A new Vegan Bakery is going to open this Friday.  It's located on the same block as The Angle & Ohio City Burrito (west side of West 25th between Bridge & Jay.

More OC news:  Besides the Vegan Bakery (first storefront on right hand side of picture), other projects are taking shape.  The storefront next to the bakery (the old OPA space) will be opening in the next week or two.  It will be operated by the guy behind Orale Contemporary Mexican Cusine (they have a stand at the WSM).  The place will be BYOB and it will be open for lunch & dinner.  Yellowcake will not be staying (it's a pop-up located in the yellow brick building), but the space has already been leased to a reputable retail establishment (not sure if I can release the name yet, but it's a cool, independent, local store).  It's nice to see that this block is just about 100% leased (except for the old Near West Woodworks space - more on that next week).  Across the street, SoHo (a new restaurant in the old Lelolai space) has finally started construction.  My guess is a late fall opening, but that's only a guess.  And last, but certainly not least, I've been told by an excellent source that a deal was struck with the Moda Space.  I can tell you that it is not a club or a restaurant (it does not involve a liquor license) and it sounds like an excellent fit into the strip (a win win situation).  It will involve some retail, should provide some jobs, and that the City of Cleveland helped push this deal through (so i've been told).  All I can say is Hell Yeah - I was tired of seeing this prime space sitting vancat, and, if true, will fill a huge hole along West 25th Street! 

Awesome!  I love Orale's salsas at the WSM.  Can't wait to hear the news that you can't divulge at the moment.

Too bad Yellowcake is going to be moving. I wonder if she'll pick a permanent place soon.

^ all great news.  We need to get everyone down there to spend, spend, spend.  I just made a first purchase from Urban Orchid yesterday.  Will somehow find a way to need a baseball bat...

oat3333, do you know how many of these retailers are moving in because of the micro-loan (or grant?) program through OCNW and Charter One?

The recipeints of the OCNW/Charter One grant were:  SoHo, Urban Orchid, Salty Not Sweet, Joy Machines, Campbells Popcorn Shop, Fit, and R3 Domian.  The first five of that list have opened, the 6th (Fit) I heard is still working on their new lease and the last (R3Domain) decided against opening and the owners have since moved back to Chicago.

The recipeints of the OCNW/Charter One grant were:  SoHo, Urban Orchid, Salty Not Sweet, Joy Machines, Campbells Popcorn Shop, Fit, and R3 Domian.  The first five of that list have opened, the 6th (Fit) I heard is still working on their new lease and the last (R3Domain) decided against opening and the owners have since moved back to Chicago.

So because R3Domain will not open and the owners moved, they don't get to keep the money, do they?

The recipeints of the OCNW/Charter One grant were:  SoHo, Urban Orchid, Salty Not Sweet, Joy Machines, Campbells Popcorn Shop, Fit, and R3 Domian.  The first five of that list have opened, the 6th (Fit) I heard is still working on their new lease and the last (R3Domain) decided against opening and the owners have since moved back to Chicago.

So because R3Domain will not open and the owners moved, they don't get to keep the money, do they?

 

No they don't.  Also - SoHo has not opened yet.  Mid to late September.

And last, but certainly not least, I've been told by an excellent source that a deal was struck with the Moda Space.  I can tell you that it is not a club or a restaurant (it does not involve a liquor license) and it sounds like an excellent fit into the strip (a win win situation).

 

You scream, I scream...

And last, but certainly not least, I've been told by an excellent source that a deal was struck with the Moda Space.  I can tell you that it is not a club or a restaurant (it does not involve a liquor license) and it sounds like an excellent fit into the strip (a win win situation).

 

You scream, I scream...

 

Jenni's?  I've never been inside but seems big for an ice cream joint but from the reviews I've heard of the place it would be a great addition.

Ice Cream? It's too big for that. Hope they aren't paying too much in rent if that's the case.

^ Mitchell's Ice Cream had said they were exploring opening up a small production facility in Ohio City or  Detroit Shoreway.

 

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20110725/BLOGS02/110729904#

^ Mitchell's Ice Cream had said they were exploring opening up a small production facility in Ohio City or  Detroit Shoreway.

 

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20110725/BLOGS02/110729904#

Really? Hmm. That could be a good addition to the area.

 

Deering Vintage is going in 1836 W. 25th St (most recently the Yellowcake pop-up shop).

 

Dragonfly is building an "elevated patio" behind the restaurant to have views of downtown.  To be completed in September.

 

Im very glad Market Square Park's renovation is underway (started yesterday)

But did every "old-growth" tree there have to be leveled today? There's nothing standing.

For shame

 

Great write-up on Sam McNulty, MGB and his thoughts on more brewpubs for the Market District.

