Companies in Cleveland are saving wood and other materials that were once factory floors and school chalkboards from dumpsters and transforming them into beautiful, high-quality furniture and flooring.

Each year, CIA's annual Spring Design Show showcases up-and-coming ingenuity in our own backyard. Outside of these four walls, CIA students are helping to transform Cleveland through their creative products and innovations.

This weekend, celebrate creative women at Women to Watch — Ohio, show your mother some love at EarthFest2015, get carried away with Cleveland Ballet, rock out at Record Store Day and more. 

While it is not easy to move to a new country and a new city full of different cultures, languages and traditions, refugees not only make it work, they become some of Cleveland’s most successful entrepreneurs.

Gear up for an action-packed weekend! Shop the Cleveland Flea’s April Market, enjoy Danceworks at Cleveland Public Theatre, run a 5K to benefit colon cancer, learn tips for maintaining a beautiful yard without chemicals and more.
 

Attention foodies or anyone looking for a new dining experience: Dinner Lab announced last week that On July 24 Cleveland will become its 33rd location in its social dining experiment. Dinner Lab hosts regular pop-up dinners in unconventional, undisclosed locations in a setting that offers the chance to meet new people, try new great food and give feedback. It also allows chefs – about half from Cleveland and the other half from successful restaurants around the country – to try new concepts and new menu items.
 
Dinner Lab started in New Orleans three years ago. “Originally, there was nowhere to get really good late night food in New Orleans,” explains Dinner Lab HR director Hallie Dietsch. “What it evolved into is an opportunity to let chefs showcase their true passions.”
 
The chefs are not given boundaries to what they prepare. Diners are given a comment card to rate the food’s taste, creativity and other feedback. “As a member, you’re having a dinner that you most likely will never have again,” says Dietsch. “For the chef, it’s an opportunity to cook something he knows really well and enjoys cooking.”
 
There is a $125 annual membership fee to join Dinner Lab, and the five- to seven-course dinners cost between $50 and $65. Members can bring up to three guests with them. The chefs range from seasoned line cooks who are thinking about opening their own restaurants to Michelin Star chefs trying out new concepts.
 
Dinners are announced three weeks in advance of the event. Diners are told the date, the chef and the menu, but the location is not disclosed until 24 hours before the event.
 
Dietsch says Cleveland was chosen as the newest Dinner Lab location because of the population’s affinity for good food. “Cleveland is not known as being New York or Chicago, but Clevelanders are keyed in to good food and want to try new things,” she says. “We think people in Cleveland will be excited and ready for this. People are more interested in food and educated about food and they want to know what they’re eating and the chef’s inspiration.”
 
Cleveland’s first Dinner Lab chef will be Chicago-based Daniel Espinoza, who will cook a five-course modern Mexican meal titled “Anomar.”
 
 

"The rust belt city offers some old-fashioned, even old-world, charms. Readers ranked it at No. 5 for its rich food halls, like West Side Market—with spices, baked goods and delis—which dates back to 1912, when it catered primarily to the city’s immigrants."

Read the full story here.

"It's cheap, their museum is on point, and they have excellent taste in beer." So says Buzzfeed.

Check out what other cities made the list. Read the full story here.

It's not just millennials who are looking to ditch the suburban doldrums and get in on the urban excitement. Baby boomers have become the fastest-growing group of people migrating to downtown.

Almost a year ago, Constantino’s Market COO Andrew Revy began planning for a pick-up and delivery service at its Warehouse District location. The market, which has been a downtown presence for 10 years, wanted to find a way to serve its busy customers with an easy way to get basic groceries, stock up for a party, or simply get dinner on the go.

“Everybody needs to eat, but people don’t have time to do shopping,” says Revy. “This is all about ease and lifestyle. We have such busy lives, this has been a driving need.”

A week-and-a-half ago, Constantino’s Warehouse District launched its Fast & Fresh program, which offers online ordering with in-store pickup or delivery within a five mile radius. Users can place an order online and a personal shopper will fulfill the order. The five miles extends west to Lakewood and east to University Circle. “It’s not like if you’re two feet out of the radius we won’t deliver,” Revy says. “We’re flexible.”

If the services go well in the Warehouse District store, Revy says Constantino’s plans to expand the services to its University Circle store and eventually deliver to all of Cuyahoga County.

The service is aimed at Constantino’s existing customer base, which includes the downtown resident population and the workforce.  “Everything you would need, whether it’s milk, eggs and bread or if you’re having a party and need beer and wine and snacks, it’s straightforward shopping,” says Revy. “Everything in the store is available for delivery.”

Delivery and pick-up service is available Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Pickup hours are between 5pm and 7pm, delivery is between 6pm and 8pm. There is a $20 minimum for orders. The delivery fee is $5 or 10 percent, whichever is greater. Orders over $150 receive free delivery. The first delivery or pick-up is free.

With the click of an app, a car from Lyft or Uber can be at your door in minutes. Despite controversy, ridesharing services are making it easier to get around Cleveland without worrying about parking and driving.  

This weekend, spend the day at the Cleveland International Film Festival, express your style at Cleveland Fashion Week, sip a glass of bubbly at the Week of Wine, and party at Near West Theatre’s annual benefit gala.