Cincinnati

Instagram-inspired Booth FX launches in O’Bryonville

By Newsroom

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November 13, 2012

“A digital spin on the traditional photo booth” is Kelley Andersen’s super-short explanation of Booth FX Photo Booth Company, which she launched with her partner, Allison Gates, last month. The pair built the idea for their company on a love of photo booths, two creative personalities and their vision for a photo booth that was more than a traditional, space-limited box. “We first looked at the booths you can buy, and they were nice, but not what we were looking for," Andersen says. "We wanted something that was more digital. I love Instagram, and was trying to figure out how we could do that as a photo booth." The booth they custom-built--“with a lot of time and a lot of mistakes,” Andersen adds--measures 1.5 feet by 1.5 feet, is 5.5 feet tall and incorporates software that allows photos to be viewed, edited and shared. Rather than expecting participants to hop inside, the booth houses the photography equipment. Participants gather in the space around the booth to snap a photo in front of customized backdrops the women create for each event with input from hosts. Features of the booth include a wireless remote and a touchscreen for viewing images on the back of the booth. This allows attendees to view photos, use filter effects (much in the same way as one would with Instagram) and upload images to social media immediately. The co-founders provide wireless internet with a mobile hotspot. Booth FX launched last month, and both founders still have full-time day jobs--Gates as a designer and Andersen as an insurance analyst. So far, they’ve been commissioned for fundraising events and they plan to reach out to local brides- and grooms-to-be to expand their business into weddings. By Robin Donovan

Latest in Cincinnati

Pigs on the fly: Gig’s pigs go online

By Scott Beseler

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Arts + Culture

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November 13, 2012

Eleven pigs are online and up for auction as part of ArtWorks Secret Artworks fundraiser this year. Check them out before they all go wee, wee, wee, all the way home!

Broadway’s Just a Suburb of Cincinnati

By Newsroom

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Arts + Culture

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November 13, 2012

Katie Holmes stars in “Dead Accounts,” a family comedy now in previews at the Music Box Theater, about morality and middle-class Ohio Catholics written by one of their own, Theresa Rebeck, who grew up outside Cincinnati. Read the full story here.

Strive Partnership integrates Brandery startup concept

By Newsroom

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Cincy In The News

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November 13, 2012

One of the Brandery startup tech concepts known as "Ontract" has recently become part of Strive Partnership’s plan to personalize the education each student receives at Cincinnati, Covington or Newport public schools. Read the full story here.

Video Queen City Project: MPMF 2012

By The Queen City Project

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Arts + Culture

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November 13, 2012

The Queen City Project offers its unique perspective of September's Midpoint Music Festival, which filled the streets of Over the Rhine and downtown with music and entertainment for all ages. Video courtesy The Queen City Project.

Peggy Shannon raises standards in cookie design, flavours

By Newsroom

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Architecture + Design

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November 13, 2012

Queen City Cookies is an artisan cookie whose founder, Peggy Shannon, is a life-long baker and artist who put up the cookie shop as a way to offer consumers beautiful and delicious baked goods. Read the full story here.

In Your Face: In Cincinnati, a Pie War Heats Up

By Newsroom

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Architecture + Design

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November 13, 2012

What began as a friendly rivalry between Busken and Frisch's pumpkin pies has been whipped up into an escalating tit for tat, playing out in billboards, social media stunts and live-action high jinks. Read the full story here.

