ mobile devices to provide usage data. It takes seconds to install and requires no tools.
Sprav entered Case's St. Gobain Design Competition in the fall of 2011 with a prototype and came in second place. Listening to feedback from the judges and the audience, Lewis and his team redesigned the meter, making it sleeker and with more functionality, and proceeded to take top honors at the following year's competition.
Sprav ran a Kickstarter campaign earlier this year. While they fell short of their fundraising goal, the company enrolled in Bizdom’s fall class. “It’s been a great opportunity,” Lewis says of Bizdom. “They’ve done a great job of guiding us along the path.” The company has also turned to Blackstone Launchpad for guidance and resources.
Lewis has taken a year off from school to work on Sprav full-time. While the device is still in development, the company has an agreement with CWRU to test it in the dorms in 2014. While Lewis calls Sprav a “grass roots effort” right now, he has his sights set on getting Sprav in big box stores like Walmart and Home Depot, “where people expect to buy these types of things.”
Source: Craig Lewis
Writer: Karin Connelly
two cleveland eateries make top 15 list of 'most memorable restaurant meals'
Larry Olmsted, the weekly "Great American Bites" restaurant columnist for USA Today, eats out a lot, and his yearly Forbes list of standout restaurant meals from the past 12 months is filled with choice bites from around the globe. Two out of the 15 are meals in Cleveland spots.
"One reason these lists remain pertinent is because unlike most food publications, I don’t confuse 'new' with good, and just because I ate someplace this year for the first (or fifth) time doesn’t make the restaurant better or worse. What matters is simply how good the restaurant is," he writes.
Red, The Steakhouse
"Red succeeds at the high-end steakhouse game – where so many others fail -- by getting four key things right. 1. They make a great steak, using exclusively Certified Angus Beef that is mostly dry aged, and cooking it perfectly. 2. The appetizers are amazing, especially the Oysters Rockefeller and Red House Salad. 3. The classic steakhouse sides are perfected, like creamed corn and the only mac & cheese I have ever had that might actually be too rich, as the four cheese blend includes creamy Swiss raclette – and is offered with or without lobster. 4. The desserts are stunners and the Apple Pie Croissant bread pudding was OMG!"
Greenhouse Tavern
"Chef-owner Jonathon Sawyer is a hometown hero in Cleveland for his eateries, and if you visit his flagship Greenhouse Tavern it is easy to see why. He does many of the trends that are being embraced from Portland to Brooklyn, but he does them better: he makes an extensive array of his own vinegars, breaks down his own pigs and cows for snout to tail eating and completely embraces local farmers and ingredients. But while many pay lip service to these ideals he lives them, and the food shows. It is fun and wacky fine dining that puts twists on classics from around the world: his lunch menu includes a take on iconic Quebecois poutine called “gravy frites,” which covers a platter of fries with mozzarella curds, veal gravy and sometimes fried eggs. He has gotten a lot of press for his “Properly butchered rib steak,” cut in house of course, but the must-have signatures are the crispy chicken wings confit and roasted pig’s head served with little brioche buns to make your own pig’s head sliders.
Check out the entire list here.
"One reason these lists remain pertinent is because unlike most food publications, I don’t confuse 'new' with good, and just because I ate someplace this year for the first (or fifth) time doesn’t make the restaurant better or worse. What matters is simply how good the restaurant is," he writes.
Red, The Steakhouse
"Red succeeds at the high-end steakhouse game – where so many others fail -- by getting four key things right. 1. They make a great steak, using exclusively Certified Angus Beef that is mostly dry aged, and cooking it perfectly. 2. The appetizers are amazing, especially the Oysters Rockefeller and Red House Salad. 3. The classic steakhouse sides are perfected, like creamed corn and the only mac & cheese I have ever had that might actually be too rich, as the four cheese blend includes creamy Swiss raclette – and is offered with or without lobster. 4. The desserts are stunners and the Apple Pie Croissant bread pudding was OMG!"
