Long a destination that appealed primarily to small-town families in search of "big city" fun, Cleveland has ripened as a travel destination. Today, it's not just trade shows that are drawing folks, but also the growing LGBT scene, Broadway-quality theater and high-profile dining. Thanks to the efforts of Positively Cleveland, the region's convention and visitors bureau, "Cleveland Plus" drew 30 million visitors last year, who supported 163,000 jobs and dropped $13 billion in economic impact.

Huntington showed its commitment to Cleveland last week with the opening of 10 branches in area Giant Eagle stores, with plans for eight more on the way.

"The 10 openings have created 77 jobs to date," says Huntington's Greater Cleveland president Dan Walsh. "By the end of the year we will create more than 100 jobs in Cleveland. With the Giant Eagle openings we are one of the largest markets in Cleveland, and by 2012 we will be the largest."

Over the next four years the bank plans to open a total of 45 branches in the region, creating 300 new jobs. "It shows our dedication," says Walsh. "As a lifelong Clevelander, one of the really exciting things about Huntington is its dedication to Cleveland. This Giant Eagle endorsement is another way of talking the talk."

The new branches will tout the convenience of being in the Giant Eagle stores, with extended hours and banking seven days a week. In addition to the 45 branches in Giant Eagle, Huntington has 62 free-standing branches.

Walsh says Huntington just wants to be a part of the economic growth in the region. The bank is the top SBA lender in Cleveland, with a $4 billion commitment to invest in small businesses. "We believe Cleveland is a great place of opportunity," says Walsh. "We expect through these investments we'll catalyze our economic share. Huntington's really thrilled to be a part of this economic growth."

Source: Dan Walsh
Writer: Karin Connelly

Last summer, Ohio City native Alex Nosse biked from Cleveland to San Francisco with a friend. While cycling for eight hours a day, he had plenty of time to dream of finding a job that also fueled his passion.

"It was a light-bulb moment," he says. "I realized how much passion I had for cycling, and that I wanted to do something bike-related."

A year later, the avid cyclist has launched Joy Machines, a new bike shop that opened in June on West 25th Street in Ohio City. Nosse and his business partner/mechanic, Renato Pereira-Castillo, specialize in helping bike commuters and others who want to reduce their dependence on cars.

"Most bike shops are more into the recreational and sport side of cycling, but we believe in using the bike as a transportation tool first and foremost," Nosse explains. "We really want to encourage cycling all across the city."

Nosse and Pereira-Castillo, who grew up on the same street and have known each other for more than 20 years, decided to locate their bike shop in Ohio City because of its central location and reputation as a bike-friendly community.

"We get people that come into our shop that say, 'I've been car-free for years now,'" says Nosse. "We also get people from all over the region that are drawn here by the West Side Market, Great Lakes Brewery and the restaurants."

The entrepreneurs were aided by a $9,000 small business start-up grant from Charter One Bank and Ohio City Inc., a nonprofit community development organization that serves the neighborhood. "Our landlord matched it, which resulted in almost $20,000 in savings," says Nosse. "This accelerated our start-up process -- we went from talking about it to opening the shop in six months."

Joy Machines sells new bicycles and a wide array of parts and accessories. Pereira-Castillo, who has worked as a bike mechanic for eight years in Cleveland and on the West Coast, can repair or restore just about anything on two wheels.

The shop's walls are adorned with bike-themed murals by Cleveland artist Haley Morris. "We have a big one of the Guardians of Transportation, on the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge," says Nosse. "Except the car that the statue is holding has been replaced by a bike."


Source: Alex Nosse
Writer: Lee Chilcote



 

Since opening Dredgers Union, a new apparel and home goods store on E. Fourth Street in downtown Cleveland, owner Danielle DeBoe has been surprised by the number of out-of-town visitors she's had.

"They ask if I have a location in their city, and then rave about the store and insist that I open one where they live," says DeBoe with a laugh. "I'm excited because we're providing out-of-towners with a more well-rounded retail experience."

DeBoe, who also owns Room Service boutique in Ohio City, launched Dredgers Union with clothing designer Sean Bilovecky to revive and update the tradition of shopping in downtown Cleveland. Stocked with sizzling dresses, snazzy suits, trendy lamps, bedding and a range of other items, the store functions as a smaller, more stylish version of the department stores that once thrived here.

A stroll through the store, which is about 4,500 square feet, reveals what DeBoe calls "vignettes," or discrete sections featuring lamps, bedding, kitchen items, perfumes and soaps, women's lounge apparel and even a children's section. These areas are housed on a raised platform that is separated by a railing.

Bilovecky's private label clothing line is featured at the rear of the store. The merchandise includes denim jeans, suits and casual button-down shirts he calls "wovens." So far, men's apparel has been the most popular store item.

