Over-the-Rhine : Development News

Far-I-Rome sets sights on Over-the-Rhine shop

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Last week, OTR welcomed a new arts and culture-minded neighbor -- Far-I-Rome Productions. New office space on Main Street replaces meet-ups at coffee shops and in dining rooms for the creative group.

From fundraising roller discos at the OTR recreation center to street festivals in Milford to the bi-annual Clifton Heights Music Festival, the team at Far-I-Rome works to bring the best local music to the region year-round. More than 10,000 people have taken part in the four CHMFs, enjoying bands of every genre. The company has also created events from Milford to Northern Kentucky, though most of the events happen in the urban core of Cincinnati.

“OTR is a burgeoning community of individuals willing to invest in new ideas and offer something fresh to the city,” says Rome Ntukogu, founder and director of Far-I-Rome Productions. “We work hard to do just that, so this feels like a natural progression for the company.”

With the new office at 1317 Main Street, Far-I-Rome has a tangible presence in the community as well as a space to participate in local events like Final Friday. Now, the company has its eye on furthering the appreciation of the local music and art scene in the city.

Since the first CHMF in 2009, Far-I-Rome has taken on more and more events. By the end of this year, the five-member crew will have created, or been a part of, nearly 20 events, all of which feature local artists and musicians.

“There are such talented people in this city, but a lot of them leave for cities with bigger music scenes,” Ntukogu says. “We are trying to change that.”

By Elissa Yancey

City Gospel project builds facilty, new chances

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Before construction begins on a new, expanded City Gospel Mission downtown, a partnership with Building Value shares construction benefits far beyond an updated facility.

Founded in 1924 by James Gamble, the agency has a long history of improving the lives of disadvantaged and struggling Cincinnatians. But the agency outgrew its landlocked, 1940’s building in Over-the-Rhine, which led to plans for an $8 million project to relocate to Dalton Avenue.

To redevelop the site, City Gospel Mission will renovate the former Trane facility on Dalton and build additions that create a campus feel. That requires tearing down the old Beech Acres facility next door on York Street -- and deconstruction is something Building Value does very well.

This subsidiary of Easter Seals Work Resource Center salvages reusable building materials through deconstruction and resells them to the public. Far more than a recycling center, Building Value provides resume-building jobs in construction and retail to those who have been denied past employment through lack of education, experience or luck.

With his sporadic work experience, Akeem Hill couldn’t break into the construction field. Building Value cracked open that door. After months working on a deconstruction team, taking certification classes and getting help writing a resume, Hill landed an internship with Messer Construction. He'll be working on the City Gospel project. “I’ll have the awesome chance to shadow different people,” Hill says. “I’m interested in heating and cooling and have been told that I’ll have the opportunity for schooling if things go well.”

The goals of both Building Value and City Gospel Mission have dovetailed with this project. "Building Value is employing people who are focused on getting their lives on track.That’s our mission, too,” says Jason Williams, public relations director for City Gospel Mission. “Those people on the front end of this project will be helping those people on the back end -- the folks who share similar pasts with the guys who are working on the site and improving their lives now.”

By Becky Johnson

Posterize your Midpoint memories at Midway

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

If you miss the Kaki King show this Thursday, don’t fret. Swing by Midpoint Midway and grab a poster printed and designed by local artists to commemorate the event, anyway.

As part of the new addition to MPMF, Midpoint Midway will now be home to the poster expo. Run by Powerhouse Factories, a local print and design house, the expo will be run out of two box trucks and feature posters of MPMF artists by Powerhouse, Libre Okay and Southpaw Prints.

More than 11 new posters will be sold during the weekend, featuring artists like King and Toro y Moi. Powerhouse also collaborated with visual art students at the School for Creative & Performing Arts to design a poster for MPMF.11 performers The Low Anthem, a group playing at SCPA’s Mayerson Theater.

All new posters will be sold for $20. Older posters will be available for $10 to $50 and up, depending on the artist, the rarity of the work and whether it’s framed.

Midway takes place in a closed off section of Twelfth Street, bordered by the CAC Singer/Songwriter stage and ArtWorks Box truck Carnival. Box trucks, including Soapbox Media’s own “Get on Your Soapbox Truck,” created in partnership with the BIG Media Company, will feature local artists and creatives, including Know Theater and parProjects.
As the only closed of section of road during MPMF, Midway allows festival-goers to enjoy food, beer and music while exploring one-of-a-kind box truck exhibits. The showcase features a light box truck by Losantiville, and in-truck play by Know Theatre and a lollipop ring shop operated by Olive Branch Metals.

