Former L'Albatros GM Brandon Chrostowski just signed a lease to open EDWINS, a restaurant that will serve as a training program to help people reentering society after prison to gain relevant job skills. Chrostowski will open the eatery, which will be located in the former Grotto Wine Bar space at Shaker Square, this fall.

"The food will be industrial French -- I've only worked in French restaurants, so it's kind of like taking that cuisine and putting an industrial twist on it," Chrostowski says. "For the City of Cleveland, I think it's got to have that flavor and punch to it."

Edwins will offer a six-month training program modeled after Chrostowski's alma mater, the Culinary Institute of America. Participants learn cooking fundamentals as well as "front of house" managerial skills. Chrostowski has relationships with judges and nonprofit reentry programs to help identify candidates and provide additional support.

After participants have completed the six-month program, they'll be paired with an industry professional through the "big chef/little cook" program. The long-term goal is to help trainees find meaningful employment in the restaurant industry.

Chrostowski, whose passion for the progam is motivated by a prior stint behind bars and the help he received getting back on his feet, is currently fixing up the space. The price points will be comparable to other restaurants at the Square, he says, adding that the experience will be professional and won't feel like a student-run restaurant.

Edwins is a nonprofit organization. Chrostowski raised money from foundations and individuals to support his dream since he first launched the effort in 2007.

"It's kind of amazing what a community can do when you believe in something," he says.


Source: Brandon Chrostowski
Writer: Lee Chilcote

The Cleveland Shop, a 34-year old vintage clothing and costume rental store, has relocated from Detroit and W. 117th to the Gordon Square Arts District, adding to a growing fashion presence in this burgeoning near west side neighborhood.

The shop, which opened July 11th, took over the former duoHOME space at 6511 Detroit Avenue. It is open Tuesday through Thursday from 12-6 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 12-9 p.m. and closed Sunday and Monday. It joins Turnstyle Clothing and Yellowcake in a mini fashion hub in the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood.

"I think the space chose me," says store owner Jane Joseph, who had been looking since last year for a retail location with more foot traffic and greater synergy with other businesses. "We kind of have two personalities within one store, and this space is large enough that it allows us to have room for both sections."

"The Cleveland Shop's funky, eclectic brand of retail nicely complements the existing commercial businesses in Gordon Square," says Councilman Matt Zone. "Jane kind of rounds out the diverse blend of high quality fashion in [the area]."

The Cleveland Shop sells vintage merchandise "from as early as the roaring 1920s era through the funky fashions of the 1970s," proclaims its website. It also rents period costumes and carries vintage reproduction items like platform shoes.

So if you're looking for that perfect set of go-go boots or a sharkskin suit to add to your vintage collection, look no further. The Cleveland Shop has got you covered -- fashionably.


Source: The Cleveland Shop
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Knowta recently raised more than $300,000 in angel investments, exceeding its goal of $250,000 to roll out the next phase of its software solution. The LaunchHouse company offers free or discounted printing at libraries in exchange for accepting advertising on the bottom of the printed pages. A percentage of the revenue generated from the full-color ads is then returned to the libraries to offset their costs.
 
Initially, founder Ryan Clark and his four partners tested Knowta’s usability at CWRU’s Kelvin Smith Library during the 2012-2013 school year. They looked at three factors: Would library patrons use the service; would it work well in the university environment and provide value to the university; and would it deliver desirable results to advertisers. “We got an affirmative response on all three,” says Clark.
 
The next step is to improve upon the software. Clark says the investments, 90 percent of which came from individual Northeast Ohio investors, will be used to roll out the next phase. “There are a number of features we want to add to make it more attractive to our advertisers and make it more robust,” he says. “We’re excited about it. We’ve received tremendous feedback from users at Case.”
 
Knowta currently is in talks with five other universities in Northeast Ohio, and Clark says they are open to talking to any school that is interested in their product. Their goal is to secure five to six new schools this year.
 
Knowta currently has 25 advertisers in a range of industries, most of them local. Clark’s goal is to tap into the national market. The most popular ads are for the food and beverage industry.
 
