July 22, 20213 yr 1 hour ago, jwulsin said: Over the last few days, there were a few announcements of new businesses moving to or opening near Findlay Market. I'm especially glad to see Cincinnati Magazine moving their offices, and I'd love to see more offices relocate to this area. Cincinnati Magazine moving their offices to 1818 Race: https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2021/07/22/cincinnat-magazine-moves-to-otr.html uGO Gelato opening at 1733 Elm: https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2021/07/21/gelato-shop-opening-in-over-the-rhine.html Cosmic Gorilla opening at 1834 Race: https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2021/07/20/gorilla-cinema-new-concepts.html Findlay market is going to be the new Vine street.
July 22, 20213 yr 1 hour ago, Ucgrad2015 said: Findlay market is going to be the new Vine street. I think there definitely is a great positive momentum going! What is up with elm and Liberty though? When will they finally break ground? Feel like that is taking forever…
July 22, 20213 yr 3 hours ago, Troeros2 said: I think there definitely is a great positive momentum going! What is up with elm and Liberty though? When will they finally break ground? Feel like that is taking forever… https://www.constructionjournal.com/projects/details/39b99c47cb6b4b6b904f575d7fad30e3.html. Site says Currently permitting and sub bidding with construction start in August.
July 23, 20213 yr On 7/22/2021 at 1:39 PM, Troeros2 said: I think there definitely is a great positive momentum going! What is up with elm and Liberty though? When will they finally break ground? Feel like that is taking forever… Out for bid now. Start construction 09/02/21 and finish 08/30/23.
July 24, 20213 yr Al’s Delicious Popcorn will take the current vacant space next to wodka bar and macoron. The space was for lease by Urban Sites and I believe this almost completes that block with tenants. Al’s is a very popular popcorn shop in Columbus with 2 locations that have been operated since 1985. They have unique flavors like dill pickle and kfc fried chicken popcorn flavors. This will be there 3rd location and their first in Cincinnati.
July 24, 20213 yr Weird that they chose OTR. Their Columbus locations are (suburban), and one's in a strip mall. It's definitely not your usual Short North-OTR exchange. Edited July 24, 20213 yr by zsnyder
July 24, 20213 yr Main Street is starting to fill in more and more. Keyer row by 3cdc will fill in the current vacant block of buildings by saint mary church which should be really helpful in activating that block. That only really leaves the Davis furniture block. Hopefully something is decided one day in the near future on what to do with that lot and those deprived buildings. Otherwise I’m happy with the progress that Main Street is making!
July 24, 20213 yr 2 hours ago, Troeros2 said: Main Street is starting to fill in more and more. Keyer row by 3cdc will fill in the current vacant block of buildings by saint mary church which should be really helpful in activating that block. That only really leaves the Davis furniture block. Hopefully something is decided one day in the near future on what to do with that lot and those deprived buildings. Otherwise I’m happy with the progress that Main Street is making! I'm happy too! My condo is currently listed on Main haha. But seriously. It's changed so much in the 3+ years I've lived on Main. I absolutely am astounded and excited.
July 24, 20213 yr Perhaps a dumb question, but I thought soft serve refers to the stuff served out of machines, like what's sold at Dairy Queen or McDonald's. Would the gelato from uGO also be considered "soft serve"? This is a sincere question, as I don't know much about the technical distinctions between these categories. And is what Dojo Gelato serves different from what uGO is planning? Gelato is definitely not soft serve ice cream. Soft serve typically is non-dairy product that is poured out of machines in cones. Gelato is placed in tubs and then scooped out, making it hard serve ice cream has cream, ice milk has milk and i believe gelato is closer to ice milk, kaolin is clay and is or was used to make soft serve products. Dairy Queen and the like. I think this is right.
July 25, 20213 yr I still can’t get over the progress with Somerset. https://instagram.com/somerset.otr?utm_medium=copy_link This level of high attention to detail in a bar is normally something you would in Chicago, NYC, Miami, LA, etc. Definitely raising the bar right here in Cincinnati and hopefully future bar operators in otr and Cincinnati will follow suit with this kind of passion to atmosphere and details.
July 25, 20213 yr 5 minutes ago, Troeros2 said: I still can’t get over the progress with Somerset. https://instagram.com/somerset.otr?utm_medium=copy_link This level of high attention to detail in a bar is normally something you would in Chicago, NYC, Miami, LA, etc. Definitely raising the bar right here in Cincinnati and hopefully future bar operators in otr and Cincinnati will follow suit with this kind of passion to atmosphere and details. Walked by yesterday and snapped this bad boy. I know they said they were hoping for end of July opening but it still has a lot of work to do. I’d say mid August at the earliest.I’m excited to see what this affect this space while have on this section of OTR.
