Shaker Heights
Matt Strayer and his business partner, Aj Mihalic, had a vision: To be able to streamline all of their social network accounts into one place. The two were running a website and graphic design firm while in college, but they were burnt out and looking for something different.
During a bike ride through the Metroparks in 2012, that vision started to come into focus. “I said, ‘Why do I have to have to go to all these different sites to see my posts,’” he recalls. “Why can’t I just go to one site? And Aj said, ‘Let’s do it.’”
Thanks to that bike ride, the first concept of Widdle took shape. The first version, called Nest, was simply an app that amassed all social networking sites in one place. Two years later, and after going through the LaunchHouse accelerator program, Strayer and Mihalic are preparing to launch Widdle in March.
The current version not only groups sites like Facebook and Twitter into one place, the app also pares down user content to the most relevant posts. “You can 'widdle' down the posts that don’t matter without removing or unfriending your contacts,” explains Strayer. “It’s like the Pandora Radio of social networking.”
Strayer says most of the past year and a half has been spent assembling the right management team. In addition to himself and Mihalic, Widdle employs Stephen Hatch and Cory Breed in development and wordsmith Meghan Norcross.
“It’s been a long time in the making but we’re finally comfortable with it,” says Strayer. “It had to be able to adapt as you change.”
Widdle users can set the app to download all their social media feeds, turn off certain sites, or select what content to show. “If you feel posts you want are being widdled, or the app is making bad decisions, you can go back and re-train the algorithm,” explains Strayer. “We put that feature in there because five years ago, I wasn’t interested in business at all. Now, it’s 90 percent of what I do.”
Strayer and his team currently are taking reservations for the app on the Widdle site.
Source: Matt Strayer
Writer: Karin Connelly
During a bike ride through the Metroparks in 2012, that vision started to come into focus. “I said, ‘Why do I have to have to go to all these different sites to see my posts,’” he recalls. “Why can’t I just go to one site? And Aj said, ‘Let’s do it.’”
Thanks to that bike ride, the first concept of Widdle took shape. The first version, called Nest, was simply an app that amassed all social networking sites in one place. Two years later, and after going through the LaunchHouse accelerator program, Strayer and Mihalic are preparing to launch Widdle in March.
The current version not only groups sites like Facebook and Twitter into one place, the app also pares down user content to the most relevant posts. “You can 'widdle' down the posts that don’t matter without removing or unfriending your contacts,” explains Strayer. “It’s like the Pandora Radio of social networking.”
Strayer says most of the past year and a half has been spent assembling the right management team. In addition to himself and Mihalic, Widdle employs Stephen Hatch and Cory Breed in development and wordsmith Meghan Norcross.
“It’s been a long time in the making but we’re finally comfortable with it,” says Strayer. “It had to be able to adapt as you change.”
Widdle users can set the app to download all their social media feeds, turn off certain sites, or select what content to show. “If you feel posts you want are being widdled, or the app is making bad decisions, you can go back and re-train the algorithm,” explains Strayer. “We put that feature in there because five years ago, I wasn’t interested in business at all. Now, it’s 90 percent of what I do.”
Strayer and his team currently are taking reservations for the app on the Widdle site.
Source: Matt Strayer
Writer: Karin Connelly
We often don't give our old neighborhood restaurants a second thought, but they stand both as witnesses of and agents to change. As the world evolves all around them, they stand firm but flexible, preserving a delicious taste of the past while serving the ever-shifting needs of today's clientele.
When they’re not working their day jobs, Josh Womack and Cameron Amigo are stand-up comedians. While his talents can leave them rolling in the aisles during an open mic night, Amigo was finding that friends were coming to him for help writing those dreaded best man speeches. In demand was advice on how to give that perfect wedding speech that is at once humorous and light, but sentimental and genuine.
After attending eight weddings in three months in spring of 2012, and helping a few friends with their speeches, Womack and Amigo started Laugh Staff the following year. The company writes personalized best man, maid of honor and other speeches.
