Soapdish: Washington Park Comes Alive
Soapdish columnist Casey Coston unearths some the new programming ideas arising out of Washington Park's grand scale makeover in Over-the-Rhine.
Architecture + Design
Latest in Architecture + Design
‘Ugly Betty’ to attend third Annual Digital Non Conference to talk up new web, TV project
America Ferrera, the former "Ugly Betty" title character, is just one of the high-profile people coming to this year's Digital Non-Conference in downtown Cincinnati.The "non-conference," geared toward the region's digital marketers, has gained some cache in its third year. The event organized by ADCLUB Cincinnati and the American Marketing Association (AMA Cincinnati) is Sept. 23rd and 24th. Ferrera, along with Drew Buckley, COO of Electus studio, will be talking about a new television show the actress and studio will co-produce for MTV, said conference co-chair William A. Krieger, Client Service Director at R.L. Repass & Partners, Inc.The series "Pedro & Maria" has been described as "the first-ever multicultural, interactive series built for the digital age for MTV." It will air on television and on the web."They'll be talking about digital branding for entertainment," Krieger. "They keynotes this year are nationally recognized and phenomenal."Other scheduled speakers include Pandora founder Tim Wintergreen, The Huffington Post President Greg Coleman and Cincinnati's Jerry Kathman, president of LPK, the world's largest independent design agency. Conference organizers expect a 300-person sellout crowd this year. Cincinnati has its fair share of interested marketers who'll be attending; organizers estimate 400 Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky businesses focused on package design, branding, advertising, and marketing communications will take part. But the conference within the last two years also has drawn digital marketers from across the wider Midwest, including Cleveland, Louisville, Indianapolis and Huntington, Krieger said."The whole idea of the conference is to cover all things related to digital marketing. We're covering all the new trends in digital, from geolocation, to mobile marketing to video. The whole premise is to bring all the digital marketers into town to explore these trends."The conference also includes breakout sessions and special conference events including time to take in some tunes during the MidPoint Music Fest, which will be in town Sept. 23-25.There's also a pre-event happy hour set for Sept. 9 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Newport Syndicate.For more information on the conference or to register go here.Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Cincinnati Digital Non-Conference Co-Chair William A. KriegerYou can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiawrites
3CDC to partner with city to save at-risk historic church in Over-the-Rhine
Those familiar with Over-the-Rhine know that the historic church located at 15th and Race Streets has seen better days. Over the past two years the vacant church has been badly damaged by separate wind and lightening storms which have put the structure into a vulnerable situation.The structure's roof is bowing such that it's severely at-risk for the upcoming winter and the snow it usually brings. As a result, the City of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC) have partnered to stabilize the structure in the coming weeks."Ideally we would like to save all of the buildings in Over-The-Rhine," said Christy Samad, Communications Assistant, 3CDC. "Although the church is further north than our current developments we noticed it was deteriorating quickly and we had to go in and save it."The partnership will include $300,000 from the City, and another $400-450,000 from 3CDC depending on final cost estimates. Officials hope to start stabilization work in the coming weeks so that the structure is secure long before the threatening winter months approach.The structure is located on the northern edge of $70 million worth of development currently taking place on or nearby this stretch of Race Street. Those developments will eventually include 200 housing units, 63,000 square feet of commercial space, and 300 parking spaces which should all be completed by February 2011. Along Race Street itself, 3CDC owns or controls a total of 33 buildings from Central Parkway to Liberty Street.Once stabilized, the building will need an adaptive reuse plan in place before the development corporation proceeds on any redevelopment. The challenge with this structure is the difficulty of reuse. Consequently, 3CDC is asking the public to submit their ideas on how to reuse the 100-plus year-old church structure to Christy Samad at csamad@3cdc.org."We are trying to figure out what should be done with the structure, and we're also looking to find old pictures of the churches steeples before they were destroyed so that we can accurately restore them. We really want to preserve its historic feel and maintain this important piece of OTR's historic architecture."Writer: Randy A. SimesPhotography by Scott BeselerStay connected by following Randy on Twitter @UrbanCincy
City Lights Neon turns neon sign design into an art form