Knowta has two full time employees, one paid intern and uses four to five contractors to build out the second phase of software development. The company plans to hire a lead developer/solution architect by the end of the year.

 
Source: Ryan Clark
Writer: Karin Connelly

The Willeyville is named after John Willey, the first mayor of Cleveland, who reputedly demolished a portion of the first bridge to Ohio City to keep a steady stream of business pouring into the Flats. In those bygone days, the area actually was nicknamed "Willeyville" because of the mayor's practice of protecting it.

The new restaurant, which opened at W. 10th and Front streets in the Flats, is a bridge to the city's past and future. With elegant, creative fare served in a lovely setting, Willeyville reminds one why he or she came to the Flats in the first place. It aims to raise the bar on the city's food scene without breaking bank accounts along the way.

"The concept has always been old-school cocktails and everything from scratch," says Christopher DiLisi, a restaurant veteran who has worked at the Baricelli Inn and Flour and waited two years to open Willeyville with his wife, Kristi. "I don't want to be a special occasion place; I want to be a place you go all the time. It's just more fun. Fine dining's not dead -- this is fine dining. It's just changed."

Willeyville, which seats 86 inside and 32 on its corner patio, is a beautiful space with concrete floors, large windows and a lofty ceiling. Homey touches like wood tables crafted from reclaimed lumber by A Piece of Cleveland and comfy benches upholstered in faux leather add warmth. The walls are painted an attractive shade of orange and the open kitchen thrusts into the dining room like a theatrical stage.

A few menu standouts include the "duck mic muffin" (duck sausage and an over-easy egg in a homemade muffin); the adobo shrimp in house-made tortillas (made of whole grain corn soaked in lime); and the Ohio-raised, grass-fed hangar steak.

DiLisi already has been doing 110 covers per lunch, he reports -- and that's despite the challenging parking situation. Options currently include a dozen free spaces, a paid lot or the Aloft Hotel garage. DiLisi hopes to work out more options down the road.

He is confident about Flats East, which will celebrate the opening of Lago restaurant next week. "This will always be a restaurant-bar, not just a bar that serves food. The Flats used to be party central, but now the developers are focused on getting a great mix."

As for the name, he's second-guessing it. "In retrospect, after paying for the sign, I wish it didn't have so many letters," DiLisi quips. "Maybe it should have been 'W.'"


Source: Christopher DiLisi
Writer: Lee Chilcote

The two square miles of real estate between downtown Cleveland and University Circle are bursting with development. A local nonprofit has established a fund to ensure that work continues to flourish.

On June 20, economic development corporation MidTown Cleveland, Inc. announced the creation of the MidTown Cleveland, Inc. Endowment Fund at the Cleveland Foundation. The fund, under the foundation's guidance, proposes to build a sustainable revenue source to secure continued activity in the burgeoning district. This will include promotion of the health-tech corridor, a three-mile expanse of hospitals, business incubators, educational institutions and high-tech companies situated within MidTown.

The growing tech corridor isn't the only project the fund will support, notes MidTown chairman John Melchiorre. The group plans to leave other "footprints" on the community as well, be they demolishing old buildings, planting flowers along Euclid Avenue or helping transform distressed properties into job-creating enterprises.

"The Cleveland Foundation has been a leading supporter of the revitalization of Midtown, so this is just the latest way our two organizations have joined forces for the betterment of that neighborhood," said Kaye Ridolfi, senior vice president of advancement at the Cleveland Foundation.

Founded by Cleveland businessman Mort Mandel and others some 30 years ago, MidTown Cleveland has helped develop the area into a business district home to 600 companies and 18,000 employees. Executive director Jim Haviland views MidTown as part of the city's renaissance, and believes the fund will sustain the region for decades to come.

"It helps us to continue the role we play" within the neighborhood, says Haviland.

 
SOURCES: John Melchiorre, Jim Haviland, Kaye Ridolfi
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth

A trio of local creatives, whose work in the arts ranges from entrepreneurship to philanthropy, have been acknowledged for the impact they make on the community.