Laugh Staff offers four different speech packages, from "punching up" a customer’s pre-written speech to creating a custom speech from scratch. Womack sends a questionnaire to get all the details about the bride and groom. “We get all the background information before we start typing,” explains Womack. “Every couple has a different story. In 24 to 48 hours, we have a completed speech.”
Laugh Staff has a dozen comedians from around the country, and even the world, signed on to write speeches. Womack and Amigo hand pick the comedians based on speeches written as an application. “If people are going to pay money for it, it has to be funny,” Womack says. “If it makes you laugh out loud, if it makes the customer think, no way could I think of this on my own. That’s what we look for.”
Womack admits that he's written a majority of the 70 speeches Laugh Staff has sold.
Laugh Staff has been commissioned to write speeches for other occasions as well, such as retirement parties and farewell speeches. “A couple of people have reached out and asked us to write their online dating profiles,” says Womack. He’s taken the gig. “If you want someone to actually read it, the content has to be somewhat engaging.”
Womack would like to expand into corporate speeches, and even perhaps help a couple of politicians out. Laugh Staff is a win-win situation in Womack’s eyes. “I get a lot of joy in sitting down and writing a speech,” he says. “For the best man and maid of honor, the speech is just something they want to get off their to-do list. It gives them peace of mind that they have something.”
Source: Josh Womack
Writer: Karin Connelly
After attending eight weddings in three months in spring of 2012, and helping a few friends with their speeches, Womack and Amigo started Laugh Staff the following year. The company writes personalized best man, maid of honor and other speeches.
Laugh Staff offers four different speech packages, from "punching up" a customer’s pre-written speech to creating a custom speech from scratch. Womack sends a questionnaire to get all the details about the bride and groom. “We get all the background information before we start typing,” explains Womack. “Every couple has a different story. In 24 to 48 hours, we have a completed speech.”
Laugh Staff has a dozen comedians from around the country, and even the world, signed on to write speeches. Womack and Amigo hand pick the comedians based on speeches written as an application. “If people are going to pay money for it, it has to be funny,” Womack says. “If it makes you laugh out loud, if it makes the customer think, no way could I think of this on my own. That’s what we look for.”
Womack admits that he's written a majority of the 70 speeches Laugh Staff has sold.
Laugh Staff has been commissioned to write speeches for other occasions as well, such as retirement parties and farewell speeches. “A couple of people have reached out and asked us to write their online dating profiles,” says Womack. He’s taken the gig. “If you want someone to actually read it, the content has to be somewhat engaging.”
Womack would like to expand into corporate speeches, and even perhaps help a couple of politicians out. Laugh Staff is a win-win situation in Womack’s eyes. “I get a lot of joy in sitting down and writing a speech,” he says. “For the best man and maid of honor, the speech is just something they want to get off their to-do list. It gives them peace of mind that they have something.”
Source: Josh Womack
Writer: Karin Connelly
Even as the economy recovers, Americans are driving less and taking public transit more. With all that demand comes congestion and backups at major rail hubs. But smart cities are anticipating and adapting so that the transit station of tomorrow is a true neighborhood amenity.
Running late for a business meeting at the local coffee shop? Not going to make it to happy hour with your friends? Prezto eases the guilt by allowing the user to instantly send a cup of coffee, cocktail or even a cupcake to the person on the other end awaiting your arrival.
“The app allows you to give a gift to a friend remotely and immediately,” explains Anne Jiao, founder of Prezto. “It’s a way to share spontaneous moments on a daily basis.”
The concept is simple: Users download the app, select a participating establishment and gift to give, and then send it to a friend. The friend simply presents a code for scanning and receives the gift.
Jiao came up with the idea for Prezto after working in Los Angeles. “I noticed that most of my bosses hosted meetings outside the office and there was a lot of anxiety around getting to the right place at the right time,” she says. “I thought, what’s an easy way to get a meeting off on the right foot?”