Greenhouse Tavern
"Chef-owner Jonathon Sawyer is a hometown hero in Cleveland for his eateries, and if you visit his flagship Greenhouse Tavern it is easy to see why. He does many of the trends that are being embraced from Portland to Brooklyn, but he does them better: he makes an extensive array of his own vinegars, breaks down his own pigs and cows for snout to tail eating and completely embraces local farmers and ingredients. But while many pay lip service to these ideals he lives them, and the food shows. It is fun and wacky fine dining that puts twists on classics from around the world: his lunch menu includes a take on iconic Quebecois poutine called “gravy frites,” which covers a platter of fries with mozzarella curds, veal gravy and sometimes fried eggs. He has gotten a lot of press for his “Properly butchered rib steak,” cut in house of course, but the must-have signatures are the crispy chicken wings confit and roasted pig’s head served with little brioche buns to make your own pig’s head sliders.
Check out the entire list here.
As an investor in Biolectrics, a company that makes a battery-powered mouthpiece – think sports mouth guard -- that treats periodontal diseases with electric stimulation, Paul Ruflin began thinking about the device’s potential in other applications.
“The mouthpiece delivers a small amount of current that kills oral bacteria,” Ruflin explains. “In the lab it kills 75 to 100 percent of bacteria in the mouth in five to 10 minutes. The early results are promising in killing oral bacteria.”
With human trials completed at the University of Buffalo, Ruflin has created Animal Oralectrics, based out of MAGNET’s offices. The company uses the same technology as Biolectrics but applies it toward dogs, sheep, cows and cats. “Animals are five percent more likely to have periodontal disease than humans,” says Ruflin. “Less than one percent of dog owners brush their dogs’ teeth or takes them to the vet for a cleaning.”
Ruflin recently created a prototype on a 3D printer and is working with Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine to test Animal Oralectrics on dogs. So far, the response has been positive. “This device kills oral bacteria, prevents gingivitis and gum loss,” explains Ruflin. “The current is undetectable. The concept here is to make a device that gives treatment but looks like a chew toy or pull toy. You can even put a treat in the end of it. The key is getting them to engage with it for five to 15 minutes.”
The Innovation Fund recently awarded Animal Oralectrics a $25,000 grant to further develop its product. Currently, the company consists of just Ruflin and an intern from CWRU. But he plans to hire a marketing and social media person soon. He also plans on running a crowd funding campaign before releasing the product in of 2014.
Ultimately, Ruflin predicts he will add seven to 10 direct employees and another 15 to 20 indirect employees over the next two or three years.
Source: Paul Ruflin
Writer: Karin Connelly
“The mouthpiece delivers a small amount of current that kills oral bacteria,” Ruflin explains. “In the lab it kills 75 to 100 percent of bacteria in the mouth in five to 10 minutes. The early results are promising in killing oral bacteria.”
With human trials completed at the University of Buffalo, Ruflin has created Animal Oralectrics, based out of MAGNET’s offices. The company uses the same technology as Biolectrics but applies it toward dogs, sheep, cows and cats. “Animals are five percent more likely to have periodontal disease than humans,” says Ruflin. “Less than one percent of dog owners brush their dogs’ teeth or takes them to the vet for a cleaning.”
Ruflin recently created a prototype on a 3D printer and is working with Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine to test Animal Oralectrics on dogs. So far, the response has been positive. “This device kills oral bacteria, prevents gingivitis and gum loss,” explains Ruflin. “The current is undetectable. The concept here is to make a device that gives treatment but looks like a chew toy or pull toy. You can even put a treat in the end of it. The key is getting them to engage with it for five to 15 minutes.”
The Innovation Fund recently awarded Animal Oralectrics a $25,000 grant to further develop its product. Currently, the company consists of just Ruflin and an intern from CWRU. But he plans to hire a marketing and social media person soon. He also plans on running a crowd funding campaign before releasing the product in of 2014.
Ultimately, Ruflin predicts he will add seven to 10 direct employees and another 15 to 20 indirect employees over the next two or three years.
Source: Paul Ruflin
Writer: Karin Connelly
Public Square in downtown Cleveland will be even brighter and safer this holiday season thanks to new, energy-efficient lighting donated by GE Lighting and installed by the City of Cleveland.
The city has installed new lamp-top posts and LED lighting throughout Public Square. The new bulbs are twice as efficient as the old ones.
GE Lighting donated 372,000 long-lasting LED bulbs for the holiday display, and there are 56,000 individual lights on the holiday tree alone.