"There are going to be some great surprises at Midway," says Tamara Harkavay, executive director of ArtWorks. "We really want to give people an experience they will remember."

By Evan Wallis

Established businesses moving into Main Street district

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Two local businesses will soon be new neighbors in the 1100 block of Main Street in Over-the-Rhine. Lucy Blue Pizza is moving one block from its current location at 12th and Walnut Streets to 1126 Main Street. And the Cincinnati branch of strategic talent management agency Human Capital Institute (HCI) moved earlier this month two doors over from its temporary space to a newly-renovated office at 1110 Main Street.

Lucy Blue Pizza has been a late-night restaurant fixture since 2002, offering thin-crust pizza both in-store and from a sidewalk take-out window.

Taylor Thompson, owner Jim Thompson’s daughter, says the new store will be more of a full-service restaurant with larger, more open seating areas. Beer and wine service will be offered, along with more of a nightclub feel.

“We would love to have live music,” Taylor Thompson says.

She adds that Lucy Blue Pizza will open at the new location in a few months, once construction is finished. The restaurant plans to continue its current nighttime business hours from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m.

HCI is a branch office of a larger company headquartered in Washington, D.C. The two-year-old operation moved to Over-the-Rhine from West Chester and grew to nine employees at its temporary location.

Aubrey Krekler Wiete, a research analyst with HCI, says their new location “…offers everything needed in an office space.”

She says HCI has many Cincinnati natives on staff who like working downtown and contributing to business growth in Over-the-Rhine.

The location, she says, puts them closer to their clients.

Lucy Blue Pizza has three other stores, but Jim Thompson says the original in Over-the-Rhine remains his favorite. He says he is looking forward to expanding the business.

Both buildings are owned by Hanke Associates, LLC.

By Andy Dobson

Tazza Mia expands brand, fulfills dream

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

With three successful coffee shops up and running, Bob Bonder, owner of Tazza Mia, is now able to open up a coffee lab and wine bar that has been brewing in the back of his mind for a long time. “Even when I planning out the first Tazza Mia, I had an idea for a coffee and wine hybrid,” says Bonder.

Named 1215, its address on Vine Street, Bonder chose the simple name to help tie the new store to the Tazza Mia brand. “I want to be able to distinguish it from the other stores, but still let people know they can expect the same quality coffee we have always served.”

To ensure that quality, the new store, set to open in late November or December, will feature single-cup brewing methods, such as the siphon, which is currently used exclusively at Japp’s; the pour over; and an aeropress. An espresso bar will be on site, as will a small selection of handmade flavored syrups to ensure the best possible product.

“The focus will be completely on these brewing methods because it forces people to learn about these other ways coffee is made, and allows us to feature types of coffee we don’t normally use,” says Bonder. “These methods allow you to get all the possible flavor out of a cup of coffee.”

Bonder chose the Vine Street spot because of the atmosphere of the neighborhood. “At our Carew Tower and 600 Vine stores, people are always running late and are in a hurry, so this concept wouldn’t work,” says Bonder. “I think the idea fits really well with that neighborhood and people will be receptive to the new idea.”

1215 will also have a wine selection for in-store and take home sales. Focusing more on flights, Bonder again hopes to open customer’s eyes to the possibilities of taste. “We are going to have a small selection, probably six to eight flights, with three tastes each,” says Bonder. “We want to have it well-selected by us, people who know wine. We won’t just be buying what the distributor is pushing that week.” Bonder will also have a small selection of craft beer, whiskey and scotch at 1215.

With two busy restaurants, A Tavola and Senate, right across the street, 1215 is poised to attract the overflow. “I think we will get a good amount of business from that,” says Bonder. With a floor-to-ceiling wine rack, complete with a library ladder, rustic decorations and the atmosphere of a coffee shop, Bonder hopes to make his place the go-to spot for dates and guests searching for a more relaxed atmosphere. “I love OTR,” says Bonder. “But I don’t think there is anywhere like this in the area.”

By Evan Wallis

Be Happy bars launch tasty business

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Full disclosure: The subject of this article is a personal friend and I have been a fan of Be Happy bars since their first iteration nearly four years ago. Also, I have an unabashed pro-entrepreneurial bias. Fair warning!

The square bars with the bright orange stickers sit dangerously close to impulse-purchase level at the Over-the-Rhine Coffee Emporium shop. "Be Happy, Be Healthy," reads the label, and so far, dozens of customers have done just that.

A new locally made treat at Coffee Emporium and Park + Vine, Be Happy, Be Healthy bars have long been a labor of love for teacher Christine Scheadler. She and her husband, photographer Bob Scheadler, left a three-story house in Norwood for a condominium in the Gateway Corridor last year. Since then, she has channeled her culinary impulses into planning her urban farm on River Road and tweaking the "Be Happy" recipe into both original and vegan varieties.

The original bars' orange-flavored cranberries and raisins make the chewy squares sweet and chewy. The vegan bars, created especially for sale at all-vegan Park + Vine, have a toasty, sesame flavor. They derive their power from honey (original) or agave (vegan), steel-cut oats and ground almond. "They don't give an energy burst," Scheadler says. "They are like long-lasting supplements. They can be meal-replacers."

Fans at Coffee Emporium compare them favorably to Clif Bars. "People are really positive," Scheadler says. She, along with her husband, prefers the vegan recipe to the original, but so far both flavors, priced at $2.50 per bar, sell out quickly. Scheadler offered samples and bars for sale at Second Sunday on Main and at Imago in Price Hill. The trick, she knows, will be maintaining her full-time teaching job and growing her business carefully.

"I really want to keep it manageable," she says. "I don't want it to grow faster than I can handle. But I'd like to expand to some more coffee shops."

While promoting healthy eating remains a side job for Scheadler, her educator's touch makes its mark, literally, on every "Be Happy" bar. Two exclamation marks, rounded off with a curved smile at the bottom, serve as the basis for the smiling Kylie Kale, the first in a line of vegetable icons Scheadler plans to use to identify a growing line of products.

By Elissa Yancey

Photo courtesy of Christine Scheadler

Taste of Belgium sweetens Vine Street storefront

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Midpoint Music Festival -- time for dancing, drinking and . . . waffles? That's the current plan for Jean-Francois Flechet,the city's ambitious waffle entrepreneur. It's been just four years since Flechet, owner of Taste of Belgium, served his first waffe. And only 10 since he moved to the United States.

At first, he served only waffles in a shared space in Findlay Market. Now, the Taste of Belgium franchise serves buckwheat crepes, Belgian chocolate brownies, calzones and espresso drinks. You can find his waffles in coffee shops and his specialty items at the Banks, a bigger shop at Findlay, at North Market in Columbus and via a parner with a waffle trailer in Nashville, Tennessee.

His latest venture, a bistro at Twelfth and Vine streets, already has signage, and anticipation for its opening has grown as the summer aged into fall. For now, Flechet has his eyes on Midpoint as a time to launch partial service at the bistro. “It would be a perfect time to open our doors,” Flechet says. “There is a venue right near us and a great way to become a part of the community."

Once in full operation, the new space will hold 57 guests, as well as a chef’s table in the bakery. The bistro will employ between 30 and 40 people serving breakfast, lunch and, a new offering for Flechet, dinner. He plans to serve Belgian beers, mussels, fries and other traditional fare.

The bistro will also be home to a commissary and where Flechet and his employees bake products for all other locations. The Vine Street space will also house offices and help Flechet plan for even more expansions.

"A national brand with the idea of waffles, crepes and coffee is the long-term goal," says Flechet. "I want to stay anchored in OTR. I love it here and there is a lot of momentum behind the neighborhood right now."

By Evan Wallis

Queen City Cookies opens in Findlay Market

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Peggy Shannon doesn’t waste time. Especially not when it comes to building Queen City Cookies into a business that she hopes will change the world – one sweet donation at a time.

In just eight days, she took an abandoned building in Over-the-Rhine – a building stripped of every inch of pipe and unused for a year – and created a new Findlay Market shop where more customers than ever can discover her delectable cookie creations. Set to open this Saturday at 8 am, Queen City Cookies sits between Churchill’s Fine Teas and Market Wines.

“It’s a mad rush, I will tell you,” says Shannon, who hired a new employee, effectively doubling her staff, to work at the store. She called friends and contractors and told them her opening day was just a week and one day away. “Everyone kept laughing and telling me I was crazy.”

But the former marketing director for the Contemporary Arts Center remembers the advice she got while working as a marketing manager for Whole Foods. “You can do anything you set your mind to,” she says. “Make a plan and execute the plan.”

Shannon’s plan evolved from baking one gorgeous cookie, Our Lady of Guadeloupe, into a thriving business creating, from scratch, edible works of art from more than 500 intricate molds.

Because her cookies are so beautiful, some customers can’t bring themselves to eat them. So in addition to her classic shortbread Queen Iced Delights, Shannon created Pachyderm Packs, bags of smaller, elephant-shaped cookies in four flavors: Chocolate Chipotle, Em’s Blues (a blueberry maple cookie that tastes like a blueberry pancake), Pure Sass (the original) and Rosemary with Sunflower and Sesame Seeds.

“My whole reason to go into business to begin with was to share joy with people,” Shannon says. “The cookies are so delightful. When people eat them, they are happy.”

In addition to Iced Delights ($4 and up), Shannon offers the Pachyderm Packs ($7 for about 25 cookies) and her own recipe of schnecken, of the “gooey delicious” variety, at her new shop.

Shannon wants to use her new space to share more than great sweets and treats, though. She sees product sales as a way she can give back to Cincinnati, the city she has called home since 2006. Her goal? To become a philanthropist along the lines of Louise Nippert and Otto M. Budig.

She started early, already partnering her young company with local nonprofits like Women Helping Women, the Civic Garden Center, the American Heart Association and Happen Inc. Shannon, though, thinks bigger. Much bigger.

“I want to be able to have enough money to donate $22 million per year,” Shannon says. “I have a long way to go – but you have got to start somewhere.”

Queen City Cookies opens its doors at 8 am, Saturday, Sept. 3, 124 W. Elder St. For more information, call 513-591-0022.

On The Run Cleaners moves in to OTR

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

A new Cincinnati business aims to clean up in Over-the-Rhine, literally. As part of the movement to attract more service-oriented businesses to the Gateway Quarter, On the Run Cleaners, a dry cleaner, will occupy 1332 Vine St. in the Gateway Quarter.

Owned by Paul Nguyen, who grew up in Bond Hill and currently resides in the Pendleton district of Over-the-Rhine, the shop will be a full-service drop-off and pick-up point for OTR residents needing dry cleaning – a service Nguyen decided to bring to the neighborhood after talking to residents and hearing about the demand for it, he says.

"I thought, 'Why don't we open something that the people of OTR can use and cater to the residents of OTR?' " Nguyen says. "Why not start now, while OTR is in the rebuilding process?"

Nguyen will move into the Vine Street space Oct. 1 and hopes to have the business fully operational by mid-November.

"It's a good opportunity to give back to the community," he says.

The drycleaner joins Capital Shoe Repair and Shine Parlors at 1344 Vine St. as the newest service-oriented businesses in Over-the-Rhine – part of the plan, says Christy Samad, spokesperson for the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC), to revitalize Over-the-Rhine and turn it into a mixed-development, mixed-income neighborhood.

"The whole goal is for it to be an area where you can essentially work, live and play," Samad says.

The news of On the Run joining the Gateway Quarter community is one step in that process, she says.

"We definitely want all of that mixed development," she says. "We have lots of commercial interests, restaurants and service-oriented businesses interested (in Over-the-Rhine)."

Roughly 68 percent of the 91,000 square feet of commercial space in the Gateway Quarter has been leased to this point, she adds.

"Hopefully there will be more (service-oriented) businesses moving into the area," she says.

Brian Tiffany, president of the Over-the-Rhine Chamber of Commerce, praises development efforts by 3CDC to make the neighborhood one of a diverse, mixed-income population.

"We're embracing that diversity as our strength," Tiffany says.

The makeover of Over-the-Rhine was needed, he adds.

"We needed to see a total paradigm shift (regarding the neighborhood)," Tiffany says. "We realized we had to do something."

Tiffany cites the store MiCA 12V, located at 1201 Vine St., as an example of what the revitalization efforts in the neighborhood has accomplished.

"It used to be a convenience store that had 400 calls for service (to police)," Tiffany says. "Since MiCA opened, it's had none."

But while such niche businesses as MiCA 12V are vital in creating a shopping destination for visitors in the city, developers cannot forget about attracting businesses that provide services for the residents of the neighborhood, Tiffany says.

"Be aware of the folks that have lived here for 30 or 40 years," Tiffany says.

Eateries, delis, clothing stores and a grocery store besides Findlay Market are just some of the examples of businesses Over-the-Rhine could use, Tiffany says.

"I still think that on the south side of Liberty Street we could still use those types of goods and services that really serve the neighborhood," Tiffany says. "We're doing well on coffee shops."

Regardless of the type of business, however, all new business has played a role in the neighborhood's makeover, Tiffany says. "Clearly revitalization has been the most effective tool in making the neighborhood safer and cleaner."

By James Sprague

MPMF 10: Mapping the future of indie music and arts festival

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Three nights. Eighteen stages. Two neighborhoods. As MidPoint Music Festival turns 10, producer Dan McCabe describes a stronger, tighter mix of indie music and fresh artistic offerings. With performances downtown and in Over-the-Rhine, the festival showcases more than musicians -- it is a celebration of the Queen City as a cool, welcoming musical hotbed.

"It's gotten a lot easier," says McCabe. He remembers when local alt weekly CityBeat took the festival reins in 2008, morphing from indoor concerts to this year's 145 acts expected to draw more than 20,000 fans. "[The festival] now has its own head of steam where its reputation and identity's known."

And the core of that identity?

"It's the talent," McCabe says. "Cincinnati is a savvy city. They know new music and embrace the good stuff."

He explains that by engaging with the indie music community to spot rising, quality acts year after year, his team has been able to increase both fan draw and the quality of acts that submit their demos to be part of each year's festival. "Investing in talent has meant everything," he says.

That investment pays off beyond the stages, too. The 201 MPMF includes big-name sponsors such as Procter & Gamble, KAO Brands' Biore line of cosmetics and even Busken Bakery. These sponsors join long-time supporter Dewey's Pizza, in an evolution McCabe says he's glad to see.

"It's been a struggle to get sponsors on board and get Cincinnati to understand how important [the festival] is for attracting young talent," he says. "I'm really proud of the local business community for embracing this local festival."

The sponsorships are more than just in-name additions. Busken plans to provide free donuts throughout the festival, as part of its '10,000 Donut Deployment.' And KAO's support comes in the form of a blocked-off 12th Street, where venues will highlight female acts. McCabe says 'The Biore Strip,' as the venue will be called, is more than just PR; it highlights a theme at MPMF that often has flown under the festival's radar. Female acts have typically been the largest draws at the festival.

"That's a story I've been telling for a while now," McCabe says. "Biore came on board and gave us the opportunity to really tell that story."

Another significant change attendees will see at this year's MPMF has little to do with financial sponsors, and everything to do with connecting the city's diverse arts scenes in one massive celebration. SpringBoard is a new initiative by arts support organization Artworks, aimed at fostering creative enterprise in Cincinnati. SpringBoard is partnering with MPMF this year to host the MidPoint Midway. The event, modeled after similar festivals in other cities, will turn a series of 16- to 24-foot long box trucks into an eclectic community of performance spaces and pop-up art galleries along 12th Street east of Vine Street and west of Walnut Street in Over-the-Rhine.

McCabe, for his part, says he's thrilled about the additions to the event.

"That bodes well for [festival] numbers 11, 12 and into the future," he says. "We finally have a local landscape looking to MidPoint to promote our culture."

This Place Matters showing boosts more than OTR

Tuesday, August 09, 2011

It was a near miss that some still see as a much-needed shot in the arm.

The Over-the-Rhine Foundation, a community organization dedicated to promoting sustainable growth in the historic neighborhood, was the dark horse story of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's 2011 This Place Matters Community Challenge. The organization came from behind in the closing weeks of the voting drive event, which offered its winner $25,000 to support historic preservation efforts. At one point, the OTR Foundation led the field of 100 finalists in a close race that came down to the final days.

But when the final tallies came in, preservation projects in Newport, RI, and Wellington, TX, gained first and second spots, respectively. The OTR Foundation placed third, with an accompanying $5,000 prize.

But never mind the scoreboard: the organization's representatives - and historic preservation advocates in the city - are calling the third-place finish a huge success, for both Over-the-Rhine and Cincinnati as a whole.

"The way we look at it, any interest in the neighborhood is good," says OTR Foundation Vice-President and former Soapbox managing editor Sean Rhiney. "It puts us on the map and in the national conscience."

Cincinnati Preservation Association executive director Paul Muller agrees, noting that it was community mobilization in multiple neighborhoods that drove the voting effort.

"It was really exciting to be part of the community that mobilized for that effort," he says. "It was great, particularly, to show the National Trust the passion and support for Over-the-Rhine in Cincinnati."