"We create custom, made-to-measure suits, so instead of getting them shipped overseas, our customers can get them right here," says Bilovecky, who specializes in edgy, contemporary design and created the successful Wrath Arcane label. "People love the fact that they're designed locally and made in the U.S."

Dredgers Union will celebrate its grand opening with a big party on Friday, July 8th. The event will also kick off this year's "Made in the 216," an annual design show that DeBoe created several years ago to showcase local talent.

This year's 216 event, which takes place all weekend long in the expansive lower level of Dredgers Union, has added local furniture designers to the mix.


Source: Danielle DeBoe
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Business is booming in Little Italy, and the past year has seen a slew of new shops open in the historic community. Known for its galleries, shopping and great Italian restaurants, Little Italy welcomes newcomers peddling everything from fabric to vintage apparel.

The new specialty shops and galleries fit right in, embracing the old world feel of the neighborhood. Heartstrings, an antiques, art and unusual gifts boutique, moved from the basement of the former Lycium School building to a larger store in a former church on Murray Hill. Known for having "all things quirky," the store features vintage apparel, art, sterling silver and handmade soaps and oils. "There's so much to look at," says Sue Marrone, president of the Little Italy Merchants Association. "It's pure eye candy."

Bolt and Spool, which sells fabrics, patterns and ribbons for children's clothing, opened in November in the old school on Murray Hill. Owner Nan Webb chose Little Italy because it reminded her of Europe, where many of her fabrics come from. "With the cobblestone streets in Little Italy it kind of feels like you're there," she says. "In the school, it feels like you're not alone. There's a sense of community there."

Serafino Gallery and Design on Mayfield Road features the work of local artists. The non-profit company holds regular exhibits by local artists in various media. The shows promote arts and the community. "They have incredible showings there," says Marrone.

These businesses are just a taste of what Little Italy has to offer. "There's always neat things to do down here," says Marrone. "It's always a great place to be and it's a tremendous source of pride."


Source: Sue Marrone
Writer: Karin Connelly

ARC, formerly known as eBlueprint, is bringing new jobs and advanced technology to the Cleveland area through the introduction of the Riot Creative Imaging brand. ARC's main businesses is focused on architecture, engineering and construction printing needs, employing 45 people in its Cleveland office and six in Akron. The Riot brand adds large format full color printing to the company's offerings.

The Riot brand specializes in large format digital printing for indoor and outdoor visuals, P-O-P displays, in-store graphics and signage, and event graphics and signage. The division's success has allowed Cleveland's ARC to invest $500,000 to improve service capabilities, add local employees to the Riot team and double Riot brand revenue over the past year.

"We have an awesome team and an awesome operation here," says executive director Frank Loughan. "Over the past 18 months we've invested quite heavily in this brand. The Riot brand has been a breath of fresh air for us."

The company is on track to double sales again this year and continue to add staff.

"It used to be two people running the whole show," Loughan says of the Riot component. "Now we're at seven. If this trend continues, we're just going to continue to feed the beast and hire eight or nine more people and be in the mid-teens by next year. This business keeps growing and growing,"

Source: Frank Loughan
Writer: Karin Connelly

Buffalo is better known for its long, snowy winters than its flowering gardens. Yet last year, GardenWalk Buffalo, a free self-guided tour that bills itself as the largest garden tour in America, attracted an estimated 45,000 people to 300-plus gardens.

After learning about GardenWalk Buffalo from a Plain Dealer article last summer, Clevelanders Jan Kious and Bobbi Reichtell decided to make the trek northeast. Walking around the city and talking to its impassioned urban gardeners soon changed their views of the city. They returned to Cleveland inspired to create a GardenWalk event locally.

Those seeds first sown in Buffalo will bear fruit this Saturday, June 25th, when the first GardenWalk Cleveland takes place. It will feature over 100 residential flower gardens as well as community gardens, urban farms, vineyards and orchards sprinkled throughout four Cleveland neighborhoods: Detroit Shoreway, Harvard/Lee/Miles, Hough and Tremont. Each community will have a headquarters where visitors can find car parking, bike parking, restrooms, water and maps.

In addition to highlighting Cleveland's efforts to create greener, healthier neighborhoods, organizers hope the event will also break down east/west and black/white divisions by bringing together people that love gardening.

Citing the diverse, grassroots group that came together to organize the event as a harbinger of success, Reichtell stated in a release, "This is a shining example of the connections that gardens and greening work create in Cleveland," she said. "Both Clevelanders and visitors from outside the city will love getting a behind-the-scenes look at gardens and farms in Cleveland's neighborhoods."


Source: GardenWalk Cleveland
Writer: Lee Chilcote

The Near West Intergenerational School (NWIS), a public charter school that aims to serve families on Cleveland's near-west side, will open this fall inside of Ohio City's Garrett Morgan School of Science.