(I think 1 more would be good, I don't know about 2 more, JMO)

 

Cleveland Magazine September 2011

Honestly, right now...i think two more can be just fine....especially if they are all different concepts.  IMO, Beer Garden and GLBC are two completely different beasts.  I love them both for really different reasons.  Market Garden has smooth beers that go down great.  GLBC is more hoppy with bitter beers...love them too.  Two completely different experiences at the actual facility too.  I LOVE what i see in this neighborhood.  I hope OC can take back West 25th all the way up to Detroit and north of it.

 

^Gotta agree with all that.

 

OC is hot right now. Just this coming month and the rest of Fall will bring sooo many changes. By this time next year, with the approaching WSM 100th Anniversary, OC will be out of control!

 

The core (OC, Tremont, D-S, downtown, near eastside-Asiatown/CSU) is gaining so much momentum right now.

^agreed.  Gotta eliminate the petty crime though.  Still hearing too many cars being broke into in OC...not acceptable for the amount of people going down there for good experiences.

Great Lakes for 2 hours.

 

Market Garden for 2 more hours.

 

Friday night was just too much fun!!!!

 

^^That will be one of the things the SID will focus on starting in 2012.

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/05/ohio_city_property_owners_agre.html

I hope OC can take back West 25th all the way up to Detroit and north of it.

 

Haha.  I wouldn't count on the county moving their housing project any time soon. 

 

Interesting quote from the article: "What may surprise some is that the Conways support McNulty’s endeavor. The way Pat Conway sees it, “more activity in the neighborhood ensures higher success for everybody.”"  I heard Great Lakes was upset about Market Garden moving in.  At least when they first heard about it.

Another one open for business  :clap:

 

^ yay!

oat3333, what is going on with Moda space? also, the space at the former Nearwest Woodworks?

 

 

 

^ The Moda space might be the new home of a kitchen/store for Mitchell's ice cream. Earlier in the thread there was some discussion about it. Nothing has been confirmed however.

I hope OC can take back West 25th all the way up to Detroit and north of it.

 

Haha.  I wouldn't count on the county moving their housing project any time soon. 

They don't necessarily have to "move" it though. I think the community should put pressure on CMHA to turn their housing project into a mixed income development similar to what they did in Tremont. Turning former housing projects into mixed income developments has worked tremendously in cities like Atlanta, and the few mixed income developments that we do have seem to work pretty well. So OC residents should ask (then demand if they don't do it, lol) that they turn that project into something that is a better fit for the community while still serving the needs of lower income residents. Housing projects as currently designed need to go the way of the dinosaur.

“You get all walks of life, all demographics,” McNulty says of why he chose Ohio City for his first bar. “It’s a microcosm of all the crazy things we have in Cleveland, all distilled down into a dense, walkable neighborhood.”

 

This guy GETS IT... Count me among the Sam McNulty fans.

 

http://www.clevelandmagazine.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=E73ABD6180B44874871A91F6BA5C249C&nm=Article+Archives&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=1578600D80804596A222593669321019&tier=4&id=2B54627481D4444087D7A2D5E90110CB

"City life? Diverse kinds of people? Oh the horror!"

 

-- The Suburbs

Another one open for business  :clap:

 

Good to see a decent fill-in...but please....enough Mexican etc.  food already. In fact, how about some other kind of venue the neighborhood could use that is non-food.. How about a nice shoe store! No...not Payless or Footlocker, either.

I hope OC can take back West 25th all the way up to Detroit and north of it.

 

Haha.  I wouldn't count on the county moving their housing project any time soon. 

 

 

 

They don't necessarily have to "move" it though. I think the community should put pressure on CMHA to turn their housing project into a mixed income development similar to what they did in Tremont. Turning former housing projects into mixed income developments has worked tremendously in cities like Atlanta, and the few mixed income developments that we do have seem to work pretty well. So OC residents should ask (then demand if they don't do it, lol) that they turn that project into something that is a better fit for the community while still serving the needs of lower income residents. Housing projects as currently designed need to go the way of the dinosaur.

It doesn't work that way. CMHA can't just change the income requirements for residents, and the HUD program that converted projects to mixed income doesn't exist anymore. This is mostly a federal issue.

 

 

Good to see a decent fill-in...but please....enough ... food already.

 

Well, get ready to hang on to your hat then because Crop Bistro is coming (very excited about this), SoHo is coming (very excited about this), Bonbon Pastry Shop & Cafe (very excited about this) and 1 or 2 more brewpubs (very excited about these).

In addition, Maggies's Vegan Bakery just opened along with OraleKitchen.

 

The nearwest Woodworks looks to be 1 huge space (or could be divided into 2 big spaces). Non-food would work there, but it also seems perfect for a brewpub.