21c opens Metropole on Walnut, shares art

By Newsroom

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Architecture + Design

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November 13, 2012

A bright, smiling face—it's electric, really—greets diners at today's opening of Metropole on Walnut, the 21c Museum Hotel restaurant downtown. The art installation, created by New York-based Sanford Biggers, serves as a cultural tease for the more than 8,000 square feet of exhibit space set to open with the 21c before the end of the year. "We have eight site-specific commissions that are in various stages of being installed," says Molly Swyers, SVP of design and communications for 21c Museum Hotels. The Cincinnati location is the company's second site, with a flagship in Louisville and a third site slated to open next year in Bentonville, Arkansas. The boutique hotel serves as a free museum open 24 hours a day, every day of the year, Swyers says. Though the iconic 21c penguin sculptures (red in Louisville, yellow in Cincinnati) will remain on-site, curated exhibits within the museum hotel will change regularly. "On any given visit, you'll see something different or new." Guests won't even have to enter the 21c to experience the art. Last week, workers began installing a sound installation by Austrian artist Werner Reiterer; it's the same one that used to hang outside 21c's Louisville restaurant, Proof on Main. "There's a trigger for chandelier inside the hotel," Swyers says."It's been adjusted some and we had to do some engineering around constructing the sidewalk to support it." The opening of the 21c isn't just a boon for art lovers and foodies. Swyers says the company hired 160 employees property-wide, including a mix of 21c-seasoned pros from Louisville and newcomers from Cincinnati. "You have a good mix of people who have been with 21c for some time and people who are just joining the team," she says. Metropole chef Michael Paley is one of the Louisville transplants, as is the site's food and beverage manager. "I'm excited just to open the doors and see people's reactions to the space," says Swyers, who has been working on the project for two years. As she plans the full opening in the next few weeks, she notes that 21c's historic predecessor, the Metropole Hotel, opened its doors on New Year's Eve in 1912. "It's exciting to make this a public space again, and it's nice to be inviting the public back in." Follow 21c and Metropole on Walnut on Facebook to find out more about the opening, enter a yellow-penguin-spotting contest and sign up for regular email updates. By Elissa Yancey Follow Elissa on Twitter.

Instagram-inspired Booth FX launches in O’Bryonville

By Newsroom

●

Arts + Culture

●

November 13, 2012

“A digital spin on the traditional photo booth” is Kelley Andersen’s super-short explanation of Booth FX Photo Booth Company, which she launched with her partner, Allison Gates, last month. The pair built the idea for their company on a love of photo booths, two creative personalities and their vision for a photo booth that was more than a traditional, space-limited box. “We first looked at the booths you can buy, and they were nice, but not what we were looking for," Andersen says. "We wanted something that was more digital. I love Instagram, and was trying to figure out how we could do that as a photo booth." The booth they custom-built – “with a lot of time and a lot of mistakes,” Andersen adds – measures 1.5 ft. by 1.5 ft., is 5.5 feet tall and incorporates software that allows photos to be viewed, edited and shared. Rather expecting participants to hop inside, the booth houses the photography equipment. Participants gather in the space around the booth to snap a photo in front of customized backdrops the women create for each event with input from hosts. Features of the booth include a wireless remote and a touchscreen for viewing images on the back of the booth. That allows attendees to view photos, use filter effects (much in the same way as one would with Instagram) and upload images to social media immediately. The co-founders provide wireless internet with a mobile hotspot. Booth FX launched last month, and both founders still have full-time day jobs, Gates as a designer and Andersen as an insurance analyst. So far, they’ve been commissioned for fundraising events and they plan to reach out to local brides- and grooms-to-be to expand their business into weddings. By Robin Donovan

Noble Denim launches with American-made, designer-quality jeans

By Newsroom

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Architecture + Design

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November 13, 2012

Looking for something "crafty" to learn, Chris Sutton took up jean-making nearly two years ago. "I wanted to learn how to make something with my own hands. I'd been doing a lot of tech endeavors, and wanted to get my hands dirty," says Sutton, whose background is in live event production. Once he began sewing jeans, Sutton found he had a real talent for it. He decided he wanted to make high-quality, American-made jeans, a rarity in today's clothing manufacturing sector. He sought out American sources for his material, thread, zippers and pocket materials. Yes, he found them all in the USA; and he created Noble Denim. "I wanted to make my own rules around what could and couldn't be done. I wanted to make my jeans in America, and make them as sustainably as possible," he says. Using his home in Over-the-Rhine as a sewing factory, Sutton began making and selling Noble Denim jeans. Twelve industrial sewing machines later, he moved the company into a space at Camp Washington. Designer in style and quality, they're meant to have a longer shelf life than your average mass-produced jean. Materials come from suppliers in Kentucky, Ohio, North Carolina, Colorado, Oregon and California. They're made from raw selvage denim, made through a time-consuming process that makes the material thicker and more durable. This type of denim is supposed to better fit the wearer's body and resist shrinkage. Sutton launched an online shop in November, where buyers can chose from two styles, Regular and Earnest Slim Straight. The jeans are pricey, $250 a pair, but all materials are 100 percent organic, reclaimed or responsibly produced. Currently Noble Denim sells jeans only for men; a women's line is planned for next fall. Noble Denim is a young company, and Sutton still does most of the sewing. He does have interns who are learning the jean-making craft. Within the next year, he hopes to hire three or four employees, who'll make 3,000 pairs of jeans a year. "I want to grow, but only as fast as I can stick to my philosophy," Sutton says. "So our mantra is grow slow, but do it well." By Feoshia H. Davis Follow Feoshia on Twitter.