July 25, 20213 yr 10 hours ago, Ucgrad2015 said: Walked by yesterday and snapped this bad boy. I know they said they were hoping for end of July opening but it still has a lot of work to do. I’d say mid August at the earliest.I’m excited to see what this affect this space while have on this section of OTR. Im extremely curious what their Main Street bar will be themed to. If this is the bar they are setting than I’m very excited to see their next otr project!
July 25, 20213 yr 1 hour ago, Troeros2 said: Im extremely curious what their Main Street bar will be themed to. If this is the bar they are setting than I’m very excited to see their next otr project! I am as well from the outside it looks like there’s nothing going on but when they have the doors open you can see that there definitely is work being done
July 25, 20213 yr On 7/24/2021 at 1:22 AM, Troeros2 said: Al’s Delicious Popcorn will take the current vacant space next to wodka bar and macoron. The space was for lease by Urban Sites and I believe this almost completes that block with tenants. Al’s is a very popular popcorn shop in Columbus with 2 locations that have been operated since 1985. They have unique flavors like dill pickle and kfc fried chicken popcorn flavors. This will be there 3rd location and their first in Cincinnati. Seems like a weird addition. Maybe it’ll be a destination like the Macaron Bar but with a different demographic?
July 26, 20213 yr 8 hours ago, Miami-Erie said: Seems like a weird addition. Maybe it’ll be a destination like the Macaron Bar but with a different demographic? right? You would think this would better fit with Findlay market…Hopefully they do well! There margins must be crazy good! Selling artificially flavored popcorn for a tin that goes up to $45 dollars must make them serious bank.
July 27, 20213 yr On 7/25/2021 at 12:08 AM, Ucgrad2015 said: Walked by yesterday and snapped this bad boy. I know they said they were hoping for end of July opening but it still has a lot of work to do. I’d say mid August at the earliest.I’m excited to see what this affect this space while have on this section of OTR. Messaged them on Instagram this weekend. They said that they were looking at late august for opening day. Really excited to have this place open. It'll be a great foundation to getting that area improved.
July 27, 20213 yr Two new infill buildings on the 1500 block of Vine Street for the Willkommen and Perseverance projects: New outdoor patio space being built for Pearlstar, replacing a portion of a parking lot: I also posted some photos of the new raised crosswalks and streateries over in the Complete Streets thread.
July 27, 20213 yr 29 minutes ago, taestell said: Two new infill buildings on the 1500 block of Vine Street for the Willkommen project: New outdoor patio space being built for Pearlstar, replacing a portion of a parking lot: I also posted some photos of the new raised crosswalks and streateries over in the Complete Streets thread. Crazy how just filling in two parking lots really changes the feel of this section of vine.
July 28, 20213 yr The white infill building just north of Pepp and Dolores isn't part of the Wilkommen project. It was part of the Perseverance project, which is an 100% affordable apartment complex. Still a 3CDC development though! https://www.3cdc.org/project/perseverance/
July 28, 20213 yr Thanks for the info--I corrected my post. I couldn't remember the difference between these two projects so I checked 3CDC's site. It seems that Perseverance is a partnership between 3CDC and OTRCH and is 100% "affordable"; while Willkommen is a partnership with Model Group and is mixed income (about 40% "affordable" units, the rest are market rate). Interestingly, because Willkommen is a much larger project overall, it actually has 69 "affordable" units while Perseverance has just 32.
July 28, 20213 yr This is kind of random, but I noticed that the street trees along Vine Street in front of the Gateway Condos/parking building look really nice. I wondered if they were older than the building, so I looked up old photos and it appears the trees were planted just after the building was completed ~2005. I love urban streets with tall, mature trees. I'm hoping these continue to grow bigger and taller. Also, I'm not a huge fan of the design of the Gateway building, so I think the trees make it prettier... by partially obscuring it :) Here's a photo from 2006 from the Auditor's site: Here's a photo from earlier today showing those same trees roughly 15 years later.
July 28, 20213 yr 2 hours ago, jwulsin said: This is kind of random, but I noticed that the street trees along Vine Street in front of the Gateway Condos/parking building look really nice. I wondered if they were older than the building, so I looked up old photos and it appears the trees were planted just after the building was completed ~2005. I love urban streets with tall, mature trees. I'm hoping these continue to grow bigger and taller. Also, I'm not a huge fan of the design of the Gateway building, so I think the trees make it prettier... by partially obscuring it :) Here's a photo from 2006 from the Auditor's site: Here's a photo from earlier today showing those same trees roughly 15 years later. One of my friends moms is moving into one of these condos this weekend. Coming from Rural southeastern Ohio to the “big city”.