According to both advocates, Over-the-Rhine's success speaks to something happening in Cincinnati: a renaissance of interest in the city's history, and a new respect for its urban core - the 'inner circle' neighborhoods like Over-the-Rhine.

"That's almost like the city is coming to terms with itself," Rhiney says. "We're changing the conversation from focusing on negatives to attributes."

On Tuesday, Aug. 2, Mueller and CPA preservation director Margo Warminski asked members of Cincinnati City Council to push forward an effort to have Cincinnati designated a Preserve America Community by the Federal government. The move would help preservation initiatives in the city receive grant funding, and would help build what Mueller calls one of the city's greatest present and future assets: its historic treasures.

By Matt Cunningham

Follow Matt on Twitter @cunningcontent

Local bakeries expand to satisfy gluten-free customers

Tuesday, August 02, 2011

The phrase "gluten-free bakery" might seem oxymoronic.

Gluten is found in wheat, rye, barley and possibly oats. It's part of what gives baked goods their light, fluffy texture, and is a common component in breads, rolls, cookies and other bakery staples.

But a growing body of evidence suggests too much gluten may cause problems for some people. In extreme cases, such as people with Celiac disease, a genetic disorder, the protein gliadin, which is found in gluten, sets off an autoimmune reaction that destroys cells in the small intestines. Severe reactions can be life-threatening, and those who suffer from the disease have limited opportunities to eat outside of their homes. Even products advertised as gluten-free might have traces of gluten, given the difficulty of creating a gluten-free environment in a bakery or restaurant that sells gluten products.

Given the growing public recognition of gluten-free dietary restrictions, bakeries that offer low-gluten and gluten-free products are popping up in storefronts and farmer's markets across Cincinnati.

Amber Jones, owner of AJ Creations, the only completely gluten-free bakery in the region, suspects that the growing number of people with gluten intolerance comes from greater awareness and better diagnostic tools. "Before, people were often told they had a weak stomach," she says. Her bakery, located in an historic storefront in downtown Covington, offers a variety of baked goods, from muffins and fresh biscuits to cookies, candies and coffee cakes, many of which are also dairy-free. Instead of wheat or rye flour, she uses a wide variety of alternatives, like garbanzo bean flour, rice flour, potatoes, tapioca, corn flour and almond meal.

In Over-the-Rhine, Madison's at Findlay Market sells several gluten-free projects, from Udi's bread to Tinkyada pasta and Sesmark crackers. Neighboring bakery Skirtz & Johnston's Fine Pastries and Chocolates offers a low gluten bread. Called Dinkelbrot, this dense spelt flour bread with sunflower seeds, flax seeds and oats, is based on an old German recipe. The bakery also offers a low-gluten chocolate torte with only four ingredients: chocolate, butter, eggs and sugar.

The Cincinnati Celiac Support Group lists eight bakeries in the region with gluten-free offerings. And with a host of restaurants throughout the area offering gluten-free menu items - or even full allergen-sensitive menus - it's becoming easier for people sensitive to this common food item to enjoy the smells and tastes of fresh-baked goods.

By Becky Johnson

Smartfish Studio and Sustainable Supply wants to fill niche in OTR

Tuesday, August 02, 2011

By some accounts, Alisha Budkie's new venture should come as no surprise. The graduate of the University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP) is on track for the Aug. 26 opening of Smartfish Studio and Sustainable Supply, an art and design supply resource based at the corner of 13th and Main streets in Over-the-Rhine.

Budkie says her idea for the store springs from the environment she observed as a design student.

"My first focus is on all the local schools and students that are here," she says, referring to DAAP, the Art Academy of Cincinnati, the School for Creative and Performing Arts, and the legions of students drawn to the schools' art and design programs.

Budkie explains that, while local suppliers such as Suder's Art Store in Over-the-Rhine carry a wide range of standard glues, paints and artists' supplies, she hopes to complement their offerings with something a bit different. Smartfish will stock products that are American made, locally sourced and/or sustainable alternatives to standard products. Budkie will also work with clients to special-order hard-to-find materials, she says.

"I'm trying to cover a very broad range, and go beyond what's available locally," she says.

Her undertaking appears to have support from the community.

"People are recognizing Over-the-Rhine as a great place to live, work, shop and play," says Brian Tiffany, president of the OTR Chamber, in a video posted on Budkie's website.