She also reluctantly admits that a scene in the Hunger Games movie, in which the character Katniss received medication through a teleport device to win the game, also helped spark the idea. “It’s the idea of people who are not there being able to affect a person’s life,” she says.
Jiao went through the LaunchHouse Accelerator program last fall to hash out her idea for Prezto and still keeps an office there (in addition to coffee shops and a rented desk downtown). She employs a CTO and an intern and is looking for a second intern. She also uses five developers on a contract basis.
About 40 merchants already have expressed interest in Prezto, mostly in the Coventry, University Circle and Cleveland State areas. The app is in beta testing now and Jiao plans to use her interns to sign on more merchants before the app officially launches this summer.
Source: Anne Jiao
Writer: Karin Connelly
“The app allows you to give a gift to a friend remotely and immediately,” explains Anne Jiao, founder of Prezto. “It’s a way to share spontaneous moments on a daily basis.”
The concept is simple: Users download the app, select a participating establishment and gift to give, and then send it to a friend. The friend simply presents a code for scanning and receives the gift.
Jiao came up with the idea for Prezto after working in Los Angeles. “I noticed that most of my bosses hosted meetings outside the office and there was a lot of anxiety around getting to the right place at the right time,” she says. “I thought, what’s an easy way to get a meeting off on the right foot?”
She also reluctantly admits that a scene in the Hunger Games movie, in which the character Katniss received medication through a teleport device to win the game, also helped spark the idea. “It’s the idea of people who are not there being able to affect a person’s life,” she says.
Jiao went through the LaunchHouse Accelerator program last fall to hash out her idea for Prezto and still keeps an office there (in addition to coffee shops and a rented desk downtown). She employs a CTO and an intern and is looking for a second intern. She also uses five developers on a contract basis.
About 40 merchants already have expressed interest in Prezto, mostly in the Coventry, University Circle and Cleveland State areas. The app is in beta testing now and Jiao plans to use her interns to sign on more merchants before the app officially launches this summer.
Source: Anne Jiao
Writer: Karin Connelly
When Addisah Sherwood-Ajiboye and her husband, A. Bolu Ajiboye, wanted to introduce their three-year-old to science and math, they were surprised by the lack of age-appropriate activities.
While parents often concentrate on early reading skills, they often don’t focus on science, technology, engineering and math – or STEM -- skills, Sherwood-Ajiboye says. “Eighty-five percent of brain development happens before the age of five,” she explains. “Too often, math and science instruction is overlooked by parents. Studies show that children introduced to STEM educational resources at a young age perform better in science and math than those who are not.”
So Sherwood-Ajiboye, a former teacher, and her husband, a neuroscientist and engineering professor at CWRU, started STEMpowerkids to introduce science and math to kids aged three to seven years old. Sherwood-Ajiboye works with three early childhood education experts to develop a STEM curriculum designed for preschool and kindergarten children.
“Our all-inclusive kit is designed to be both fun and educational,” Sherwood-Ajiboye says. “Our mission is to empower children in STEM by promoting their interest and abilities with fun experiential learning activities at home.” The “bite-sized” lesson plans can be tweaked for different ages and include hands-on projects. Activities include making a potato battery and building a film-canister rocket.
Right now STEMpowerkids is in beta phase, selling subscriptions at a discount. When the company officially launches at the Science and Engineering Festival in Washington, D.C. in April, subscriptions will sell for $29.95 per month, which includes shipping.
STEMpowerkids won a $25,000 loan from Bad Girl Ventures in December and is currently looking for first-round investors. Sherwood-Ajiboye also is searching for a business accelerator or incubator program.