“With millions of people visiting Downtown Cleveland each year and thousands living and working in downtown, there are more feet on the street now than in decades,” noted Joe Marinucci, president and CEO of Downtown Cleveland Alliance, in a release. “With the new lighting, Public Square is now brighter and an even more inviting gateway to Downtown Cleveland.”
The new lighting was unveiled just in time for Winterfest last weekend.
Source: Downtown Cleveland Alliance
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The city has installed new lamp-top posts and LED lighting throughout Public Square. The new bulbs are twice as efficient as the old ones.
GE Lighting donated 372,000 long-lasting LED bulbs for the holiday display, and there are 56,000 individual lights on the holiday tree alone.
“With millions of people visiting Downtown Cleveland each year and thousands living and working in downtown, there are more feet on the street now than in decades,” noted Joe Marinucci, president and CEO of Downtown Cleveland Alliance, in a release. “With the new lighting, Public Square is now brighter and an even more inviting gateway to Downtown Cleveland.”
The new lighting was unveiled just in time for Winterfest last weekend.
Source: Downtown Cleveland Alliance
Writer: Lee Chilcote
On any given night in Cleveland, it's not too difficult to see the economic impact represented by a seemingly simple glass of suds. Breweries had an undeniably positive effect on Ohio City, and now the arrival of more breweries promises to boost the economic prospects of other neighborhoods.
new york times travel section checks into new aloft
In a hotel review in the travel section of the New York Times, writer Erik Piepenburg checks into the new Aloft hotel on the East Bank of the Flats and files a glowing review.
"The Aloft Downtown gives Cleveland a major boost of bright, colorful and contemporary hotel design in an area -- and a city -- not known for style-centric accommodations," he writes.
The article covers the rooms, amenities and available dining options. "A Saturday night meal at Willeyville included delicious vegetarian options for me (grilled sweet corn, baked gnocchi), plenty of meat for a friend and a mind-blowing fried peach pie," he notes.
The bottom line, concludes the author, the new Aloft is a "terrific place for design geeks, foodies and fans of rust-belt chic who like their boutique hotel on the industrial side."
Read the rest right here.
"The Aloft Downtown gives Cleveland a major boost of bright, colorful and contemporary hotel design in an area -- and a city -- not known for style-centric accommodations," he writes.
The article covers the rooms, amenities and available dining options. "A Saturday night meal at Willeyville included delicious vegetarian options for me (grilled sweet corn, baked gnocchi), plenty of meat for a friend and a mind-blowing fried peach pie," he notes.
The bottom line, concludes the author, the new Aloft is a "terrific place for design geeks, foodies and fans of rust-belt chic who like their boutique hotel on the industrial side."
Read the rest right here.
Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, a nonprofit community development organization, has begun offering Cleveland City Life tours to expose suburbanites, millenials, empty-nesters, boomerangs and newcomers to town to all the city has to offer.
CNP Director of Marketing Jeff Kipp says the tours really are about helping Clevelanders see for themselves the positive change taking place in the city.
"We'll do the proverbial handholding and take you into the neighborhoods," he says. "You see the positive headlines and positive trends, but a big chunk of our population doesn't have firsthand experience with the city. This is about removing that intimidation factor and bridging the gap."
Tours starts in Ohio City and include stops in Detroit Shoreway, the lakefront, University Circle, Little Italy, Midtown, downtown and Tremont. Along the way, it also touches on neighborhoods such as Cudell, Glenville and Fairfax. Each lasts two hours, costs $12 and comes with a free Live!Cleveland/City Life T-shirt.
"As we drive through University Circle, we can reference the excitement that's happening in North Shore Collinwood," Kipp explains, adding that while the tours can't feasibly cover the whole city, they will highlight all city neighborhoods.
The tours are being marketed through CNP's website and partner organizations such as Global Cleveland and the Downtown Cleveland Alliance. There currently are tours scheduled between Christmas and New Year's and around the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend.
"This is a way to roll out the red carpet and give a reintroduction to your Cleveland neighbors," Kipp adds.
Source: Jeff Kipp
Writer: Lee Chilcote
CNP Director of Marketing Jeff Kipp says the tours really are about helping Clevelanders see for themselves the positive change taking place in the city.
"We'll do the proverbial handholding and take you into the neighborhoods," he says. "You see the positive headlines and positive trends, but a big chunk of our population doesn't have firsthand experience with the city. This is about removing that intimidation factor and bridging the gap."