Outdated places like those junk furniture stores need to vacate. The one down at Chatham & W. 25th seems like it recently shrunk to allow for Campbell's Popcorn shop. The other one up near ABC Tavern (Daniels Furnishings?) would be a great place for retail.

Family Dollar only has about 4 or 5 years left on their lease (unless they leave sooner, not likely though). That will be better retail at some point.

 

There are still lots of bad storefronts in need of tenants and some TLC.

By this time next year there should be many more noticeable improvements to Market Dist / OC

 

 

No sooner than Orale opening up, Mitchells goes public with their move....as expected by this board!  We cant even keep up with the action in this hood!!  Do you think they will give ice cream production tours?  Hope this doesnt throw Sweet Moses for a loop...

And last, but certainly not least, I've been told by an excellent source that a deal was struck with the Moda Space.  I can tell you that it is not a club or a restaurant (it does not involve a liquor license) and it sounds like an excellent fit into the strip (a win win situation).

 

You scream, I scream...

 

Mitchell's Ice Cream to buy former nightclub spot, move headquarters and kitchen into Cleveland

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A homegrown ice cream company plans to move its headquarters to Cleveland, transforming a former nightclub building into a commercial kitchen and shop.

 

Mitchell's Ice Cream inked a purchase agreement Tuesday to buy the former Moda building in Ohio City. With an expanding lineup of shops and sales to restaurants and grocery stores, the company has outgrown its kitchen in Rocky River.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2011/08/mitchells_ice_cream_to_buy_for.html

 

Wow its true!  Never doubt the Borger....

 

Mitchell's Ice Cream to buy former nightclub spot, move headquarters and kitchen into Cleveland

 

 

That's awesome! This is such an awesome development that will bring daytime and evening foot traffic to the street, and not the drunk, drugged, gun-toting, shooting and screaming at 3 a.m.-type traffic?

 

You know how many times I've written horror-story articles for Sun when that place was the Moda nightclub and others tried to revive it with the support of then-Councilman Joe "More Bars in More Places" Santiago?

 

The bad old days....

 

 

Funny how that Moda statue ended up in Councilman Santiago's backyard....

 

 

But Santiago was too busy asking "Does this come with pumps?" to notice....

 

 

(The last was actually a wet suit worn by Cleveland safety forces for cold-water rescues.)

 

 

Hopefully they'll get the consistent traffic Sweet Moses gets.

 

The key to Cleveland neighborhood revitalization seems to be good beer, food and ice cream. Should probably start thinking of putting a gym in...

Hopefully they'll get the consistent traffic Sweet Moses gets.

 

The key to Cleveland neighborhood revitalization seems to be good beer, food and ice cream. Should probably start thinking of putting a gym in...

 

This won't necessarily compete with Sweet Moses because it is a different concept. The fact that their production facilities and HQ staff will be there make the ice cream sales less important.

I hope OC can take back West 25th all the way up to Detroit and north of it.

 

Haha.  I wouldn't count on the county moving their housing project any time soon. 

 

 

 

They don't necessarily have to "move" it though. I think the community should put pressure on CMHA to turn their housing project into a mixed income development similar to what they did in Tremont. Turning former housing projects into mixed income developments has worked tremendously in cities like Atlanta, and the few mixed income developments that we do have seem to work pretty well. So OC residents should ask (then demand if they don't do it, lol) that they turn that project into something that is a better fit for the community while still serving the needs of lower income residents. Housing projects as currently designed need to go the way of the dinosaur.

It doesn't work that way. CMHA can't just change the income requirements for residents, and the HUD program that converted projects to mixed income doesn't exist anymore. This is mostly a federal issue.

I assume you're referring to the Hope VI program through HUD. I thought that program was still around. And as I said earlier, the Atlanta Housing Authority has made it a stated policy of tearing down housing projects and replacing them with mixed income communities. They're still doing it today. So if they can keep doing it, then there has to still be a way to get it done.

And last, but certainly not least, I've been told by an excellent source that a deal was struck with the Moda Space.  I can tell you that it is not a club or a restaurant (it does not involve a liquor license) and it sounds like an excellent fit into the strip (a win win situation).

 

You scream, I scream...

 

Mitchell's Ice Cream to buy former nightclub spot, move headquarters and kitchen into Cleveland

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A homegrown ice cream company plans to move its headquarters to Cleveland, transforming a former nightclub building into a commercial kitchen and shop.

 

Mitchell's Ice Cream inked a purchase agreement Tuesday to buy the former Moda building in Ohio City. With an expanding lineup of shops and sales to restaurants and grocery stores, the company has outgrown its kitchen in Rocky River.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2011/08/mitchells_ice_cream_to_buy_for.html

Great news! This is fantastic for the community

Yeah, this is really excellent.  The whole food district idea has really taken off, far beyond mere restaurants.