City Lights Neon, near Eden Park, is way beyond your basic flashing OPEN window sign and has made neon sign design into an art form. For more than 25 years the company has made creative, sometimes quirky signs, for large corporations, restaurants and small businesses. The company, founded in 1983 and operated by husband and wife Dennis Dix and Dana Burton, started in a third-floor studio in Over-the-Rhine. The pair was inspired to study the art of neon sign making while living in Washington D.C. and seeing an NEA support exhibit called NEONFRONTS."The work transformed many otherwise vacant public streetscapes and empty storefronts with color, light, shape, and concept. Dennis and I became intrigued with neon as an artistic medium," said Burton, whose background is in film.Burton and Dix began researching schools where they could learn more about the nuts and bolts of neon sign making, which can be dangerous and involves working with temps around 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Eventually they settled on Northern Advertising in Wisconsin."The learning environment was focused on a student's ability to learn a trade for employment at sign companies after an intensive session. We found a school that accepted our interest as an artistic curiosity rather than a vocational pursuit. One must possess knowledge and skill related to the process, as well as overcome the intellectual tendency toward fear, both in terms of the flames, as well as the high voltage electric," Burton said.Burton and Dix, who originally lived in the Cincinnati area returned here to start their company. They named their company City Lights Neon in homage to Paris, the "City of Lights.""The origin of the name speaks to our philosophy: innovation, aesthetics and intellect. Although environmental graphics and signage are often what comes to mind when one thinks of neon, we did not endeavor to become a sign company. We viewed neon as a medium with which to draw with light, graphically," Burton said.Over the years, the company has made custom signs and artwork for several Procter & Gamble brands including Tide, as well as Playhouse in the Park, the Cincinnati Art Museum, Clear Channel, Teri Studios and Pomodori's Pizza. The pair frequently work with LEDs that allow for unlimited color mixing, changing, and modulating effects, Burton said. In 2004, they worked on a project for Claire Fontaine, a Paris-based collective artist, on a neo-conceptual piece that was powered by energy collected from solar panels and stored in a 12 volt DC battery. "As designers, we work with recycled content eco-resins, bamboo, stainless steel, powder coated metal. Each project is viewed individually, holistically, whether the project revolves around visual merchandising for retail, an exhibit display, special effects for a concept event, a cutting edge interior, custom signage," Burton said.Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Dana Burton, co-owner City Lights NeonYou can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiawrites
Discovering Musical History on Race Street
There are those that believe that 811 Race street was home to what may very well have been one of the single most important recording studios in the history of the known Universe. With landmark sessions by Flatts & Scruggs, BullMoose Jackson, The Delmore Brothers, and country legend Hank Williams, Herzog Studios recorded country music before Nashville. Leading the charge to unearth this unique part of musical history is the Cincinnati USA Music Heritage Foundation and its President, Elliot Ruther.
Cincinnati preservationist questions VBML program, suggests changes
Following a series of forums and community meetings, members of the Knox Hill Neighborhood Association located in North Fairmount have said that the city's Vacant Building Maintenance License (VBML) hurts neighborhood development. Following increased fees passed in 2006, the VBML program has come under scrutiny from the very community in which it was meant to assist.The VBML program was originally created to deal with troublesome vacant buildings that pose public health and safety concerns. According to city officials, the program requires building owners to bring properties into a general state of upkeep that preserves the integrity of the building, keeps it structurally sound for police and fire officials, and keep properties from sliding into serious states of blight. However, some neighbors believe that the program needs to be reexamined."Essentially the VBML is no longer an effective tool. Given the foreclosure crisis and difficult economy, the market has changed," said Paul Wilham, President, Knox Hill Neighborhood Association. "Obviously the City Vacant Building Task Force wants to keep the VBML as it generates limited revenue and they are reluctant to do the hard work of actual enforcement of our building codes as other cities do."Wilham, and the Knox Hill Neighborhood Association, believe that the VBML should be eliminated entirely and replaced by specific repair orders made by city inspectors.Edward Cunningham, Division Manager of Property Maintenance Code Enforcement for the City's Community Development Department, says that the license fees are used to offset the high costs of monitoring these at-risk properties, and that many of the fees can be refunded for those with rehabilitation plans in place."We try to inspect the properties every 30 days, and it costs a lot of money to deal with these structures," explained Cunningham. "This program is about preserving properties and getting them used once again. We're just trying to keep the buildings from deteriorating further."Under the program, building owners are required to pay an annual VBML fee until the property is brought up to code. The fee starts at $900 for the first year, and doubles each following year with a maximum of $3,500 annually at year five. According to Cunningham, the property owner gets a full refund for the current year in which the property is finally brought into code, and since 2008, owners are able to have fees suspended for the first two years with an appropriate rehabilitation plan in place."The program is not a silver bullet, but we've got to have a balance," Cunningham said. "Vice Mayor Qualls is working with a task force that is looking at this program, and others, to determine how we can best preserve our historic building stock."In the mean time, Wilham is leading a petition drive, calling for the abolition of the VBML program, that will eventually be submitted to Cincinnati City Council.Writer: Randy A. SimesPhotography by Scott BeselerStay connected by following Randy on Twitter @UrbanCincy
UC students test dive mechanical dolphin tails
University of Cincinnati's School of Architecture and Interior Design created and tested prosthetic tails in the Florida Keys. The mechanical foot fins allow swimmers to move like a dolphin and swim twice as fast as an Olympic swimmer. The "Retail Design" course linked design students with entrepreneurs and it will be presented at an international design conference in August. Read the full story here.
Officials meet to discuss importance of Brent Spence Bridge project
U.S. Congressman Steve Driehaus (D-OH) and James L. Oberstar (D-MN) were in Cincinnati on Monday, August 2 to discuss the Brent Spence Bridge replacement and rehabilitation project. The congressmen met with local officials on the 25th floor of the Enquirer Building in downtown Cincinnati overlooking the river span. Driehaus and Oberstar were joined by other local officials including Cincinnati City Manager Milton Dohoney and Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls who also serves as chair of the Livable Communities Committee and Major Transportation & Infrastructure Projects Sub-Committee which study projects of this nature. They gathered to discuss the project's economic and transportation impacts. Completed in 1964, the Brent Spence Bridge is currently exceeding its designed capacity and presents a variety of safety concerns that range from the bridge's lack of emergency break down lanes for motorists, to poor signage that partially obstructed by the bridge's support structure. In March 2010, Brian Cunningham from OKI Regional Council of Governments told Soapbox that the Brent Spence Bridge project is the metropolitan planning organization's number one priority because of the safety concerns and the major transportation choke point it presently causes. "OKI has estimated that there is a crash along this 8-mile stretch once every three days, and when a crash occurs on that bridge it basically shuts down two interstates," Cunningham detailed. The Ohio River crossing also represents a major economic linchpin for the region, and nation. It is presently estimated that $400 billion worth of commodities travel across the bridge every year; a number expected to more than double by 2030 to $815 billion. Cunningham states that local officials have been very supportive of the project thus far, but that significant amounts of money are still needed to make the $2-3 billion project a reality. Local officials are hoping that a large portion of that money can come from the federal government with the help of representatives like Congressman Oberstar who serves as chairman of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. The Brent Spence Bridge replacement designs have now been narrowed to three final design options, and officials hope that if the necessary funding is secured that construction can begin on the new span by 2015. Writer: Randy A. SimesRendering Provided Stay connected by following Randy on Twitter @UrbanCincy
Ground broken on new $3.8M children’s home in Northern Kentucky
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Eyewear, with a bit of Disney and a touch of Apple
Luxottica, a worldwide eyewear retail company with its U.S. headquarters in Mason, OH, experiments with a concept store that draws ideas from Apple and Disneyland. The company's goal is to create a personal experience and connection with the customer. The Eye Hub at the experimental store is in the shape of an eyeball, and allows customers to research eye problems and prescriptions, to see how they look in glasses with forty-one touch screens, and to interact with a concierge to help customers explore the store.Read the full story here.