"The location in the heart of Ohio City will draw kids from the neighborhood, and many families will be able to walk to school," says Debbie Fisher, the school's recently hired Principal. "Cleveland has a huge need for quality, high-performing schools, and we really believe in bringing this model to kids and families."

NWIS is being modeled after The Intergenerational School (TIS), a high-performing charter school in the Larchmere-Shaker Square neighborhood of Cleveland. In 2009, TIS received a $250,000 grant to replicate its model. After being recruited by members of the Ohio City Babysitting Co-op, a group of parents that exchange sits, TIS decided to open a new school on the near-west side.

There was one small problem, however: they didn't yet have a building. Racing against an August 2011 deadline, NWIS staff, board members and volunteers filed the necessary paperwork with the State of Ohio to create a new charter school, created a board of directors, worked furiously to gain sponsorship by the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) and negotiated for space.

When it opens, NWIS will be the first charter school to be housed inside a CMSD school. The agreement has not been without controversy -- the Cleveland Teachers Union urged CMSD to reject the agreement, stating that it would divide the community, and two CMSD board members voted against it.

Charter schools in Ohio are publicly funded yet privately managed, and their relationship with CMSD has been anything but cozy over the years. Nonetheless, Fisher says school leaders have been helpful throughout the entire process.

"Their attorneys turned around our agreement in one week," she says. "There are some really good staff at CMSD that helped make this happen. They see what we're doing as complementing their efforts to create new and innovative schools."

Fisher recently spent an hour touring Garrett Morgan and talking with the custodian, and she found it to be in excellent condition. "It's a beautiful building," she says. "It has a 600-seat auditorium, and there are no broken seats."


Source: Debbie Fisher
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Cleveland State University's Factory Theatre is so often booked that students have to schedule rehearsals late at night. While department chair Michael Mauldin bemoans his program's outdated facilities, he realizes that it's a good problem to have.

Before Mauldin was hired in 2006 to breathe new life into the moribund Dramatic Arts Program, the school had only 21 majors. Campus officials had even considered canceling it. Today,CSU's theatre program boasts 85 majors -- and counting.

"We're poised to become a destination theatre program in the coming years," Mauldin predicts. "That's not hubris -- there's some very solid work being produced here."

Mauldin is especially excited about CSU's imminent move to the three new stages at the newly renovated and expanded Allen Theatre at PlayhouseSquare. When the theatre opens in September, CSU will share it with Cleveland Play House, which is relocating from its long-standing home near the Cleveland Clinic.

"Currently, we only have one performance stage in an old textile factory," explains Mauldin. "We're moving to a 500-seat, state-of-the-art theatre inside the Allen, a 290-seat flex space and a 150-seat black box theatre. It's a dream of a space."

Mauldin also lauded the renovation of the Middough Building on East 13th Street, which will feature classrooms, studios and rehearsal halls. "Instead of stepping over each other, we can have concurrent activities going on," he says.

Although CSU's program is already strong (Mauldin reports that 95 percent of its graduates are either working or attending graduate school in the field) it will only get better by being part of PlayhouseSquare.

"We're part of the city, whose theatrical life is so vibrant," he says. "There's so much promise and potential to live up to."


Source: Michael Mauldin
Writer: Lee Chilcote

The Greater Cleveland RTA Citizen's Advisory Board is making riding the bus a little more pleasurable. The Transit Waiting Environments (TWE) initiative was incorporated five years ago to improve the pedestrian environment at bus stops. The goal of the program is to provide enhanced passenger amenities and information to encourage bus ridership.

"Eighty percent of our ridership takes the bus," says Maribeth Feke, RTA's director of programs and planning. "The Citizens Advisory Board mentioned that some of the bus stops had no more than a sign and were in poor condition." RTA responded by securing Federal grant money to improve the bus stops.

Interested neighborhood groups submit proposals to receive the grant money. Eligible projects include historic preservation, creation of public art, signage, bicycle access, pedestrian pathways and landscaping.

RTA has completed about 10 projects so far, including bus stops in Lakewood, Tremont, Slavic Village, the near-west side around Gordon Park, and Euclid. Other projects are underway in Cleveland Heights and at the CMHA headquarters.

"Each is individual and has merit to them," says Feke. "It's good for riders to get a better bus stop. It's good for really everyone. It's a nice redevelopment tool."

Bike shelters have been installed at Triskett, West 117th Street and Shaker Rapid Transit Stations and Southgate Transit Center. Public art in the form of functional seating has gone in on Detroit Avenue and W. 65th Street. Future projects include a solar bus station in Cleveland Heights and public art recycling bins along the RTA red line stations.