 

Seems like improving the streetscape of W25th between Jay and Detroit should be a pretty high priority for the the neighborhood and city.  Would be great to better connect the thriving part of the strip to downtown and to extend the momentum a bit.  That stretch is just so brutal right now.  Though I suppose it's tough with the hospital there.  And I suppose it's partly dependent on the hillside stabilization.

Good work Ohio City, it is a great use for the space!

 

Yes.

And they've got damn good ice cream too.

 

 

"Would be great to better connect the thriving part of the strip to downtown and to extend the momentum a bit.  That stretch is just so brutal right now."

The northern connection to downtown via the Detroit-Superior bridge will take some time. But eventually it will have to be made less brutal, as you said.

 

 

It's the Lorain-Carnegie connection that is first on the drawing board. Obviously, it's easier to enhance, the plans are ready and funded and the efforts will be noticeable by this time next year. The L-C (Hope Memorial) bridge will be getting a re-do. It'll be narrowed and made more bike-friendly and pedestrian-friendly and the aesthetics will be improved, including lighting the art deco Guardians of Traffic. The L-C connection is the natural one from the Gateway area of downtown, and presumably for the upcoming Casino as well. The egress of taxi traffic, for instance, would be much better over the L-C bridge from the Casino... it's 2 or 3 righthand turns into the Market District. Of course this goes for regular vehicle traffic too. With all of the Casino's projected visitors, Ohio City stands to gain some tourism traffic. I was at the Indians game the other night walking in an upper concourse and it's amazing how close the WSM-area is when you're in the southern part of downtown.

 

Anyway, go Ohio City!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah, this is really excellent.  The whole food district idea has really taken off, far beyond mere restaurants.

 

Seems like improving the streetscape of W25th between Jay and Detroit should be a pretty high priority for the the neighborhood and city.  Would be great to better connect the thriving part of the strip to downtown and to extend the momentum a bit.  That stretch is just so brutal right now.  Though I suppose it's tough with the hospital there.  And I suppose it's partly dependent on the hillside stabilization.

 

I wish the hospital could build a garage or two and open up the W25th frontage for development.  That surface lot is almost as bad as the ones downtown.

It will be much easier to redevelop the stretch of Lorain between W 25 th and the bridge - because you don't have major institutions blocking the way. Plus, it also helps connect to Abbey Ave and Tremont.

 

 

Curious at to whether they'll leave the marquee. Was it some sort of addition in the Moda days, or is it leftover from when the building was a theater or something? (If it ever was.)

It will be much easier to redevelop the stretch of Lorain between W 25 th and the bridge - because you don't have major institutions blocking the way. Plus, it also helps connect to Abbey Ave and Tremont.

 

The day that Ohio City to Tremont is walkable (i.e. a pleasant looking walk that tourists and locals alike would find scenic) is a day that should be celebrated in grand-freaking-fashion!

 

^^

It started out as the Rialto Theater.

From Cinematreasures.org : the Rialto opened on October 19, 1919 and closed in 1957.

 

 

 

The day that Ohio City to Tremont is walkable (i.e. a pleasant looking walk that tourists and locals alike would find scenic) is a day that should be celebrated in grand-freaking-fashion!

 

100% agree.  The Abbey viaduct was only rebuilt 5-10 years ago, but without any special attention to bikes/pedestrians, which is kind of disappointing.  I guess the full ODOT bike route improvements will help, but can't imagine it will really make that viaduct less boring and ugly.

 

It will be much easier to redevelop the stretch of Lorain between W 25 th and the bridge - because you don't have major institutions blocking the way.

 

That's true too, but the problem with the Lorain Carnegie connection is that it dumps you onto the widest, busiest street in all of downtown, which will only get worse with casino traffic.  Long term I'd think the Detroit Superior route could be a better connection between Ohio City and the heart of downtown.  Anyway, I hope both connections end up being good.  Ohio City's really well located to be a hub of good stuff with all it's cool connections to adjacent neighborhoods.

 

Campbell's popcorn and sweets opens in ohio city's ever-expanding foodie district

 

Campbell's Popcorn and Sweets has opened a new factory store in Ohio City's Market District, at which customers can watch the production of its signature products as well as sample tasty, unusual flavors such as garlic parmesan, dill pickle and barbeque.

 

Owner Jeff Campbell says he decided to expand in Ohio City because of the loyal customers he's generated at his West Side Market stand, which has seen 25 percent annual growth since he opened it in 2004.

 

http://www.freshwatercleveland.com/devnews/campbellspopcornandsweets090111.aspx

 

Source: Jeff Campbell

Writer: Lee Chilcote

 

The transformation continues  :clap: