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Turning back from the edge
Fresh Water contributor Brandon Baker uncovers compelling success stories from Clevelanders who have overcome untold challenges and crises.
PHOTOS: Rooms to Let 2016
From a bathtub full of balloons to a stained glass cathedral, Fresh Water managing photographer Bob Perkoski has curated the funky, heartbreaking and purely Cleveland event in this collection of photos.
Bloom Bakery raising 'dough' to help others
"Creating jobs is our secret ingredient."
 
Such is the slogan of Bloom Bakery, a downtown entity that offers premium pastries and breads as well as opportunities for Clevelanders facing employment barriers. Now the social venture is asking for a little extra "dough" to continue its mission.
 
Last week, Bloom Bakery launched a $25,000 Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign to provide capital for its Campus District location at 1938 Euclid Ave. (The bakery has another shop at 200 Public Square.) Funding will go to hiring additional staff, says Logan Fahey, Bloom Bakery co-founder and general manager.
 
"Our reason for doing (crowdfunding) was to get the community involved," says Fahey. "We rely on the consumer to find us and appreciate the mission."
 
Supporters can pre-purchase coffee, lunch, corporate catering, and exclusive baking lessons before the campaign ends June 10. Bloom Bakery is a benefit corporation - essentially a hybrid of a standard corporation and a nonprofit - owned by Towards Employment, a Cleveland nonprofit that offers job training and placement as well as removal of employment barriers for people previously involved in the criminal justice system.
 
All revenue from Bloom Bakery goes to Towards Employment's job readiness programs. Meanwhile, the bakery educates, trains and employs low-income and disadvantaged adults for work as bakers, baristas and other positions. Entry-level jobs pay $8 to $10 hourly, with opportunities available for upward mobility within the company.
 
"Our sole purpose is to give a second chance to individuals who otherwise wouldn't get one," Fahey says. "These jobs can be resume builders or allow people to move onto supervisory positions here."
 
Bloom Bakery currently has 15 staff members, ranging in age from their 20s to early 60s. New employees are vetted through Towards Employment programming, then undergo another month of training at the bakery.
 
As of this writing, the social venture's crowdfunding effort has reached 10 percent of its goal. Fahey and his fellow staff members will spend the next couple of weeks pushing the campaign via social media and word-of-mouth. The ultimate goal is to become the state's best bakery while continuing to operate as a "business with a heart."
 
"There's a large segment of the population in need of an opportunity," says Fahey. "If we become the best bakery, then we can create as many jobs as we want." 
House of Wills to let for RNC?
Per fusion.net:

"If you plan to attend the Republican National Convention in Cleveland this July, and were hoping to rent a cheap place on Airbnb, your options are limited. The cheapest, at $200 per night, is the House of Wills funeral home; it sleeps 16 and comes with its own embalming room and crematorium. If that’s not your jam, we hope your pockets are deep: on Airbnb, the average price of listings the week of July 18 is more than $1,000/night, with some nightly prices climbing up to $10,000."

Get the whole story here.

Photo by Christopher Busta-Peck
A perfect slice of Cleveland: AsiaTown
Fresh Water contributor Rebecca Groynom offers up a perfect slice of Cleveland with an insider's tour of AsiaTown.
$3.5 million in improvements commence on Lee Road
KidsDays to feature games, animals and BMX show
On Saturday, May 28 and Sunday, May 29, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo will offer KidsDays in partnership with Cleveland Clinic Children's from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
 
The event will feature special animal enrichment demonstrations with the lions, cheetahs, rhinos, elephants, grizzly bears and sea lions as well as costumed characters, crafts, an interactive Gaming Zone, dancing at the DJ Dance Party and Touch-A-Truck encounters with some of the Zoo's heavy equipment. New this year are BMX Thrill Shows in the Welcome Plaza featuring professional BMX riders.
 
The Zoo's regular exhibits will also be available for exploring, including the newly renovated seal and sea lion exhibit in Wilderness Trek, Professor Wylde's Live Animal Show, the Circle of Wildlife Carousel, the Nature Discovery Ridge play area, the lorikeet experience in the Australian Adventure and giraffe feeding at the new Ben Gogolick Giraffe Encounter in the African Savanna area.

All KidsDays events are included in a regular admission, which is $14.25 per person, $12.25 for seniors ages 62 and older, $10.25 for kids ages two to 11 and free for children younger than two and Zoo members.
 
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, 3900 Wildlife Way, is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Extended summer hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Parking is free.
 
For more information, call 216-661-6500 or visit the Zoo's webpage.

 
Port of Cleveland adds major client, equipment
Circlepass to offer discounted admission to four University Circle venues
 
Last Thursday during their spring meeting, University Circle Inc. (UCI) representatives announced a forthcoming Circlepass, which will bring a popular tourist concept to the city's cultural focal point.
 
CirclePass will be one combined ticket for the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (MOCA), the Cleveland Botanical Garden, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the Western Reserve Historical Society's Cleveland History Center. Circlepass will be discounted by 25 percent off regular admissions.
 
Each pass will remain valid for ten days and is valid for one entry at each museum. Hence users may visit all the venues on one day or over several days. Circlepass will be available for purchase online and users will receive it via text or email. Those who prefer a paper experience will be able to print out their pass. Smart phone users will be able to display the pass therein. UCI expects to officially launch the much-anticipated program by the end of the month.
 
Lisa Sands, UCI's director of marketing and communications noted that similar types of event passes are available at cities such as Toronto and Seattle among others, but University Circle's unique layout sets Circlepass apart.
 
"What makes Circlepass unique and especially appealing is the proximity of each participating institution," said Sands at the meeting. "Unlike most passes in Boston and Chicago, the Circlepass experience is entirely walkable."
 
Sands said she hopes Circlepass attracts visitors of all walks, be they conventioneers, groups or those who might make a one-tank trip from Pittsburgh, Columbus or Erie. She mentioned the PNC Bank's support of the program several times.
 
While still in the pilot stage, Sands said UCI hopes to eventually add other area venues, hotels and restaurants, but the organization felt launching ahead of the RNC was critical.
 
"The time is right to launch it this year with all the excitement and visitorship destined for our city," said Sands, noting the affordability and convenience of the pass concept. "They're very popular with tourists."
 
Last call may move to 4 a.m. for area watering holes during RNC
The City of Cleveland has delivered a list of “major event” waiver permit applications to the Ohio Division of Liquor Control. This permit, once approved by the Ohio Division of Liquor Control, allows the holder to extend service time from 1 or 2:30 a.m. to 4 a.m., the following day during a major event. Under the provisions of the new law, the Republican National Convention is considered a major event.
 
The 28-page list of businesses that have applied for the waiver is available here and includes popular venues such as Fire in Shaker Square, XYZ Tavern in Gordon Square, the Greenhouse Tavern on East 4th Street and too many others to list.

The deadline for businesses to apply for the Ohio Division of Liquor Control “major event” waiver permit in the city was March 21. By June 17, the Division of Liquor Control will review the list and determine whether to issue a waiver. The Division may remove the name of a permit holder from the list for good cause.
 
Coffee spot coming to Cleveland Hostel
Loren Naji to live in spherical home during tour
Local venues brim with bookings for RNC