Month: November 2009

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News

Cincinnati Unchained takes place this weekend – 11/21

This Saturday, November 21 is the second annual Cincinnati Unchained shopping event. Brought to you by BuyCincy and CityBeat, Cincinnati Unchained is the premier local shopping event of the year.

Cincinnati Unchained won the Best of Cincinnati 2008 “Best Retail Promotion” award, and will take place this year the Saturday before Thanksgiving. It is a chance for Cincinnatians to go out and support their local businesses and maybe find some new places they haven’t yet been. This year there are sponsoring businesses from all over the city and tons more just looking to earn your business during the Holiday Season.

According to BuyCincy, “every dollar you spend at a locally-owned business generates approximately three times more economic activity than a dollar spent at the typical big-box chain; and by choosing to shop locally-owned for even just one day, we can help improve Cincinnati’s economy.”

There are dozens of participating businesses this year that are offering special discounts and offers for Cincinnati Unchained. To find the full list of businesses, and to find out what they’re offering, visit BuyCincy’s featured page.

Categories
Business Development News

Maximizing Cincinnati’s after-hours street vending community

In an earlier writing I generally discussed street vendors in Cincinnati – the role they play in the social life of urban spaces, how Cincinnati’s street vendor scene compares with other cities around the country, and how the city might work to increase the number and diversity of street vendors.

Since that time the very exciting announcement has been made that two new taco trucks will be joining Cincinnati’s street vendor scene, and Taste of Belgium owner Jean-Francois Flechet has indicated an interest in creating a waffle cart to be used around town.

Kogi Korean BBQ Truck (by Kineda) & a Koreatown Taco Truck (by Gourmet Magazine) – both in Los Angeles

At the same time I noticed the revolving door of late-night food establishments has continued on its 360 degree angle as Balboa’s near 7th & Vine streets has closed down. It would seem that these late night establishments would thrive with the lower overhead costs of street vending operations whether they be trucks, carts or stands along side the road.

No longer would these businesses have to shoulder the burden of a 24 hour lease for a three to four hour operation. The new business model would also allow the vendors to travel about following the fickle nightlife crowd across the city. Heck, the reduced overhead may even enable the entrepreneurs to open up secondary operations in other popular night life destinations across the city.

From the city’s end it would seem to ease the tension of businesses opening and closing as frequently as they struggle to make ends meet in a low-margin operation, while at the same time providing the same services and social life that comes along with these businesses.

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News

Rookwood Pottery Assumes Auction

The internationally recognized Cincinnati establishment Rookwood Pottery announced today that it will take on the biannual Cincinnati Art Galleries Auction. These sales are the largest Rookwood Pottery auctions in the world, and curators, designers and collectors come in from around the country in their search for the perfect pottery piece.

Cincinnati Art Galleries has hosted this auction for many years, but has decided to streamline their product offerings by focusing more exclusively on 19th and 20th century European and American paintings. According to the press release, Riley Humler, currently the Gallery Director of Cincinnati Art Galleries, will assume the position of Director of Auctions at Rookwood Pottery, bringing with him his team of art pottery and art glass experts.

“We have always had a great working relationship with Rookwood Pottery and applaud Christopher Rose and his vision for Rookwood,” said Humler. “It is incredible that I can say that I now work there, having been an enthusiastic Rookwood fan all of my adult life.”

Cincinnati Art Galleries Auction photos provided

Christopher Rose and his team have been working hard since 2005 to bring back the amazing legacy of Rookwood back to Cincinnati. The company recently relocated to a 100,000 square-foot facility in the heart of Over-the-Rhine earlier this year. They have plans to turn the auction into a three day art pottery conference-style event, complete with receptions, speakers and studio tours.

“Moving this (event) to Over-the-Rhine and expanding it to be more of a conference will only further the Over-the-Rhine’s reputation as a vital center for the arts – something that means a great deal to us at Rookwood,” said Suzanne Blackburn, Marketing Manager for Rookwood Pottery.