Source: Adissah Sherwood-Ajiboye
Writer: Karin Connelly
While parents often concentrate on early reading skills, they often don’t focus on science, technology, engineering and math – or STEM -- skills, Sherwood-Ajiboye says. “Eighty-five percent of brain development happens before the age of five,” she explains. “Too often, math and science instruction is overlooked by parents. Studies show that children introduced to STEM educational resources at a young age perform better in science and math than those who are not.”
So Sherwood-Ajiboye, a former teacher, and her husband, a neuroscientist and engineering professor at CWRU, started STEMpowerkids to introduce science and math to kids aged three to seven years old. Sherwood-Ajiboye works with three early childhood education experts to develop a STEM curriculum designed for preschool and kindergarten children.
“Our all-inclusive kit is designed to be both fun and educational,” Sherwood-Ajiboye says. “Our mission is to empower children in STEM by promoting their interest and abilities with fun experiential learning activities at home.” The “bite-sized” lesson plans can be tweaked for different ages and include hands-on projects. Activities include making a potato battery and building a film-canister rocket.
Right now STEMpowerkids is in beta phase, selling subscriptions at a discount. When the company officially launches at the Science and Engineering Festival in Washington, D.C. in April, subscriptions will sell for $29.95 per month, which includes shipping.
STEMpowerkids won a $25,000 loan from Bad Girl Ventures in December and is currently looking for first-round investors. Sherwood-Ajiboye also is searching for a business accelerator or incubator program.
Source: Adissah Sherwood-Ajiboye
Writer: Karin Connelly
Great neighborhoods require great cafes. These so-called "third places" provide residents with a neutral place to meet, talk and take part in the daily discourse of life. Thanks to a maturing coffee movement, most of Cleveland's neighborhoods are now blessed with just such a place. Here are some of our favorites.
An east-side developer has purchased the historic streetcar power station on Larchmere Boulevard. Once home to the American Crafts Gallery, which is thought to be the oldest gallery of its kind in Cleveland and is now housed within the Dancing Sheep boutique down the road, the property has been vacant for years. Ilene Greenblatt, who has developed properties in Chicago before moving back to Cleveland to be near family, bought the building and expects to wrap up renovations by March.
"It's a very handsome building and I've always loved it," says Greenblatt. "When I saw it was for sale and the price was reasonable, I jumped in and bought it."
Renovating the building has not been quite as reasonable. Shortly after the purchase, the back wall caved in and the roof collapsed. Greenblatt soldiered on, fixing a leaky basement, cleaning out an old tunnel leading to the street that was stuffed with trash, and rebuilding a mezzanine that was too dangerous to stand on.
The property, which has soaring 30-foot ceilings, brick walls and large windows, will soon house Wolf's Gallery, a long-running fixture on the Cleveland art scene that opened a gallery on Larchmere a few years ago. Owner Michael Wolf plans to relocate to the 6,000-square-foot space in spring, a dramatic expansion from his current storefront.
"I love the people in the area, they're wonderful," says Greenblatt. "The building was neglected for so long, it needed a lot of money and a lot of work. But it will be here for at least another hundred years, easily."
Source: Ilene Greenblatt
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"It's a very handsome building and I've always loved it," says Greenblatt. "When I saw it was for sale and the price was reasonable, I jumped in and bought it."
Renovating the building has not been quite as reasonable. Shortly after the purchase, the back wall caved in and the roof collapsed. Greenblatt soldiered on, fixing a leaky basement, cleaning out an old tunnel leading to the street that was stuffed with trash, and rebuilding a mezzanine that was too dangerous to stand on.
The property, which has soaring 30-foot ceilings, brick walls and large windows, will soon house Wolf's Gallery, a long-running fixture on the Cleveland art scene that opened a gallery on Larchmere a few years ago. Owner Michael Wolf plans to relocate to the 6,000-square-foot space in spring, a dramatic expansion from his current storefront.
"I love the people in the area, they're wonderful," says Greenblatt. "The building was neglected for so long, it needed a lot of money and a lot of work. But it will be here for at least another hundred years, easily."
Source: Ilene Greenblatt
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Dan Mansoor’s 30 years in nonprofit fundraising has taught him one thing. Well, it’s taught him a few things, actually. One is that people think they give to their favorite charities much more often than they actually do. Two: donor retention rates hover around only 40 percent. And three: 80 percent of charitable giving is still motivated by direct mail.
Mansoor thought there had to be a better way, one that makes it just as easy to make and track donations as buying a book on Amazon. So he created GiveNext, an online brokerage account of sorts that makes giving easy.
“It’s easier to buy a book than save a life,” Mansoor says. “The decision of making a gift is the hardest part. It shouldn’t be making the gift.”
GiveNext works for both donors and organizations. Donors simply sign up online, choose the charities of their choice and make donations. They can then generate a report of the year’s gifts for tax purposes. Nonprofits can register their causes, invite their donors to visit GiveNext to make a donation and receive timely donations.
With GiveNext, you’re one click away not only from helping a charity, but one click away from helping with any cause or emergency, says Mansoor. “How many of us wanted to help others after Hurricane Sandy, the Newtown shooting, the Boston bombing, the Philippine typhoon, or Illinois tornadoes? But we didn't because we did not know which charity to give to, or it was too cumbersome to give, or we were distracted by our busy lives. If all we had to do is get out our phone and type in an amount and hit ‘enter,’ more people would do more.”
Mansoor went through the most recent LaunchHouse Accelerator program and won first place and $20,000 in the COSE Business Pitch Competition on October 23. “It’s nice to know there are others out there who think the concept is somewhat worthy,” Mansoor says.
While Mansoor is the only GiveNext employee right now, he expects to have 30 to 50 employees in the next five years. He anticipates going live in the next two months.
Source: Dan Mansoor
Writer: Karin Connelly
Mansoor thought there had to be a better way, one that makes it just as easy to make and track donations as buying a book on Amazon. So he created GiveNext, an online brokerage account of sorts that makes giving easy.
“It’s easier to buy a book than save a life,” Mansoor says. “The decision of making a gift is the hardest part. It shouldn’t be making the gift.”
GiveNext works for both donors and organizations. Donors simply sign up online, choose the charities of their choice and make donations. They can then generate a report of the year’s gifts for tax purposes. Nonprofits can register their causes, invite their donors to visit GiveNext to make a donation and receive timely donations.
With GiveNext, you’re one click away not only from helping a charity, but one click away from helping with any cause or emergency, says Mansoor. “How many of us wanted to help others after Hurricane Sandy, the Newtown shooting, the Boston bombing, the Philippine typhoon, or Illinois tornadoes? But we didn't because we did not know which charity to give to, or it was too cumbersome to give, or we were distracted by our busy lives. If all we had to do is get out our phone and type in an amount and hit ‘enter,’ more people would do more.”
Mansoor went through the most recent LaunchHouse Accelerator program and won first place and $20,000 in the COSE Business Pitch Competition on October 23. “It’s nice to know there are others out there who think the concept is somewhat worthy,” Mansoor says.
While Mansoor is the only GiveNext employee right now, he expects to have 30 to 50 employees in the next five years. He anticipates going live in the next two months.
Source: Dan Mansoor
Writer: Karin Connelly
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.
It's a fact that $68 of every $100 spent locally returns to the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures. We all know that shopping small is good for the local community, but what are the real and tangible benefits behind the movement? A closer look reveals how buying local feeds our region in ways both obvious and subtle.
Since the Great Recession, more and more folks have been living the "gigging life," working multiple jobs or hopping from one project to the next in hopes of cobbling together a living budget. While that might seem arduous, it also allows those living the lifestyle to follow their true passion.
More than 1,300 people attended the first annual Cleveland Entrepreneurship Week last week, participating in everything from pitch sessions to speaker sessions and after-hours networking events.