He points out what could be a big advantage for Budkie: the store's physical location. "Those corners are critical to driving traffic," he says, noting that a retail business located on a corner will draw traffic from a three-block radius.

The three blocks surrounding Smartfish hold a high density of design studios, architecture firms, art galleries and businesses launched by Budkie's fellow DAAP graduates. These residents and business owners, she hopes, will appreciate having a resource within walking distance.

And the foot traffic might doubly appreciate it, given Budkie's other business: the designer included a workshop in the Smartfish space where she produces Smartfish Footwear, her line of men's and women's shoes.

By Matt Cunningham
Follow Matt on Twitter @cunningcontent

Cincinnati Development Fund earns $1.5M federal grant

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

The Cincinnati Development Fund has been a financial resource for affordable housing development in the city's neighborhoods for 23 years. And that long track record of helping spur development -- and redevelopment -- in some of Cincinnati's underserved areas recently earned the CDF a $1.5 million federal grant to support its mission.

The grant comes from the U.S. Treasury's Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI). The CDFI awarded $142,302,667 to 155 community development financial institutions -- like CDF -- nationwide. CDF received $750,000 from the fund in 2010, making this year's award a very pleasant surprise, says CDF president and CEO Jeanne Golliher.

"We were really expecting something along the lines of what we got last year," she says.

The $1.5 million sum is the maximum any single organization could receive from the CDFI. Golliher credits CDF's long-standing role in the community as reason for the high award.

"We're really in touch," she says. "We know where the needs are."

A main focus of CDF's efforts, she explains, are smaller developers -- sometimes individual homeowners, sometimes development companies focusing on one or two buildings -- who wish to revitalize property in parts of the city suffering from high foreclosure and vacancy rates. The smaller developers fit a niche that complements larger development organizations, such as the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC), which is in the midst of redeveloping a large portion of Over-the-Rhine. Golliher refers to many of CDF's borrowers as "urban pioneers:" people willing to be early redevelopers in areas that have yet to see widespread revitalization.

"We've had so much activity with our small loan program," she says. "There are a lot of cases where people want to buy and fix up a building on their own, and they come to us."

Golliher says her team is in the process of planning how to best use the grant funds. Some of it may be used as matching funds for $3.3 million in low-interest funding CDF has requested from the U.S. Treasury to help fund small business development in the city. She plans to present a proposal for how the funds will be used at CDF's August board meeting. In the meantime, she says she and her team are thrilled by this recent show of federal support.

"I think it speaks to our track record," she says.

By Matt Cunningham

Follow Matt on Twitter @cunningcontent

Power in proximity at The Brandery's new OTR space

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Cincinnati-based business accelerator The Brandery began moving in late June into a three-story office space in the 1400 block of Vine Street. The rehabilitated building features high ceilings, an open floor plan and skylights that let in light to all floors - all desirable features in rapidly-revitalizing Over-the-Rhine.

But The Brandery founders J.B. Kropp and Dave Knox say the features that go beyond the architecture are what will attract creative energy -- and a new generation of startup businesses -- from across the country.

"We looked at a couple of spots," says Kropp, who adds that the revitalization underway in Over-the-Rhine has turned what was once a no-go part of the city into a powerful introduction to Cincinnati for startups from out of town. "If we're going to pull in 15 to 20 people for their first experience of Cincinnati, this is going to be great for it."

Knox added that, although the team considered other sites in Over-the-Rhine, Vine street's placement between Main Street and Washington Park made it ideal.

"It's more the heat of what's happening," he says of the glass-fronted office.

Along with being a fitting introduction to the Queen City, Kropp and Knox say the 4,500-square-foot office is designed to cultivate idea sharing and connectivity among like-minded entrepreneurs. To that end, they say The Brandery office will be open for local startups and startup-related businesses to gather and work.

"We envision seeing more people in Cincinnati coming in," Kropp says. "They might be saying, 'I'm not ready for funding yet, but can I just hang out?'"

Knox adds that The Brandery hopes to serve as a meeting place for area tech and startup meetups, establishing the office space as a central gathering place for people to generate and cultivate new ideas.

"It's a good experience from all sides," Kropp says.

The Brandery's newest class of startups will begin the business development program August 1. Knox says he's excited to begin the program in the new space, a location that he noted is much as he and Kropp envisioned when they launched The Brandery with Bryan Radtke and Rob McDonald in 2010.

"We've been looking for a permanent home ever since we started," he says. "This place has power in its proximity."

By Matt Cunningham