It means a lot to Rookwood, but it means even more to the community of Over-the-Rhine. It is absolutely energizing to see dedicated business members establishing themselves in the heart of the City. Rookwood is another step forward into revitalizing our city center, and it adds another dimension to the company that they have committed to producing their work in the center of Cincinnati, rather than fleeing to the wide expanse of the suburbs.

Stay tuned for a future opportunity to get an exclusive tour of Rookwood’s new digs in OTR, and get a behind-the-scenes look at their famous operations. If a tour/history lesson/social outing at Rookwood Pottery interests you please leave a comment below and let us know what you would like to experience.

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News

Moerlein to tap Christkindl Winter Warmer Ale – 11/13

Christian Moerlein in combination with the German-American Citizens League of Greater Cincinnati will be celebrating the coming of the winter season with the annual keg tapping of Christian Moerlein’s Christkindl Winter Warmer Ale (my favorite of the Moerlein bunch). Christian Moerlein owner Greg Hardman says that the Christkindl Winter Warmer Ale is inspired by the German spirit of holiday gift-giving.

The German connections of this event are strong as the Cincinnati Central Turnverein is Cincinnati’s oldest German-American society and was originally founded back in 1848 in historic Over-the-Rhine where Christian Moerlein once called home.

“What better place to enjoy Moerlein’s Christkindl Ale then at the Cincinnati Central Turnverein,” said Don Heinrich Tolzmann, president, German-American Citizens League.

As for the beer, Christian Moerlein describes Christkindl as a large malt-bodied, Winter Warmer Ale with the essence of chocolate sweetness, subtle spice flavors, and a balanced hop finish. I personally love the spice flavors that come through and make for a perfect winter ale. The beer will be available all over town in six packs, draft, and in Moerlein’s Discovery Pack.

The ceremony will be held this Friday, November 13 at the Cincinnati Central Turners Club House (map) from 4pm to 12am with the first tapping at 7pm. All proceeds will go to benefit the German-American Citizens League and the Cincinnati Central Turners. Admission is free and open to the public; free parking is available.

Categories
News

First public Revive I-75 meeting this Thursday

Once in a generation does a city get an opportunity as great as what Cincinnati has before it right now with the redesign of Intestate 75. In the mid-Twentieth Century the interstate ripped through some of Cincinnati’s most densely populated neighborhoods and has permanently cut those urban communities off from one another. When I-75 was built it even destroyed the character of the famous Crosley Field when it ripped through the West End beyond the outfield walls and quickly turned the urban neighborhood into an auto-dependent no-man’s land that left the ballpark isolated.

Cincinnati’s once remarkable West End neighborhood prior to its demolition for I-75

Today, city leaders and urban designers have a chance to finally heal those 50-year-old wounds that are still evident throughout Cincinnati’s West End, Camp Washington, Northside, Queensgate, and western Central Business District. In order to take advantage of this opportunity, Cincinnati City Councilmember Roxanne Qualls has pushed for a comprehensive look at the corridor which has led to the selection of Urban Design Associates (UDA) to develop a plan that will energize and improve the quality of life in the study areas.

“It is important to recognize the opportunity to connect and reconnect the neighborhoods and their assets relative to Interstate 75,” said Charles Graves, Director, Department of City Planning. “By linking the neighborhoods to the interstate, the City of Cincinnati will be able to capitalize on new opportunities and strengthen existing assets.”

The Revive I-75 Cincinnati Focus Area Plans will look to do just this by working with neighborhood leaders on urban design plans that will focus on New Urbanist techniques and attempt to return the neighborhoods to the form they were originally built. In order to accomplish this Pittsburgh-based UDA will rely on heavy public involvement, through a series of public meetings, to get the best understanding for the urban spaces and neighborhoods they are dealing with.

The first of such meetings will take place on Thursday, November 12 from 6pm to 8pm at Cincinnati State (map) in the Advanced Technology & Learning Center Auditorium on the second floor. Parking will be available in the Central Parkway Garage on campus, and Metro bus service is also available. Plan your trip now using Metro’s Trip Planner.

If you’re unable to attend the meeting, and would still like to share your thoughts, then please call the Department of City Planning at (513) 352-4845 or email info@reviveI-75cincinnati.com.