Source: Maribeth Feke
Writer: Karin Connelly

Three college friends could never have imagined that their mutual love of pizza was going to turn into a lucrative career. In 2003, Stan Garber and his Case Western buddies Oleg Fridman and Alex Yakubovich had a small website design company. When Rascal House Pizza approached them to build on online ordering system, ONOSYS Online Ordering Systems was born.

"We had a huge opportunity," says Garber. "I knew I didn't want to order food over the phone any more -- especially at 1 a.m."

In no time at all the three sold off their design company, raised some capital and started ONOSYS. After "a lot of hustle and bustle," ONOSYS, which is headquartered on E. 40th Street, is the second largest restaurant online ordering company in the country, with clients like Panera Bread, Applebee's and Papa John's International. More than 75 restaurant chains in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Ireland use their system.

"These restaurant chains are seeing a 20 to 25-percent increase in ticket sales with our system," says Garber. The company is on track to process $100 million in to-go orders in 2011.

While adoption of the idea was slow at first -- only 15-20 percent in the first two years -- the concept took off in 2008. "There are huge benefits to the customer, but also amazing benefits for the restaurant," says Garber. "The bigger chains are now adopting this [technology] quite fast and the smaller chains are starting to."

The company has steadily grown in its four years -- from five people in 2008 to 13 today. "We've seen the most amount of growth this year," says Garber. "We're probably hiring five to seven more people this year."


Source: Stan Garber
Writer: Karin Connelly

When the Cleveland Play House kicks off its adventurous 2011 season this coming fall, it will do so in a completely reworked Allen Theatre, about 70 blocks west of its current home. Built in 1921 as a 3,000-seat movie house, the Allen is currently wrapping up a $32-million renovation that will give not only the Play House a brand new home, but also Cleveland State University's thriving theatre department.

Since last fall alone, four new yoga spaces have opened within the Cleveland city limits, launching a bona fide urban-yoga boomlet. Along with the handful of studios that already existed, these new enterprises are well timed to meet a growing demand fueled by progressive new residents who continue to expand into rediscovered neighborhoods. Paired with a wealth of affordable spaces and an increased interest in wellness, yoga studios have never been in higher demand.

Interim Cleveland Municipal School District (CMSD) CEO Peter Raskind, who is being replaced by Chief Academic Officer Eric Gordon, offered some parting thoughts on improving urban education at a forum last week on underperforming schools.

Introducing himself as "the lamest of lame ducks," Raskind told the audience at Cleveland State University's Levin College of Urban Affairs that quality urban schools are critical to reducing inequality. Then he evaluated two concepts that are often mentioned by the left and right as single solutions to the woes of public education: more money and more competition.

"Will more money help? No, not alone," he asserted. While the Cleveland Municipal School District (CMSD) laid off hundreds of teachers and staff this year, Raskind does not believe more resources alone would improve performance.

On the subject of fostering competition, he stated that "some competition is helpful, and charter schools and other competitors have induced what I like to call a 'positive discomfort' among schools. At the end of the day, we do have to compete -- yet alone, competition won't solve our problems."

The answer, Raskind said, is effective leadership. He cited Apple and General Motors as examples of two large companies that came back from the brink of destruction to flourish after being led by strong leaders.

Yet urban schools face a critical challenge in attracting good leaders because "leaders are drawn to environments where they can apply their talents to full effect, and repulsed by environments where they feel they'll be stymied," he said.

"How can we attract the best principals to our schools, when they don't have control of who they'll be able to hire?" Raskind asked the audience.

Raskind closed by drawing a comparison between urban schools and another industry that's been in the news a lot lately. "Like the auto industry, urban schools are also in a long slow decline," he said. "And labor and management are locked into complex, rigid agreements that don't function well in today's world."

"Our customers are defecting to more nimble and attractive competitors, particularly charter schools," he continued. "And like the auto industry, labor and management will go down together unless changes are made."


Source: Peter Raskind
Writer: Lee Chilcote

The phrase "party of the year" gets bandied about quite a bit, but rare is the bash that truly deserves the designation. One that does -- year after year -- is the Summer Solstice Party at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Held in the galleries and on the grounds of the world-renowned museum, the blowout attracts upwards of 4,000 revelers per year. This year's event is slated for June 25th.

Lady Gaga's now-infamous meat dress sizzled when the pop diva stepped beneath the hot lights of L.A.'s Nokia Theatre for the MTV Music Awards on Sept. 12, 2010. That stunning premiere only marked the beginning of the dress's long trip to Cleveland, which ended on June 16 when it ultimately arrived for display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

For nearly a decade, Cleveland Independents, a local marketing group, has worked tirelessly to level the playing field between independent restaurants and large national chains. By all accounts their efforts are paying off -- with a membership roster of 90 indie eateries, CI is the largest organization of its kind in the country.