Young Audiences of Northeast Ohio, a nonprofit that promotes creative learning through the arts for local children and teenagers, announced the winners of its 2013 Arts, Education and Entrepreneurship Awards late last week.

As part of its 60th anniversary celebration, the organization recognized those who have made a lasting contribution in the three key categories, says development director Jerry Smith.

The winners are:

* Stephanie Morrison-Hrbek, founder and director of Near West Theatre. Located in the Gordon Square Arts District, the theater was deemed by Young Audiences as a bastion for Cleveland youth struggling with their identities.

* Anna Arnold, director of the Florence O’Donnell Wasmer Gallery. An artist and educator, Arnold works with at-risk children, encouraging them to positively express their thoughts and values through art.

* Jeff Lachina, CEO of Lachina. The entrepreneur's educational product company recruits from Cleveland Institute of Art and other area universities to demonstrate to students that an active career in the arts can happen locally.

The three award-winners each will have an endowment established in their names, and be recognized during Young Audience's anniversary commemoration in September.

"They all reached out into the community in a unique way, touching the lives of people for whom the arts is not always readily available," says Smith.

 
SOURCE: Jerry Smith, Jennifer Abelson
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth

For Gordon Square residents and Edgewater Park visitors, the long wait finally is over. The bike-ped underpass at W. 76th Street that connects the west side to Edgewater reopens next week -- albeit a few years late and millions over budget. Public officials plan to celebrate on Tuesday, July 2nd at 5 pm with a ribbon cutting at Battery Park Wine Bar.

Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) spokesperson Amanda Lee says the delays were caused by environmental issues that required a new retaining wall design. High water content in the soil forced them back to the drawing board. Essentially two connected tunnels, it goes under tracks and the Shoreway.

Not only is the underpass cleaner, better illuminated and more accessible, it also boasts a striking new work of public art, "Cold Front," designed by Cleveland artist Mark Reigelman. The piece plays off the natural history of the area, whose bluffs were carved out by glaciers -- known as pathmakers -- eons ago.

"This is what you see when you come out of the tunnel: Cleveland's best natural feature, Lake Erie, as well as the history of the lake and how it's been formed," says Riegelman, whose artwork at the entrance was built out of cast concrete by Great Lakes Construction.

The work, which consists of hexagonal shapes in shades of blue designed to mimic the water molecules in glaciers, was built so that it will be visible to all who pass. "From the neighborhood you see the crest of the glacier; trains can see a luminescent blue quality; and people can see it from their boats on the water."

LAND Studio coordinated the selection process for the public artwork, which was completed with funds from the State of Ohio, City and Cuyahoga Arts and Culture.

The underpass will better connect residents to Edgewater Park at a time when the Metroparks has just assumed management. Users report that the Metroparks already has made improvements, with staff picking up litter and combing the beach and long-awaited recycling bins set to be installed next week.


Source: Mark Reigelman
Writer: Lee Chilcote

The jazz institution Nighttown has opened two new patios -- one for people and the other for people accompanied by their four-legged friends -- at its home on Cedar Road in Cleveland Heights. They're not what you might expect: Unlike the traditional look of the restaurant's interior, the patios are very contemporary.

"The whole back of the building is basically a patio complex," says owner Brendan Ring. "We created two side-by-side patios, one enclosed with stone from Missouri, and kind of wrapped the whole back of the building in a modern metal material. They will remind you of being in SoHo or maybe some cool place in Tremont."

The enclosed, 1,400-square-foot patio for people has a heated, stamped concrete floor that's built to resemble wood planks, bioethanol fireplaces and a small bar. Sliding glass panels will ensure that it can be used year-round. The 900-square-foot dog-friendly patio is where the singles like to hang out, Ring says.

"Especially in Cleveland Heights, everyone has a dog. Young people have a martini or smoke there. 'I've got a dog, you got a dog, we've got something to talk about.'"