‘Ugly Betty’ to attend third Annual Digital Non Conference to talk up new web, TV project
America Ferrera, the former "Ugly Betty" title character, is just one of the high-profile people coming to this year's Digital Non-Conference in downtown Cincinnati.The "non-conference," geared toward the region's digital marketers, has gained some cache in its third year. The event organized by ADCLUB Cincinnati and the American Marketing Association (AMA Cincinnati) is Sept. 23rd and 24th. Ferrera, along with Drew Buckley, COO of Electus studio, will be talking about a new television show the actress and studio will co-produce for MTV, said conference co-chair William A. Krieger, Client Service Director at R.L. Repass & Partners, Inc.The series "Pedro & Maria" has been described as "the first-ever multicultural, interactive series built for the digital age for MTV." It will air on television and on the web."They'll be talking about digital branding for entertainment," Krieger. "They keynotes this year are nationally recognized and phenomenal."Other scheduled speakers include Pandora founder Tim Wintergreen, The Huffington Post President Greg Coleman and Cincinnati's Jerry Kathman, president of LPK, the world's largest independent design agency. Conference organizers expect a 300-person sellout crowd this year. Cincinnati has its fair share of interested marketers who'll be attending; organizers estimate 400 Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky businesses focused on package design, branding, advertising, and marketing communications will take part. But the conference within the last two years also has drawn digital marketers from across the wider Midwest, including Cleveland, Louisville, Indianapolis and Huntington, Krieger said."The whole idea of the conference is to cover all things related to digital marketing. We're covering all the new trends in digital, from geolocation, to mobile marketing to video. The whole premise is to bring all the digital marketers into town to explore these trends."The conference also includes breakout sessions and special conference events including time to take in some tunes during the MidPoint Music Fest, which will be in town Sept. 23-25.There's also a pre-event happy hour set for Sept. 9 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Newport Syndicate.For more information on the conference or to register go here.Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Cincinnati Digital Non-Conference Co-Chair William A. KriegerYou can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiawrites
3CDC to partner with city to save at-risk historic church in Over-the-Rhine
Those familiar with Over-the-Rhine know that the historic church located at 15th and Race Streets has seen better days. Over the past two years the vacant church has been badly damaged by separate wind and lightening storms which have put the structure into a vulnerable situation.The structure's roof is bowing such that it's severely at-risk for the upcoming winter and the snow it usually brings. As a result, the City of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC) have partnered to stabilize the structure in the coming weeks."Ideally we would like to save all of the buildings in Over-The-Rhine," said Christy Samad, Communications Assistant, 3CDC. "Although the church is further north than our current developments we noticed it was deteriorating quickly and we had to go in and save it."The partnership will include $300,000 from the City, and another $400-450,000 from 3CDC depending on final cost estimates. Officials hope to start stabilization work in the coming weeks so that the structure is secure long before the threatening winter months approach.The structure is located on the northern edge of $70 million worth of development currently taking place on or nearby this stretch of Race Street. Those developments will eventually include 200 housing units, 63,000 square feet of commercial space, and 300 parking spaces which should all be completed by February 2011. Along Race Street itself, 3CDC owns or controls a total of 33 buildings from Central Parkway to Liberty Street.Once stabilized, the building will need an adaptive reuse plan in place before the development corporation proceeds on any redevelopment. The challenge with this structure is the difficulty of reuse. Consequently, 3CDC is asking the public to submit their ideas on how to reuse the 100-plus year-old church structure to Christy Samad at csamad@3cdc.org."We are trying to figure out what should be done with the structure, and we're also looking to find old pictures of the churches steeples before they were destroyed so that we can accurately restore them. We really want to preserve its historic feel and maintain this important piece of OTR's historic architecture."Writer: Randy A. SimesPhotography by Scott BeselerStay connected by following Randy on Twitter @UrbanCincy
City Lights Neon turns neon sign design into an art form
City Lights Neon, near Eden Park, is way beyond your basic flashing OPEN window sign and has made neon sign design into an art form. For more than 25 years the company has made creative, sometimes quirky signs, for large corporations, restaurants and small businesses. The company, founded in 1983 and operated by husband and wife Dennis Dix and Dana Burton, started in a third-floor studio in Over-the-Rhine. The pair was inspired to study the art of neon sign making while living in Washington D.C. and seeing an NEA support exhibit called NEONFRONTS."The work transformed many otherwise vacant public streetscapes and empty storefronts with color, light, shape, and concept. Dennis and I became intrigued with neon as an artistic medium," said Burton, whose background is in film.Burton and Dix began researching schools where they could learn more about the nuts and bolts of neon sign making, which can be dangerous and involves working with temps around 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Eventually they settled on Northern Advertising in Wisconsin."The