Big names in the entrepreneurial community from outside the region, such as MapQuest founder Chris Heivly and managing director of The Startup Factory, were among those in attendance who helped make the event a success.
“Overall, ClevelandEW was successfully able to showcase and celebrate the growth of entrepreneurship and the unique ecosystem being created here in Northeast Ohio,” says Todd Goldstein, founder of LaunchHouse, lead sponsor of the event.
Goldstein reports that all of the EW events were well attended. “More than 300 attended LHX2013 Demo Day and the ClevelandEW opening party at LaunchHouse,” he says. “Other popular events were Startups @ The City Club, a new entrepreneurial and community-driven speaker series with the mission to educate, inspire and provoke entrepreneurial thought throughout Northeast Ohio, and the speaker sessions at Ernst and Young.”
Several of the startups in the LHX2013 Demo Day were able to secure leads, convert attendees to customers and identify potential investors. Goldstein says all 11 companies that gave pitches at Demo Day felt good, although a bit overwhelmed, about the experience.
“Right now, they are all doing a lot of follow up to the leads they made during Demo Day and ClevelandEW,” he says. “They are all rock stars to us and we are looking forward to helping them toward the next stage in their companies.”
Source: Todd Goldstein
Writer: Karin Connelly
Big names in the entrepreneurial community from outside the region, such as MapQuest founder Chris Heivly and managing director of The Startup Factory, were among those in attendance who helped make the event a success.
“Overall, ClevelandEW was successfully able to showcase and celebrate the growth of entrepreneurship and the unique ecosystem being created here in Northeast Ohio,” says Todd Goldstein, founder of LaunchHouse, lead sponsor of the event.
Goldstein reports that all of the EW events were well attended. “More than 300 attended LHX2013 Demo Day and the ClevelandEW opening party at LaunchHouse,” he says. “Other popular events were Startups @ The City Club, a new entrepreneurial and community-driven speaker series with the mission to educate, inspire and provoke entrepreneurial thought throughout Northeast Ohio, and the speaker sessions at Ernst and Young.”
Several of the startups in the LHX2013 Demo Day were able to secure leads, convert attendees to customers and identify potential investors. Goldstein says all 11 companies that gave pitches at Demo Day felt good, although a bit overwhelmed, about the experience.
“Right now, they are all doing a lot of follow up to the leads they made during Demo Day and ClevelandEW,” he says. “They are all rock stars to us and we are looking forward to helping them toward the next stage in their companies.”
Source: Todd Goldstein
Writer: Karin Connelly
Shaker Heights perhaps is better known for its handsome residential districts than its commercial areas. However, a new pop-up event aims to highlight local businesses in the Van Aken District, invite a few new ones to participate, and offer a new kind of winter market where people can shop close to home.
Pop Up Shaker will bring a range of local food and craft purveyors into Juma Gallery and Lucy's Sweet Surrender for a two-week run beginning Saturday, November 30th and going through Sunday, December 15th. Upcycle St. Clair's innovative Shop the Window event will brighten the windows of the vacant storefront between them.
"The goal is to encourage residents and others to look at Shaker as a great place to do business," says Katharyne Starinsky, an Economic Development Specialist with the City of Shaker Heights. "Construction on the Van Aken streetscape is starting next year. We want people to think about how great the future of the area will be."
Cleveland Culinary Launch and Kitchen will turn Juma Cafe into a marketplace for tantalizing foods; Cleveland Craft Connection will host a handmade market and teach crafting classes at Lucy's; and Shop the Window will allow visitors to purchase upcycled crafts simply by scanning the QR code with their smartphones.
"You can immediately purchase the gifts right then and there, and then they'll be available for pickup at Upcycle St. Clair, or they can be shipped," says Starinsky.
So far, everyone loves the idea, which has never before been tried in the City of Shaker Heights. "People are excited to be able to shop in their own community."
Source: Katharyne Starinsky
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Pop Up Shaker will bring a range of local food and craft purveyors into Juma Gallery and Lucy's Sweet Surrender for a two-week run beginning Saturday, November 30th and going through Sunday, December 15th. Upcycle St. Clair's innovative Shop the Window event will brighten the windows of the vacant storefront between them.
"The goal is to encourage residents and others to look at Shaker as a great place to do business," says Katharyne Starinsky, an Economic Development Specialist with the City of Shaker Heights. "Construction on the Van Aken streetscape is starting next year. We want people to think about how great the future of the area will be."
Cleveland Culinary Launch and Kitchen will turn Juma Cafe into a marketplace for tantalizing foods; Cleveland Craft Connection will host a handmade market and teach crafting classes at Lucy's; and Shop the Window will allow visitors to purchase upcycled crafts simply by scanning the QR code with their smartphones.
"You can immediately purchase the gifts right then and there, and then they'll be available for pickup at Upcycle St. Clair, or they can be shipped," says Starinsky.
So far, everyone loves the idea, which has never before been tried in the City of Shaker Heights. "People are excited to be able to shop in their own community."
Source: Katharyne Starinsky
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The new kid on the block on historic Larchmere Boulevard sells everything from vintage longhorn antlers and Tory Burch sandals to designer jeans and mid-century modern Herman Miller chairs. That's just how Eclectic Eccentric rolls, which is a perfect fit for a street that is nothing if not both of those things.
Long considered the East Side's premier antiques district, the street still contains remnants of that, but now also houses a yarn shop, bookstore, soul food joint, bistro, barber shops, galleries and much more within a few short, walkable blocks. A new streetscape project, set to kick off next year, will make that walk even more pleasant when it wraps up in 2015.
Eclectic Eccentric owner Tracey Hilbert says that she got her start in retail at the tender age of 14, working in her father's drugstore. Last year, the Shaker Heights mom returned to her roots and opened a small store above Conservation Studios. Emboldened by its success, she pounced on a vacant storefront that became available earlier this year.
"I wanted the combination of a vintage store and new merchandise that's modern," she says. "People have always said I have a good eye, and I like the juxtaposition."
Hilbert, who is partnering with several other designers and clothing makers to turn Eclectic Eccentric into "more of a co-op space," says that she's tapping into a resurgence of interest in all things vintage and green. "There's a trend with people around the country taking what they like and incorporating a variety of different things into design," she states. "There aren't as many set rules any more."
Eclectic Eccentric is located at 13005 Larchmere Boulevard.
Source: Tracey Hilbert
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Long considered the East Side's premier antiques district, the street still contains remnants of that, but now also houses a yarn shop, bookstore, soul food joint, bistro, barber shops, galleries and much more within a few short, walkable blocks. A new streetscape project, set to kick off next year, will make that walk even more pleasant when it wraps up in 2015.
Eclectic Eccentric owner Tracey Hilbert says that she got her start in retail at the tender age of 14, working in her father's drugstore. Last year, the Shaker Heights mom returned to her roots and opened a small store above Conservation Studios. Emboldened by its success, she pounced on a vacant storefront that became available earlier this year.
"I wanted the combination of a vintage store and new merchandise that's modern," she says. "People have always said I have a good eye, and I like the juxtaposition."
Hilbert, who is partnering with several other designers and clothing makers to turn Eclectic Eccentric into "more of a co-op space," says that she's tapping into a resurgence of interest in all things vintage and green. "There's a trend with people around the country taking what they like and incorporating a variety of different things into design," she states. "There aren't as many set rules any more."
Eclectic Eccentric is located at 13005 Larchmere Boulevard.
Source: Tracey Hilbert
Writer: Lee Chilcote
d.c. streets covers major policy shift at local planning agency
In a DC Streets Blog post titled "In Cleveland, An Old-School Planning Agency Sees the Light," writer Angie Schmitt writes of the dramatic turn around currently talking place at Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA), a topic Fresh Water recently covered in depth.