July 28, 20213 yr 3 hours ago, DEPACincy said: Awesome pic! They make a HUGE difference. What kind of trees are these? Not entirely sure, but I think they are linden trees: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilia
July 29, 20213 yr 23 hours ago, DEPACincy said: Awesome pic! They make a HUGE difference. What kind of trees are these? I believe they are the Callery Pear/Cleveland Pear/Bradford Pear. If so in recent years, Ohio DNR has classified these trees as invasive. See page 72 of this pdf https://ohiodnr.gov/static/documents/wildlife/backyard-wildlife/Pub 5509 Trees of Ohio Field Guide.pdf
July 29, 20213 yr They're honestly a little too dense for my liking. I love a nice canopy that filters light, but when they're this dense they just result in neighboring buildings being dark inside which isn't good for your health. The other trees further up Vine that are starting to reach early stages of maturity are better in my opinion as they still offer shade for the sidewalk, the benefit of having large greenery, and the cooling effect of foliage, but still allow for light and air for windows behind them better. Best balance in my opinion.
July 30, 20213 yr Does anyone know what is up Sycamore and Liberty? The whole area is fenced off and looks like site work is being prepped. I don’t remember anything be approved for this site yet?
July 30, 20213 yr Reddit wants to know also. "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
July 30, 20213 yr This one took some sluething as this lot has come up before the historic board.Lot owned by fotofocus Jose Garcia designed.Building packet never had details on the build.Here ya go. At the ED&H Committee meeting, Carissa Barnard shared renderings of the proposed new-build FotoFocus facility to be located on the northwest corner of Liberty and Sycamore. The 2-story space is planned to have 2 large and 2 small galleries and a 160 - seat theater for year-round exhibition of lens-base art. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://otrcommunitycouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/OTRCC-June-28-2021-Membership-Meeting-Agenda.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjtjMrInYvyAhXYRTABHRN6B3Y4ChAWMAF6BAgDEAI&usg=AOvVaw15AigBa7ywPiaREyHhFAZT Edited July 30, 20213 yr by ucnum1
July 30, 20213 yr 10 minutes ago, Troeros2 said: Are there any renderings available? Not in the historic board packets or Jose Garcia website.Only those who attended the otr community council have a idea my guess.
August 2, 20213 yr The Fotofocus building (at corner of Liberty and Sycamore) is going back to the architect for design revisions due to the rising costs of construction. The team withdrew their HCB application once they realized they needed to modify it due to budget constraints.
August 9, 20213 yr On 7/29/2021 at 2:04 PM, jmicha said: They're honestly a little too dense for my liking. I love a nice canopy that filters light, but when they're this dense they just result in neighboring buildings being dark inside which isn't good for your health. The other trees further up Vine that are starting to reach early stages of maturity are better in my opinion as they still offer shade for the sidewalk, the benefit of having large greenery, and the cooling effect of foliage, but still allow for light and air for windows behind them better. Best balance in my opinion. A lack of direct sunlight does not mean lack of daylight (otherwise north-facing windows would basically be useless). The interior rooms behind the trees will still get plenty of indirect daylighting. Also, the trees in question are in front of a SW-facing facade, so during the summer they'll do wonders to block direct sun and prevent overheating in those rooms. On the flipside, during the winter they'll lose their leaves and allow passive heating of those same rooms when it's cold out.
August 10, 20213 yr I saw in the latest hcb packet for a new bar in the 1700 block of republic - great to see north of liberty stretch of republic potentially getting some additional foot traffic in the near future.
August 10, 20213 yr 9 hours ago, Troeros2 said: I saw in the latest hcb packet for a new bar in the 1700 block of republic - great to see north of liberty stretch of republic potentially getting some additional foot traffic in the near future. The bar at 1706 Republic will also include a 2-bedroom apartment on the second floor. I like seeing the combination of residential + business in these smaller buildings.
August 10, 20213 yr Slightly off topic question..but are bars really good at generating profit? I use a spreadsheet for fun to count the number of bars in otr alone and it’s nearing 50. I’m guessing if business owners are continuously opening bars in otr then not only is there still unmet demand but must be a great business to run with solid profit margins.
August 10, 20213 yr 47 minutes ago, Troeros2 said: Slightly off topic question..but are bars really good at generating profit? I use a spreadsheet for fun to count the number of bars in otr alone and it’s nearing 50. I’m guessing if business owners are continuously opening bars in otr then not only is there still unmet demand but must be a great business to run with solid profit margins. Depends on what their profit driver is. Is it food? Not usually which is why so many restaurants close. Is it alcohol? It probably is. Alcohol has a huge markup in general and in general your labor costs for a bar are actually on the low side when compared to a full-service restaurant. You could tell last year which was which. Places that focused on alcohol sales didn't both opening during lockdown when sitting around drinking wasn't a thing. If food was their driver, they still tried to open in some capacity.