Tours starts in Ohio City and include stops in Detroit Shoreway, the lakefront, University Circle, Little Italy, Midtown, downtown and Tremont. Along the way, it also touches on neighborhoods such as Cudell, Glenville and Fairfax. Each lasts two hours, costs $12 and comes with a free Live!Cleveland/City Life T-shirt.
"As we drive through University Circle, we can reference the excitement that's happening in North Shore Collinwood," Kipp explains, adding that while the tours can't feasibly cover the whole city, they will highlight all city neighborhoods.
The tours are being marketed through CNP's website and partner organizations such as Global Cleveland and the Downtown Cleveland Alliance. There currently are tours scheduled between Christmas and New Year's and around the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend.
"This is a way to roll out the red carpet and give a reintroduction to your Cleveland neighbors," Kipp adds.
Source: Jeff Kipp
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Startups @ City Club is a new collaborative effort between the City Club of Cleveland and the Cleveland Startup Collective to bring the startup community together in educational, social and thought-provoking environments.
The first event was launched at Cleveland Entrepreneurial Week in November, with speakers on technology, product development, investing and the overall startup community in Cleveland. “The main goal of the entrepreneurial speaker series is to install the values of lean startup methodology, the entrepreneurial-driven startup community and mentor-driven startup development,” says Morris Wheeler, organizer and founder of Drummond Road Capital.
Speakers included Chris Heivly, founder of MapQuest, venture partner and founder of TechPint Paul Singh and Alexis Giles, vice president of business development at MOX.
The Cleveland Startup Collective is a grass roots organization focused on lean startup methodology – launching a new product to market in as little as 10 to 12 weeks with as little capital as possible. “Life’s too short to build a product no one wants,’ says Wheeler. “A number of us over the past two or three years believe that at its core, startups and startup investing need to revolve around the entrepreneur. ”
Wheeler says entrepreneurs in cities like New York, Boston and San Francisco get together on Friday nights, drink beer and discuss issues around their businesses. While casual meetings are starting to take off in Cleveland, Wheeler says the city needs more.
“All of the other organizations like JumpStart are important to entrepreneurial success, but in our view we need to be meeting the needs of the startup community, not defining the needs of the community.”
Startups @ City Club plans to host four to six events a year, some of which will be partnered with other events like TechPint. “The idea is to have many different activities,” says Wheeler. “We’ll have dialogs, educational events, pitch events and social events.”
Source: Morris Wheeler
Writer: Karin Connelly
The first event was launched at Cleveland Entrepreneurial Week in November, with speakers on technology, product development, investing and the overall startup community in Cleveland. “The main goal of the entrepreneurial speaker series is to install the values of lean startup methodology, the entrepreneurial-driven startup community and mentor-driven startup development,” says Morris Wheeler, organizer and founder of Drummond Road Capital.
Speakers included Chris Heivly, founder of MapQuest, venture partner and founder of TechPint Paul Singh and Alexis Giles, vice president of business development at MOX.
The Cleveland Startup Collective is a grass roots organization focused on lean startup methodology – launching a new product to market in as little as 10 to 12 weeks with as little capital as possible. “Life’s too short to build a product no one wants,’ says Wheeler. “A number of us over the past two or three years believe that at its core, startups and startup investing need to revolve around the entrepreneur. ”
Wheeler says entrepreneurs in cities like New York, Boston and San Francisco get together on Friday nights, drink beer and discuss issues around their businesses. While casual meetings are starting to take off in Cleveland, Wheeler says the city needs more.
“All of the other organizations like JumpStart are important to entrepreneurial success, but in our view we need to be meeting the needs of the startup community, not defining the needs of the community.”
Startups @ City Club plans to host four to six events a year, some of which will be partnered with other events like TechPint. “The idea is to have many different activities,” says Wheeler. “We’ll have dialogs, educational events, pitch events and social events.”
Source: Morris Wheeler
Writer: Karin Connelly
Cleveland artist Jessica Newell recently quit her job teaching Psychology at Cleveland State University to open a gallery in the 5th Street Arcades. Jessica's Gallery, as it's called, functions as a studio, a gallery for the artist's work and a showcase for rotating local artists.
"I love to paint," Newell explains. "I began receiving a lot of commissions from friends and family, and pretty soon I began to realize, 'I can make a business out of this.' I inquired about a place in the 5th Street Arcades and discovered that there was retail space available. With its walkable traffic, I figured I'd make a go of it."
Newell opened two months ago, and she says she's been thrilled with the traffic so far. Downtown apartment dwellers and condo owners are a great market for unique, local artwork, she says. She enjoys painting in her studio during the weekday lunch hour, because that draws customers to come in and look around.
Newell's paintings feature abstract representations of the Cleveland Metroparks and images of the city that "capture what the city could be." Currently, Jessica's Gallery also features the work of local landscape artist Michael Greenwald.
"It's amazing how this place has turned around," she says of the 5th Street Arcades, which are nearly 100 percent leased now. "Between Small Business Saturday and Winterfest, an incredible amount of people came in. It was packed."
Newell has also completed several murals around town, most recently for Piccadilly's Artisan Yogurt on Lorain Avenue in Ohio City, which just opened.
Source: Jessica Newell
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"I love to paint," Newell explains. "I began receiving a lot of commissions from friends and family, and pretty soon I began to realize, 'I can make a business out of this.' I inquired about a place in the 5th Street Arcades and discovered that there was retail space available. With its walkable traffic, I figured I'd make a go of it."
Newell opened two months ago, and she says she's been thrilled with the traffic so far. Downtown apartment dwellers and condo owners are a great market for unique, local artwork, she says. She enjoys painting in her studio during the weekday lunch hour, because that draws customers to come in and look around.
Newell's paintings feature abstract representations of the Cleveland Metroparks and images of the city that "capture what the city could be." Currently, Jessica's Gallery also features the work of local landscape artist Michael Greenwald.
"It's amazing how this place has turned around," she says of the 5th Street Arcades, which are nearly 100 percent leased now. "Between Small Business Saturday and Winterfest, an incredible amount of people came in. It was packed."
Newell has also completed several murals around town, most recently for Piccadilly's Artisan Yogurt on Lorain Avenue in Ohio City, which just opened.
Source: Jessica Newell
Writer: Lee Chilcote
From bikeshares to spare couches, swapping clothing to trading tools, the sharing economy has picked up some serious steam in recent years. Thousands of micro-entrepreneurs are finding ways to capitalize on the peer-to-peer trend -- and one of them might just be the next Airbnb.
new study on regionalism comes at ideal time, says next city
In a feature titled "Three Lessons on Regionalism," Bill Bradley, writing for Next City, outlines the findings of a report recently released by Fund for Our Economic Future.
"Regionalism, from Paris to Portland, offers cities with closely woven outlying suburbs opportunities to broaden their tax bases, increase minimum wages and develop unified approaches to transit -- which could, in turn, give low-wage workers better access to jobs. Advocates have touted these benefits for years. Now, a new report explores how regional collaboration can help spur economic growth."
The Northeast Ohio-based Fund for Our Economic Future, which along with the Knight Foundation, released the report.
In sum: "Data is hugely important, investing in groups that find funding can enlarge your pools of grant money, and big thinkers must be instrumental in turning those grand ideas into reality."
Read the rest here.
"Regionalism, from Paris to Portland, offers cities with closely woven outlying suburbs opportunities to broaden their tax bases, increase minimum wages and develop unified approaches to transit -- which could, in turn, give low-wage workers better access to jobs. Advocates have touted these benefits for years. Now, a new report explores how regional collaboration can help spur economic growth."
The Northeast Ohio-based Fund for Our Economic Future, which along with the Knight Foundation, released the report.
In sum: "Data is hugely important, investing in groups that find funding can enlarge your pools of grant money, and big thinkers must be instrumental in turning those grand ideas into reality."
Read the rest here.
nbc news covers 30th anny of 'a christmas story'
In a light-hearted feature titled, "Oh fudge! Cleveland celebrates 30 years of ‘A Christmas Story,’ NBC News contributor Rob Lovitt outlines the story of the film's popularity and the events surrounding its 30th anniversary.
"If you want to experience true fandom, consider a trip to Cleveland this weekend, where several thousand people are expected to gather to celebrate the 30th anniversary of that kitschy classic of holiday cheer and childhood trauma: 'A Christmas Story,'" he writes.
Friday and Saturday's anniversary celebration will feature tours, theatrical performances and appearances by cast members, including Ian Petrella (Ralphie’s brother Randy), Scott Schwartz (Flick the flagpole-licker) and Zack Ward (aka, neighborhood bully Scut Farkus).
Attendees will also be able to buy signed copies of Tyler Schwartz’ new book, “A Christmas Story Treasury,” attend a charity luncheon and see if they can avoid shooting an eye out with a genuine Red Ryder BB gun and target.
All told, Jones expects 4,000 to 5,000 people to attend the weekend festivities, which is certainly a testament to the movie’s continued appeal for both kids and adults.
Read all about it here.
"If you want to experience true fandom, consider a trip to Cleveland this weekend, where several thousand people are expected to gather to celebrate the 30th anniversary of that kitschy classic of holiday cheer and childhood trauma: 'A Christmas Story,'" he writes.
Friday and Saturday's anniversary celebration will feature tours, theatrical performances and appearances by cast members, including Ian Petrella (Ralphie’s brother Randy), Scott Schwartz (Flick the flagpole-licker) and Zack Ward (aka, neighborhood bully Scut Farkus).
Attendees will also be able to buy signed copies of Tyler Schwartz’ new book, “A Christmas Story Treasury,” attend a charity luncheon and see if they can avoid shooting an eye out with a genuine Red Ryder BB gun and target.
All told, Jones expects 4,000 to 5,000 people to attend the weekend festivities, which is certainly a testament to the movie’s continued appeal for both kids and adults.
Read all about it here.
This week, Brauhaus Cleveland LLC broke ground on the new Hofbrauhaus Cleveland in PlayhouseSquare in the most apropos fashion -- with a German oom-pah band, sausages and huge steins of beer. Project developers aim to complete the new restaurant and brewery by the end of 2014.
"Everything started in 1589 when the Bavarian kings decided the beer wasn't good enough for them, so they created their own brewery," extolled Maximilian Erlmeier, a former Hofbrauhaus Munich executive and chairman of Cincinnati Restaurant Group. "Now, every year two million people come to the Hofbrauhaus to enjoy food and great beer, and six million come to Oktoberfest. We thought, 'We should export this.'"
Hofbrauhaus Cleveland will become the latest franchise in the growing empire, which includes locations in Cincinnati, Chicago and Las Vegas. The Cleveland site will incorporate the Hermit Club and feature 24,000 square feet of space, including nearly 600 indoor seats and more than 1,000 outdoor seats in the beer garden. The famous Hofbrau beer will be brewed on site, and Bavarian dishes will be served.
The project is a huge win for PlayhouseSquare, which has in recent years developed a vibrant restaurant scene. The Hofbrauhaus project is one of the first development deals to push PlayhouseSquare's growth north towards Chester Avenue.
"We're really excited because this is one more step in PlayhouseSquare's growth," said Art Falco, President of PlayhouseSquare. "This is an incredible destination, but we want to see more young people here. With an outdoor beer garden right by CSU and PlayhouseSquare, we think this is a home run."
Source: Art Falco, Maximilian Erlmeier
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"Everything started in 1589 when the Bavarian kings decided the beer wasn't good enough for them, so they created their own brewery," extolled Maximilian Erlmeier, a former Hofbrauhaus Munich executive and chairman of Cincinnati Restaurant Group. "Now, every year two million people come to the Hofbrauhaus to enjoy food and great beer, and six million come to Oktoberfest. We thought, 'We should export this.'"
Hofbrauhaus Cleveland will become the latest franchise in the growing empire, which includes locations in Cincinnati, Chicago and Las Vegas. The Cleveland site will incorporate the Hermit Club and feature 24,000 square feet of space, including nearly 600 indoor seats and more than 1,000 outdoor seats in the beer garden. The famous Hofbrau beer will be brewed on site, and Bavarian dishes will be served.
The project is a huge win for PlayhouseSquare, which has in recent years developed a vibrant restaurant scene. The Hofbrauhaus project is one of the first development deals to push PlayhouseSquare's growth north towards Chester Avenue.
"We're really excited because this is one more step in PlayhouseSquare's growth," said Art Falco, President of PlayhouseSquare. "This is an incredible destination, but we want to see more young people here. With an outdoor beer garden right by CSU and PlayhouseSquare, we think this is a home run."
Source: Art Falco, Maximilian Erlmeier
Writer: Lee Chilcote
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