The impetus for the patios came last year when Ring looked at the books and realized that his existing outdoor space was booked every Friday and Saturday night for months on end. "I kind of went, 'Holy shit, we have no place to seat regular people on weekends.' We got an architect, designed it and got it up."

Ring says he also built the patios to stand out and compete within Cleveland's increasingly vibrant foodie scene -- and of course, having a killer patio helps. "Audiences have gotten bigger in this town, but there are more stages, too."


Source: Brendan Ring
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Both Bizdom and LaunchHouse received hundreds of entrepreneurs applying for their respective accelerator programs this year. LaunchHouse received a record 115 applications for 10 spots in its 2013 LHX accelerator program, while Bizdom already has seen more than 100 applications this year from all over the country.

Both organizations each received $200,000 from Ohio’s New Entrepreneurs (ONE) Fund earlier this year. So, Bizdom and LaunchHouse decided to collaborate in investing in 20 technology startups this year.
 
"We feel it is important to collaborate with every organization that is helping to revitalize the region and LaunchHouse is certainly one of these organizations,” says Bizdom leader Paul Allen. “When we found out that Shaker LaunchHouse had also received ONE Fund support for its accelerator we reached out to see how we could closely collaborate to optimize the experience for all founders and to show the startup community that we are coordinated in our efforts.”
 
The organizations plan to share mentoring sessions, jointly host classes and open up their office spaces to each other’s entrepreneurs. “We have a strong network, and so does Bizdom,” says LaunchHouse CEO Todd Goldstein. “So why not collaborate to build a successful business community in Northeast Ohio?”
 
The whole idea is to foster the growth of Northeast Ohio as a hotbed for startups and a place that supports entrepreneurs. “Really, we are about the accelerator and the entrepreneurs working together to build a great community,” says Goldstein. “We’re not on an island by ourselves. We’re all out to build successful entrepreneurs in Northeast Ohio.”
 
Allen agrees that the collaboration will help the entrepreneurs as well as continue to attract startups from outside the region. “Participants will be able to socialize with a greater number of peers and hopefully they will be able to learn from one another,” he says. “Collaboration strengthens the Northeast Ohio entrepreneurial community because it gives us an opportunity to articulate a consistent and more powerful message within and outside the region about the opportunities and resources that exist here."

 
Sources: Paul Allen, Todd Goldstein
Writer: Karin Connelly

The developers behind a new 62-unit apartment building in Ohio City say they'll start demolition of existing buildings this week. Construction will begin later this summer, and moving trucks should start pulling up to the newly minted units by fall 2014.

"It's the right time to do something," says Brian Koch as to why he chose to pursue the long-stalled project on Detroit Avenue between W. 30th and 32nd streets, which originally was planned as condos before the recession. "With the explosive growth of Ohio City, there's increased demand for new apartments."

Koch is developing the project with his father, Charles "Bud" Koch, former Charter One Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Construction financing will be provided by First Merit Bank, and the Kochs will invest more than $5 million in the project. The units, which will have balconies, patios and decks with lake views, will start at $900 for a one-bedroom and $1,100 for a two-bedroom, or $1.42 per square foot.

The design of the four-story building provides every unit with both outdoor space facing Lake Erie as well as a two-level glass atrium. Two side lots will offer views of the lake from Church Avenue (currently, residents there have nearly unimpeded views). Koch says that the development team designed it to be sensitive to the scale of the surrounding neighborhood while creating a structure that he describes as an anchor in Cleveland's version of the "Gold Coast."

Other features include top-floor units with extravagant private rooftop decks and large common area with a "community skylounge and gym," says Koch. "The fourth floor will have a wonderful vista for watching fireworks or air shows, laying out or using the home theatre or the demonstration kitchen."

Parking will be housed in a 62-space underground parking garage that will be located off of W. 32nd. There will be a smaller eight-space visitor's lot.

The apartments borrow some of the vernacular from the micro-unit trend of coastal cities while maintaining the luxury of space available in Cleveland. They are efficiently laid out but have traditional bedrooms, kitchens and living rooms.

"We hope this will be a springboard for the next generation [of development] in Cleveland," says Koch. "It's a nice area people will gravitate to for apartments."


Source: Brian Koch
Writer: Lee Chilcote

As an entrepreneurship/business management senior at Ohio University, and the president of the school’s Entrepreneurship Club, Richard Rodman has started two successful companies during his studies. Most recently, he noticed the need for some guidance in the crowdfunding trend.

So Rodman first started 530Funds in November 2012, a search engine and news site for the crowdfunding industry. “It was really hard to sift through Google to find the right platform,” he says.

But Rodman quickly realized the real need was in helping users navigate the forthcoming SEC regulations on equity crowdfunding and make sure they are compliant while raising money for their cause. Individuals, investors and crowdfunding platforms must comply with these regulations.
 
That’s when Rodman came up with Crowdentials. “Crowdentials is regulatory software for the rules SEC has created,” he explains. “It’s a simple web form -- kind of like TurboTax -- where you can cross-reference to see if you comply.”
 
Crowdentials helps take the legwork out of fundraising. Through the site and one form, investors, businesses and crowdfunding platforms ensure they are in compliance while raising money or investing in a new company. “We take care of compliance; you take care of business,” says Rodman says. “Businesses shouldn’t have to waste their time researching all the regulations.”
 
Crowdentials was accepted into the inaugural FlashStarts program, run by Charles Stack and Jennifer Neundorfer, this summer. Rodman says there was an “instant connection” in the interview process. “I think it’s going to do a lot,” he says of the program, adding that he enjoys working with the mentors and interns on hand and bouncing ideas off the other entrepreneurial teams.
 
Rodman has two partners.

 
Source: Richard Rodman
Writer: Karin Connelly

A determined group of Heights parents who have long sought a creative educational experience for their kids are opening Cleveland's first-ever Waldorf school. It is expected to open this fall in the former Coventry Elementary School in Cleveland Heights.

"This is a great thing for Cleveland Heights," says Amy Marquit-Renwald, a Shaker Heights resident who grew up in Cleveland Heights and helped to create the new Urban Oak School. "We're going to see families move here for the Waldorf school, and families stay because of this."

Urban Oak will initially offer preschool, kindergarten and a combined first and second grade class. After the first year, the school will offer additional grades.

"We had people lining up to support the school," says Marquit-Renwald of the process to seek approval from the city and the Cleveland Heights-University Heights school board. "People are dying to have Coventry be a school again."

The school will be private because Ohio's charter laws were deemed too difficult to navigate for an alternative, Waldorf-style school. It will seek accreditation as a Waldorf school, a rigorous process, over the course of its first seven years.

"The model is really about helping kids develop all aspects of themselves," says Marquit-Renwald of the 100-year-old Waldorf model, a contemporary of Montessori education. "It offers more free time to develop creativity, deeper foundational work -- including delayed introduction of purely academic work -- in the early years to better prepare for critical thinking and complex thought in later years, and use of personal interaction as the main vehicle for learning and fostering empathy, as opposed to interacting with technology."

Urban Oak School is hosting information sessions in the coming weeks for interested parents.


Source: Amy Marquit-Renwald
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Zuga Medical, a medical device company, recently received a $250,000 investment from JumpStart to launch its dental implant system. In April Zuga received FDA approval for its system, which allows a general dentist to perform implants using a screw, a procedure previously done only by oral surgeons.
 
“Our patent-pending technology makes it simpler, easier and more cost-effective for both the dentist and the patient,” says Zuga CEO Steve Cornelius, who met the company’s founder and CSO, Chan Wang, a year-and-a-half ago through BioEnterprise and joined the board of directors. He then became CEO. With 15 years of experience in the dental industry, Cornelius was intrigued with Wang’s product. “Chan had a vision of making things simple for general dentistry.”
 
Zuga will use the JumpStart investment to conduct a soft launch with eight to nine local dentists. Those dentists will take a training course on placing the implants next month. “We’re using the local soft launch in Cleveland to prove out our business model and raise the next round of investments,” Cornelius says. “Our vision is to create a dental company right here in Cleveland.”
 
As Zuga grows, Cornelius hopes to hire three to four sales reps, a marketing person and a customer service rep by the end of the year.
 
Zuga Medical has also received investments from the Cuyahoga County North Coast Opportunities Fund and the Innovation Fund.

 
Source: Steve Cornelius
Writer: Karin Connelly

Meet Helen Qin and Jesse Mason, a couple whose love for each other is rivaled only by their love of ice cream. After swapping the West Coast for the North Coast, the two launched Mason's Creamery, an ice cream start-up. Since moving to town, they have found Cleveland to be a city that not only loves ice cream, but that supports small business.

Rafeeq Washington and Lyz Bly opened Guide to Kulchur in the Gordon Square Arts District with a distinctly anachronistic mission: The store is an homage to print, from stapled zines to books.

Somewhat improbably, the new store flourishes next to an independent record store and the three-screen independent Capitol Theater. But don't call it a throwback. The couple intends to not only sell hard-to-find books and older zines, but also to serve as a center for independent bookmaking culture.

"We want to be a place for things that are happening right now," says Washington. "We'll collect zines and let young scholars know before they get into the archives."

A zine is a self-published work of original or appropriated text and images. Usually reproduced by a photocopier and stapled together, they have a circulation under 1,000. Some zines even rose to national prominence in the 1990s. Although the Internet has changed zine culture, Washington says that it's still going strong.

"We view the bookstore as a way to provide texts we don't always see," he says. "People are throwing out zines because of the Internet, but it's not true that no one reads them anymore. One of our main thrusts is to have them all together."

In addition to everything from Foucalt to trashy mystery novels, Guide to Kulchur will offer a zine archive and co-op for makers. Beginning July 1st, anyone can schedule a time to use the desktop letterpress, copier or mimeograph.

"They can make them here, get them printed, bring them back and put them in the archive," Washington says, who collects zines as far back as 1981.

Washington and Bly saw the storefront while driving one day and knew it had to be theirs. "It was a no-brainer. We knew this was it -- right next to the theater."


Source: Rafeeq Washington
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Young urbanist leaders who were in Cleveland this week for Next City's annual Vanguard conference were asked a provocative question about this city's future. With new development activity happening in neighborhoods across a city that still is devastatingly poor, how can we do a better job of ensuring that these projects will benefit our poorest residents?

"I'm a little concerned that as we build projects, we're creating a city for yuppies and a city for everyone else," commented Ari Maron of MRN Ltd. in a presentation to 40 leaders from across the U.S. and Canada engaged in fields such as urban planning, entrepreneurship and sustainability. "How many cupcake and yogurt shops can a city sustain?"

Heads nodded and attendees laughed as Maron admitted the challenge was as much to himself as others, since MRN owns three of the city's most prominent new developments, E. Fourth Street in downtown Cleveland, Uptown in University Circle and property along W. 25th in Ohio City.

Several attendees noted that they were surprised by how few of the city's larger developments have translated into prosperity for surrounding neighborhoods. Sitting in the newly-built Museum of Contemporary Art at University Circle, leaders asked how that area's success could benefit its low-income neighbors.

Maron cited the Greater University Circle Initiative and local hiring and procuring efforts by University Hospitals and others. MRN has committed to hiring local residents for its projects, and the company now employs 285 city residents.

"When people from the neighborhood work here, they take ownership of the project because it's their neighborhood," he said, citing DoubleTree Hotel as one example of a University Circle project that employees many local residents.

An attendee from Chicago noted that Cleveland appears to be behind in adding bike-friendly infrastructure. He cited the recent addition of separated bicycle lanes to Surmac Avenue in Chicago as a game-changing project for his city. "Cleveland needs to do one really good pilot project," said the attendee.

Next City is a national nonprofit media organization that organizes the Vanguard conference to highlight best urban practices and develop young urban leaders. Updates from the conference are being posted on Next City's daily blog.


Source: Next City, Ari Maron
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Bar 145, a popular gastropub with locations in Toledo, Kent and soon Columbus, will open its fourth location in the former Grind space on W. 25th Street south of Lorain in Ohio City. The tagline "burgers, bands and bourbon" sums up the pub's concept.

Owner Jeremy Fitzgerald has signed a letter of intent with owner MRN Ltd. and intends to execute a lease and start construction this summer. Bar 145, specializing in chef-driven, foodie fare accented by regular live music, could open sometime early next year.

"Ohio City is so into the food end, but there's not much on the entertainment end," says Fitzgerald. "We make everything from scratch and knew the food concept was perfect. We knew that this would add another dimension to Ohio City."

The 4,100-square-foot venue will feature a full stage with lighting and a professional sound system. The bands will be local as well as regional.

Bar 145 also will have a 2,000-square-foot rooftop patio facing the downtown skyline and another 1,000-square-foot patio on the main level along the side of the building.

Live bands will be featured Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, but Fitzgerald promises five days of entertainment that will include jazz nights and acoustic talent.

Bar 145's menu promises to be in keeping with the neighborhood's local food ethos. "We don't even have a freezer in the restaurant," Fitzgerald says. "All our sauces are from scratch and the mac and cheese and truffle fries are all made to order."


Source: Jeremy Fitzgerald
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Jillian Davis’ Toast wine bar opened in the Gordon Square Arts District April 15 and her unique take on food, wine and cocktails fits right into the neighborhood. The restaurant/wine bar specializes in doing things a little differently.

“We serve revitalized farm fare, and most of what we serve is locally sourced,” says Davis. “We have wines that are off the beaten path and craft cocktails.” In fact, Toast makes their own tonics for their cocktails, grows some food ingredients on-site and all dinners are served up in small plate fashion. “People like to graze a little more these days,” Davis says.
 
While it took Davis a little while to open Toast’s doors, things are thriving now that she went through the Bad Girl Ventures business plan program and, thanks to the BGV program, won an ECDI loan. “The BGV program was great, I learned a lot,” says Davis. “ECDI was someone BGV put forth as an alternative to the banks. It worked out really well for me. I got money for inventory and equipment. No one will give you money for that stuff.”
 
Davis has hired 10 employees, including chefs, servers and bartenders and hopes to add more staff as Toast grows. “Our chefs are really slaves to the kitchen at this point,” she says. “As we start spreading the word and getting people in the door, we’ll be getting more staff.”
 
Toast has fit right into the neighborhood culture as well. Davis calls Toast’s wine list a bit more “geeky” than other area places, and they are the only restaurant in the area serving small plates.
 
“We all really complement each other; there’s a great synergy in the area,” says Davis. “Our wine selection sets us apart. We’re different than everybody, but we fit in."

 
Source: Jillian Davis
Writer: Karin Connelly

Fifteen early stage business owners will have a chance to pitch their companies on the Cavs’ practice court tonight, Thursday, June 13, at Open Pitch Night. The free event, sponsored by Bizdom, The Incubator at MAGNET, Herman Miller and APG Office Furnishings, is designed to let owners of young companies perfect their pitches in front of a live audience.
 
“It’s an opportunity for them to get up in front of a group and practice their pitches, get some quick feedback from a bunch of folks and improve their delivery,” says Bizdom leader Paul Allen.
 
The 15 entrepreneurs were selected out of a group of 20 applicants. “We were looking for a diverse range of ideas and markets,” says Allen. “It’s a nice mix of people at different levels of maturity or evolution. Some businesses are little more than an idea; some are built out a little bit. They represent the continuum of startups.”
 
Organizers are expecting about 100 people to attend and provide feedback and insight to the pitchers. If all goes well, Bizdom plans to host similar pitch events three times a year in the future.
 
Heavy appetizers and a cash bar will be available. The event is from 6 pm-9 pm at Quicken Loans Arena. Two companies may get a chance to fill the last two slots in Bizdom’s August incubator program.

 
Source: Paul Allen
Writer: Karin Connelly