August 10, 20213 yr 44 minutes ago, jmicha said: Depends on what their profit driver is. Is it food? Not usually which is why so many restaurants close. Is it alcohol? It probably is. Alcohol has a huge markup in general and in general your labor costs for a bar are actually on the low side when compared to a full-service restaurant. You could tell last year which was which. Places that focused on alcohol sales didn't both opening during lockdown when sitting around drinking wasn't a thing. If food was their driver, they still tried to open in some capacity. I see..how do steak houses like Jeff ruby generate a profit? I imagine cuts of steaks are cheap if you get it from a direct whole sale provider and those steaks can be marked up at a higher price?
August 10, 20213 yr 1 hour ago, Troeros2 said: Slightly off topic question..but are bars really good at generating profit? I use a spreadsheet for fun to count the number of bars in otr alone and it’s nearing 50. I’m guessing if business owners are continuously opening bars in otr then not only is there still unmet demand but must be a great business to run with solid profit margins. Many bars don't. Bar and restaurant owners sit extremely high on the small business totem pole. People want that kind of status. The industry has reached an extremely high tolerance for losses over the years and a lot of people would literally rather go into debt for life rather than own something boring like a UPS Store. There's also an enormous about of people that know a ton about the operational tasks of bars and restaurants.
August 10, 20213 yr 3 minutes ago, GCrites80s said: Many bars don't. Bar and restaurant owners sit extremely high on the small business totem pole. People want that kind of status. The industry has reached an extremely high tolerance for losses over the years and a lot of people would literally rather go into debt for life rather than own something boring like a UPS Store. There's also an enormous about of people that know a ton about the operational tasks of bars and restaurants. Ok that’s interesting. You would think with the high mark for a cocktail and you would essentially need just 1 person running a bar on a slow day that it would prove to be profitable most times.
August 10, 20213 yr Often a high gross margin is actually a minor detail at a business. When net margins are terrible (as they usually are with customer-facing businesses) the gross margin has to be high.
August 10, 20213 yr 3 minutes ago, Troeros2 said: Ok that’s interesting. You would think with the high mark for a cocktail and you would essentially need just 1 person running a bar on a slow day that it would prove to be profitable most times. Rent. Utilities. Business Insurance. Workers Comp Insurance. Liquor license and renewals. Health department permitting and renewals. Business entity costs. Filing taxes. Advertising. Chemicals.....and there is soooooo much more.
August 10, 20213 yr 3 minutes ago, Troeros2 said: Ok that’s interesting. You would think with the high mark for a cocktail and you would essentially need just 1 person running a bar on a slow day that it would prove to be profitable most times. A well run bar and or restaurant can definitely be profitable and long lasting. The problem is many of them are poorly thought out and poorly run. Food and Beverage is a very complex industry especially on the high end. In regards to a place like Jeff Ruby’s it’s a whole different kind of beast that is very profitable.
August 10, 20213 yr 25 minutes ago, Troeros2 said: I see..how do steak houses like Jeff ruby generate a profit? I imagine cuts of steaks are cheap if you get it from a direct whole sale provider and those steaks can be marked up at a higher price? People generally think food wholesale prices are much lower than they actually are.
August 10, 20213 yr 1 hour ago, Troeros2 said: I see..how do steak houses like Jeff ruby generate a profit? I imagine cuts of steaks are cheap if you get it from a direct whole sale provider and those steaks can be marked up at a higher price? For every Jeff Ruby empire there are dozens of steakhouses that go out of business in their first year. Jeff Ruby has a loyal customer base so volume is always high. If you're trying to make all your money on Saturday night you're going to go out of business.
August 10, 20213 yr The save the bell tower team needs us to email the church leadership to save the bell tower. Dear Friends, Yesterday we were met with another hurdle in our efforts to save the bell tower as the church leadership team did not accept our most recent proposal. They responded with the following statement: "After thorough reflection and conversation, guided and informed by the varied complexities and considerations outlined above, we have reluctantly, yet resolutely, voted to stand by the June 23 decision to demolish the bell tower." However, we did receive some useful feedback and continue to pursue additional solutions that could result in saving the tower. Our challenge is time, and demolition is imminent. We are not giving up. SO WHAT CAN YOU DO? After our email last week, many of you reached out reaffirming your support and, in some cases, pledged additional funds to save the tower. Now it's time to once again use your voice for good in asking the leadership team to reconsider by sending them a message through [email protected]. Similar to your message to city council, let them know why this place matters and deserves to be preserved. Tell them what you believe the tower adds to the community, how you experience it, and/or what will be lost if it is destroyed. Most important to note are: · A professional engineer has identified an alternative approach to the stabilization and restoration, which makes the project less costly and meets building code requirements · We have a ready-to-work reputable contractor with a competitive bid to perform this work · The community has secured the funds to perform this work and save the bell tower · The key difference is that the new engineer and the prior engineer disagree on the necessity of seismic work to the tower We are grateful for your continued support and are committed to preserving this 126-year-old structure. - Save the Bell Tower Team
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