"NOACA was so notoriously averse to change and ineffectual that it acquired the nickname NO ACTION," Schmitt writes. "But as impossible as it seemed even a year ago, things are changing at NOACA. They’re changing fast, and for the better. Last year the agency hired a new director, Grace Gallucci, who had been the head of finance for the Chicago Transit Authority. Since the Cleveland native assumed her role at the head of the NOACA, the region agency has adopted a completely different tenor."
Read more about how the local planning agency is shifting gears here.
"NOACA was so notoriously averse to change and ineffectual that it acquired the nickname NO ACTION," Schmitt writes. "But as impossible as it seemed even a year ago, things are changing at NOACA. They’re changing fast, and for the better. Last year the agency hired a new director, Grace Gallucci, who had been the head of finance for the Chicago Transit Authority. Since the Cleveland native assumed her role at the head of the NOACA, the region agency has adopted a completely different tenor."
Read more about how the local planning agency is shifting gears here.
When Sharie Renee opened Cosmic Bobbins on Shaker Square last November, she originally intended for it to be a temporary pop-up shop for the holidays that showcased her handbags made from recycled magazines and other items from local artisans.
A year later, Cosmic Bobbins not only is still going strong as a permanent Shaker Square presence, the store's owner has expanded its offerings and the number of artists it features from 10 to 20 and again to more than 30.
“I have been such a lover and supporter of the arts that many of the artists I carry in my shop are people that I admire and have become my friends over the years,” she says. “Other artists have started out as our customers.”
Renee carries a few fair trade, vintage and boutique items and has custom embroidery services. Business is going so well that Renee has hired two employees to help her run the shop. “We would love to hire more people,” says Renee.
Furthermore, Renee now offers private and semi-private sewing lessons, a fragrance blending class with Yates Apothecary owner Melissa Hale, and plans to offer classes on beauty care products when Renee launches her new spa line, Cosmic Bubbles. Renee is renovating the basement to have a larger workroom and classroom.
In the summer, Renee works with Youth Opportunities Unlimited to create mentorship and summer jobs for youth in the community. “This year, we worked with MyCom South Shaker to identify students in the area that had a particular interest in the creative arts and entrepreneurship,” explains Renee. "Some of the students wrote a community grant to further education in sewing and textile arts. We made it to the interview process, but have yet to hear about the grant.”
Source: Sharie Renee
Writer: Karin Connelly
A year later, Cosmic Bobbins not only is still going strong as a permanent Shaker Square presence, the store's owner has expanded its offerings and the number of artists it features from 10 to 20 and again to more than 30.
“I have been such a lover and supporter of the arts that many of the artists I carry in my shop are people that I admire and have become my friends over the years,” she says. “Other artists have started out as our customers.”
Renee carries a few fair trade, vintage and boutique items and has custom embroidery services. Business is going so well that Renee has hired two employees to help her run the shop. “We would love to hire more people,” says Renee.
Furthermore, Renee now offers private and semi-private sewing lessons, a fragrance blending class with Yates Apothecary owner Melissa Hale, and plans to offer classes on beauty care products when Renee launches her new spa line, Cosmic Bubbles. Renee is renovating the basement to have a larger workroom and classroom.
In the summer, Renee works with Youth Opportunities Unlimited to create mentorship and summer jobs for youth in the community. “This year, we worked with MyCom South Shaker to identify students in the area that had a particular interest in the creative arts and entrepreneurship,” explains Renee. "Some of the students wrote a community grant to further education in sewing and textile arts. We made it to the interview process, but have yet to hear about the grant.”
Source: Sharie Renee
Writer: Karin Connelly
Once ground zero for all things rock 'n' roll, Cleveland has steadily shed its reputation as King, and in the process squandered many of the economic benefits that go along with it. An effort by local advocates is attempting to change that by raising the industry’s profile and marketing it to a wider audience.