learning environment was focused on a student's ability to learn a trade for employment at sign companies after an intensive session. We found a school that accepted our interest as an artistic curiosity rather than a vocational pursuit. One must possess knowledge and skill related to the process, as well as overcome the intellectual tendency toward fear, both in terms of the flames, as well as the high voltage electric," Burton said.Burton and Dix, who originally lived in the Cincinnati area returned here to start their company. They named their company City Lights Neon in homage to Paris, the "City of Lights.""The origin of the name speaks to our philosophy: innovation, aesthetics and intellect. Although environmental graphics and signage are often what comes to mind when one thinks of neon, we did not endeavor to become a sign company. We viewed neon as a medium with which to draw with light, graphically," Burton said.Over the years, the company has made custom signs and artwork for several Procter & Gamble brands including Tide, as well as Playhouse in the Park, the Cincinnati Art Museum, Clear Channel, Teri Studios and Pomodori's Pizza. The pair frequently work with LEDs that allow for unlimited color mixing, changing, and modulating effects, Burton said. In 2004, they worked on a project for Claire Fontaine, a Paris-based collective artist, on a neo-conceptual piece that was powered by energy collected from solar panels and stored in a 12 volt DC battery. "As designers, we work with recycled content eco-resins, bamboo, stainless steel, powder coated metal. Each project is viewed individually, holistically, whether the project revolves around visual merchandising for retail, an exhibit display, special effects for a concept event, a cutting edge interior, custom signage," Burton said.Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Dana Burton, co-owner City Lights NeonYou can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiawrites
Discovering Musical History on Race Street
There are those that believe that 811 Race street was home to what may very well have been one of the single most important recording studios in the history of the known Universe. With landmark sessions by Flatts & Scruggs, BullMoose Jackson, The Delmore Brothers, and country legend Hank Williams, Herzog Studios recorded country music before Nashville. Leading the charge to unearth this unique part of musical history is the Cincinnati USA Music Heritage Foundation and its President, Elliot Ruther.
Cincinnati preservationist questions VBML program, suggests changes
Following a series of forums and community meetings, members of the Knox Hill Neighborhood Association located in North Fairmount have said that the city's Vacant Building Maintenance License (VBML) hurts neighborhood development. Following increased fees passed in 2006, the VBML program has come under scrutiny from the very community in which it was meant to assist.The VBML program was originally created to deal with troublesome vacant buildings that pose public health and safety concerns. According to city officials, the program requires building owners to bring properties into a general state of upkeep that preserves the integrity of the building, keeps it structurally sound for police and fire officials, and keep properties from sliding into serious states of blight. However, some neighbors believe that the program needs to be reexamined."Essentially the VBML is no longer an effective tool. Given the foreclosure crisis and difficult economy, the market has changed," said Paul Wilham, President, Knox Hill Neighborhood Association. "Obviously the City Vacant Building Task Force wants to keep the VBML as it generates limited revenue and they are reluctant to do the hard work of actual enforcement of our building codes as other cities do."Wilham, and the Knox Hill Neighborhood Association, believe that the VBML should be eliminated entirely and replaced by specific repair orders made by city inspectors.Edward Cunningham, Division Manager of Property Maintenance Code Enforcement for the City's Community Development Department, says that the license fees are used to offset the high costs of monitoring these at-risk properties, and that many of the fees can be refunded for those with rehabilitation plans in place."We try to inspect the properties every 30 days, and it costs a lot of money to deal with these structures," explained Cunningham. "This program is about preserving properties and getting them used once again. We're just trying to keep the buildings from deteriorating further."Under the program, building owners are required to pay an annual VBML fee until the property is brought up to code. The fee starts at $900 for the first year, and doubles each following year with a maximum of $3,500 annually at year five. According to Cunningham, the property owner gets a full refund for the current year in which the property is finally brought into code, and since 2008, owners are able to have fees suspended for the first two years with an appropriate rehabilitation plan in place."The program is not a silver bullet, but we've got to have a balance," Cunningham said. "Vice Mayor Qualls is working with a task force that is looking at this program, and others, to determine how we can best preserve our historic building stock."In the mean time, Wilham is leading a petition drive, calling for the abolition of the VBML program, that will eventually be submitted to Cincinnati City Council.Writer: Randy A. SimesPhotography by Scott BeselerStay connected by following Randy on Twitter @UrbanCincy
UC students test dive mechanical dolphin tails
University of Cincinnati's School of Architecture and Interior Design created and tested prosthetic tails in the Florida Keys. The mechanical foot fins allow swimmers to move like a dolphin and swim twice as fast as an Olympic swimmer. The "Retail Design" course linked design students with entrepreneurs and it will be presented at an international design conference in August. Read the full story here.
