How commonly used items - like wine drinking cups - change through time can tell us a lot about those times, according to research presented by Kathleen Lynch, UC associate professor of classics, at the annual meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America.Read the full story here.
Keara Schwartz from Share Some Sugar made CBS News' list of top picks for websites that can save you money by swapping, shopping, or sharing. Schwartz's website connects you with people in the community to trade or buy items for less.Read the full story here.
In the same way a passionate teacher can inspire their most reluctant pupil, Molly Wellman can make you love what you're drinking.The self-taught mixologist is literally obsessed with cocktails. Her face lights up if you ask her a question about what you are drinking and she'll tell you where and when it was invented, and why. Last Thursday, standing inside Japp's, a turn of the 20th century wig shop at 1134 Main Street that was a bar during the 90s, Wellman described the new bar she'll be opening there this summer. It will give her a chance to practice her craft in a room which was built in what she calls "the golden era of craft cocktails."Wellman and Michael Redmond, an owner of The Famous Neon's Unplugged - another Main Street bar mainstay that was revived in the past year, recently signed a lease on Japp's. They will re-model the space and re-open it this summer as a classic craft cocktail lounge.The new Japp's will serve drinks (no shots, Wellman says) at between $10 and $12. It will have period decor, with the help of a trove of wig signs and posters original to the shop. The expansive glass case behind the bar will be stocked full of liquor and the copper bar will be brought back to its original shape, Wellman said, so that its glow will make patrons look more beautiful. She said Japp's will feature some of the historic cocktails in her repertoire, but also give her a venue to get creative with new recipes. Wellman's passion for cocktails began two and a half years ago, when she returned from San Francisco to "settle down" in Cincinnati. She landed a job at Chalk in Covington, where she was tasked with learning how to make classic cocktails. As she describes it, she immediately became obsessed. "I was like a sponge absorbing as much knowledge as I could - living, eating, breathing...drinking these cocktails," she said. "Any bar I could get behind and make a fancy cocktail, I did."Since then she has become a sort of celebrity bartender with over 2,000 friends on Facebook who are kept abreast of her guest bartending appearances, and her reputation landed her the deal at Japp's. Wellman is grateful for her popularity, but she says it's the liquor that people love so much, and the stories behind the drinks. "Some people go to the bar and they'll order a gin and tonic and slurp it down and get another one," she said. "But with me, before they know it they're like 'oh wow, I'm drinking something that was invented by British soldiers to ward off malaria,' and they hold the glass a little differently when they walk off."Writer: Henry SweetsPhotography by Scott Beseler.
Daisy Mae's Market, the largest produce retailer at Findlay Market, delivers fresh produce to downtown businesses and restaurants weekly for a healthy break room option. Due to the overall success and high demand for deliveries within the past year, owner Barry Cooper decided to expand the storage space to a location near Findlay Market with more space for storage and preparation. "We can carry more inventory and have a place to assemble and sort the orders," Barry said. "It is difficult to manage everything in a tent outside at the market. Now we have a place for storage with a cooler and assembly tables for the daily twenty to thirty orders."Daisy Mae delivers to the Downtown area without any delivery charge and will travel as far as Norwood. If the need arises for further locations, Cooper says he is willing to entertain any sizeable office. Daisy Mae offers a few set packages of fresh fruits and vegetables, but will also customize orders to fit client's needs. Clients vary from large insurance, engineer, and architectural firms, to smaller businesses in the area. The company also offers personalized orders for employees at businesses to take home, allowing customers to complete all of their produce shopping at the same time of the business drop off. Many business clients receive orders once or twice a week. Daisy Mae delivers Tuesday through Friday.Cooper expressed his excitement for the delivery and market's future as they expand further in Over-the-Rhine. "There is quite a buzz in OTR. There is a sense that things are changing a bit with a lot of urban professionals moving in and new shopping arriving at Findlay Market." Daisy Mae has also introduced new product lines to cater to different ethnic groups, which also brought in new clients. "We are right on the crest of the idea of healthy living and people trying to eat better. Now we're filling a niche," Cooper says.Writer: Lisa EnsmingerPhotography by Scott Beseler
Bellevue's urban renaissance now includes a dog day care center: Cozy Pups Doggy Day Care. Owners Minette and Doug Staab made use of an industrial area in downtown Bellevue for their new business. Jodi Robinson, assistant city administrator of Bellevue, said that the space was vacant for a number of years due to the difficulty of finding a business that could utilize it."Because we found something that works beautifully for the vacant building, it gives all of us in the urban core and suburbs the message that there is hope and opportunity for most vacant structures," Robinson said.Now residents and workers in Northern Kentucky or downtown Cincinnati have a convenient place for dogs to play and interact with other dogs in a spacious indoor and outdoor environment. Cozy Pups focuses on keeping the dogs happy and healthy with exercise and various activities. The Staab's plan to add different themed rooms such as an agility training room, do-it yourself dog bathing room, and grooming salon. Part of the Staab's focus includes partnering with the Bellevue high school tennis team who supply used tennis balls for the daycare. Robinson believes the daycare will promote positive changes in the district by bringing new visitors to the urban core."It provides a needed service and is also locally and independently owned, which every community wants to have," Robinson said. A grand opening was held this Sunday, January 9. Cozy Pups partnered with SAAP (Stray Animal Adoption Program), a non-profit organization for stray and abused animals in the local area to organize a fundraiser and adoption day as well."When you get a new business owner that jumps in to be a part of the community instead of just own a business, there is a big difference there," Robinson said. Cozy Pups is now scheduling evaluation visits during the hours of 8:30am-1:30pm Monday through Friday. Dog owners can call 859-291-2699(COZY) or email: info@cozypups.netWriter: Lisa EnsmingerPhotography by Scott Beseler.
Bill Kiffmeyer remembers how huge the players from the Cincinnati Reds looked to him as an eight year old boy when they visited his father's Price Hill dry cleaning shop. He also remembers how the sight of the shuttered shop would nearly bring his father to tears five decades later, after the neighborhood lost its luster and he had no choice but to close. The Kiffmeyer's family business was located on the ground floor of an elegant apartment building originally called the Robinson. As Kiffmeyer recalls, it was the largest building around and was the centerpiece of a thriving West side neighborhood. Today it stands as an eyesore, and the largest reminder of the neighborhood's decline. But a recent partnership between Price Hill Will and Model Group aims to change that. They have purchased the building and will turn it back into an apartment building."This is something that's sort of been the biggest drag on neighborhood, and when it's done it will be one of the biggest success stories," Price Hill Will's marketing director Matt Strauss said. The building located at 8th and Elberon will be converted into 37 units of affordable housing for senior residents of Price Hill. The project will use several funding sources including a federal tax credit which requires the units to be available as affordable housing. The units will house seniors who are currently neighborhood residents, but will not be a care facility. In addition to renovating and selling single family homes, Price Hill Will organizes an array of community outreach efforts ranging from litter pick-ups to neighborhood surveys. The Elberon building has been on their radar since before the group's inception, Strauss said, but was a far bigger project than any they had ever taken on. "We've gone out of our comfort zone to get something really important accomplished," Strauss said.Their partnership with Model Group, a private development firm with years of experience in affordable housing, allowed them to take on the project. Though Model owns the building, they will consult with Price Hill Will about design decisions and neighborhood impact, Model's development director David Thompson said.For proud Westsiders like Kiffmeyer and current residents the project is heartening. Kiffmeyer recalled his first reaction when Strauss told him the building would be renovated was, "Can I move in?"Writer: Henry SweetsPhotography by Scott Beseler.
Go Vibrant is a is a private-civic partnership of over 40 organizations - from Fortune 500 companies to small non-profits - energized by the mission to make healthy living easier and Cincinnati a top 10 healthy city.
Take a historic school building, a new attitude about green roofs, and a visionary, community-led project and you get a 21st century outdoor classroom that's five stories off the ground.
Dr. David Loy is an author and teacher in the Sanbo Kyodan lineage of Japanese Zen Buddhism. He is the past Besl Family Chair of Ethics/Religion & Society at Xavier University.
Since 2007, when Cincinnati's French Chamber transformed into the European-American Chamber, the organization has focused on a central mission: forging ties between Cincinnati and European companies. "We are not a traditional Chamber. We stay 100-percent focused on programs and resources that help develop business connections and open up markets in Europe," said Anne Cappel, EACC Executive Director. Cappel, originally from France, moved here after studying at the University of Cincinnati where she met her husband. Cappel has lived in Cincinnati for 23 years. That focus appears to be paying off. The chamber has a record number of corporate memberships, now standing at 115, representing 850 active members. Since its beginning, the chamber's total member programs have jumped from 17 to 52. Attendance at those events has increased by more than 30 percent. "We started in the middle of an economic crisis, and every year have broken our own records. We’ve increased our engagement with the community and program development. Those programs include social networking events, partnerships with the city's other ethnic chambers, sessions on doing business in specific European countries and meeting with international trade officials. Coming into the New Year, the Chamber is planning to build on that momentum, with a major focus on increasing exports to Europe in line with the Obama administration's plan to double American exports within the next five years. The Chamber was recognized with the Governor’s Excellence in Exporting Award in 2010. "(Exports) do drive economic development for the state of Ohio," she said. According to the International Trade Administration, more than one-quarter (25.9%) of all manufacturing workers in Ohio depend on exports for their jobs. The European-American Chamber is also awaiting approval to launch a J-1 visa program. This program will allow Greater Cincinnati employers to host college students and YPs from European partners. "The J-1 visa program is a huge deal for us," Cappel said. "We will be able to secure the documentation for students or young professionals to bring them to work at local companies. The companies will get the benefits of accessing some talented students and young professionals. And it will expose them to a different work culture, and how business is done in the United States." Writer: Feoshia Henderson Source: Anne Cappel, EACC Executive Director You can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiawrites
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