Officials meet to discuss importance of Brent Spence Bridge project
U.S. Congressman Steve Driehaus (D-OH) and James L. Oberstar (D-MN) were in Cincinnati on Monday, August 2 to discuss the Brent Spence Bridge replacement and rehabilitation project. The congressmen met with local officials on the 25th floor of the Enquirer Building in downtown Cincinnati overlooking the river span. Driehaus and Oberstar were joined by other local officials including Cincinnati City Manager Milton Dohoney and Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls who also serves as chair of the Livable Communities Committee and Major Transportation & Infrastructure Projects Sub-Committee which study projects of this nature. They gathered to discuss the project's economic and transportation impacts. Completed in 1964, the Brent Spence Bridge is currently exceeding its designed capacity and presents a variety of safety concerns that range from the bridge's lack of emergency break down lanes for motorists, to poor signage that partially obstructed by the bridge's support structure. In March 2010, Brian Cunningham from OKI Regional Council of Governments told Soapbox that the Brent Spence Bridge project is the metropolitan planning organization's number one priority because of the safety concerns and the major transportation choke point it presently causes. "OKI has estimated that there is a crash along this 8-mile stretch once every three days, and when a crash occurs on that bridge it basically shuts down two interstates," Cunningham detailed. The Ohio River crossing also represents a major economic linchpin for the region, and nation. It is presently estimated that $400 billion worth of commodities travel across the bridge every year; a number expected to more than double by 2030 to $815 billion. Cunningham states that local officials have been very supportive of the project thus far, but that significant amounts of money are still needed to make the $2-3 billion project a reality. Local officials are hoping that a large portion of that money can come from the federal government with the help of representatives like Congressman Oberstar who serves as chairman of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. The Brent Spence Bridge replacement designs have now been narrowed to three final design options, and officials hope that if the necessary funding is secured that construction can begin on the new span by 2015. Writer: Randy A. SimesRendering Provided Stay connected by following Randy on Twitter @UrbanCincy
Ground broken on new $3.8M children’s home in Northern Kentucky
TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT. TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT. TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT. TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT. TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT. TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT.TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT. TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT. TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT. TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT. TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT. TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT.TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT. TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT. TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT. TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT. TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT. TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT.TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT. TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT. TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT. TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT. TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT. TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT.TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT. TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT. TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT. TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT. TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT. TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT.Writer: Randy A. SimesStay connected by following Randy on Twitter @UrbanCincy
Eyewear, with a bit of Disney and a touch of Apple
Luxottica, a worldwide eyewear retail company with its U.S. headquarters in Mason, OH, experiments with a concept store that draws ideas from Apple and Disneyland. The company's goal is to create a personal experience and connection with the customer. The Eye Hub at the experimental store is in the shape of an eyeball, and allows customers to research eye problems and prescriptions, to see how they look in glasses with forty-one touch screens, and to interact with a concierge to help customers explore the store.Read the full story here.
