Final friday in OTR - tonight!

I have been pretty hit or miss with updating this lately. Primarily, that is because i have started my own little crafting business and have been greeted with more interest than i expected. I am now selling my items in three stores in Cincy under my label "Uniquely Upcycled" and the items being sold are handbags, accessories and some clothing made from materials that have been upcycled or refabricated from their original purpose. I have been keeping very busy, building inventory at Fabricate, Park + Vine and Atomic 10 and am happy to say it has panned out.
Tonight is Final Friday in Pendleton, on Main Street and on Vine. Atomic 10 is on Main Street, and is a very cute vintage boutique that is bursting at the seams with fabulous clothing (some of which i would love to use for raw materials, were it not for the high quality of the clothes). The owner was enthusiastic about selling the bags for Final Friday, but totally caught me off guard when she asked if she could have me kick off a monthly spotlight on a "featured artist" who makes use of upcycled materials. That being said, tonight I am being highlighted at her store!
If you have time, come down to Pendleton, Main Street or Vine Street and see what our arts community has to offer! If anything, you know there will be free food and drink (at some of the galleries) and excellent art/people watching! Highlights on other events can be found below:

• Park + Vine, 1109 Vine Street – World Peace Jubilicious at Park + Vine: Feb. 26 Detour to Park + Vine, 1109 Vine Street, for artistic vegan fare from Chef Mark Stroud and kombucha and kraut from Fab Ferments. Local musician Doug Kreitzer will perform his favorite peace raps.Donations are greatly appreciated and will benefit Cincinnati’s own World Peace Earth Foundation. Be sure to check out Patrick Murphy Welage's laughter yoga class 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at You Do Yoga, 1319 Main Street, en route.
  
• The Know Theatre, 1120 Jackson Street - Know Theatre will host a cabaret themed party with dancing, singing, and socializing to help support local actors in Cincinnati through the Acclaim Award's Guest Equity Artist Grant.Tickets are $10 or if you attend "Adding Machine: A Musical" that evening, they are only $5!"Adding Machine" cast members and local professional actors will be performing musical numbers. Additional performers to be announced. Cash bar will be available.
  
• Venice on Vine, 1301 Vine Street - Venice on Vine will provide a special "Taste of Venice" with samples of our pizzas and hoagies. Also a photo exhibit, title TBA.
  
• The Art Academy of Cincinnati, 1212 Jackson Street - reception and gallery talk for "Gary Gaffney: Sabbatical Exhibition." The reception is from 5-9 p.m.; gallery talk by Professor Gaffney at 7 p.m.

On a separate note, here is a cool event that Cincinnati Parks is running which i thought i would highlight:

Maple in Mt. Airy

Saturday, March 6th · Programs start at 11:30am, RESERVATIONS REQUIRED

Mt. Airy Forest

Learn how people have tapped into this sugar source for centuries, interact with costumed sugar makers from the past, and taste maple sap, sugar and tea. Program lasts approx. 1 1/2 hrs.

Program Fee

: $7 per person

*A FREE pancake breakfast is provided before the Maple in Mt. Airy program begins, but seatings are by reservation only. Spots fill quickly - call 321-6070 to make reservations.

Art and nature - best things for the soul there is!

new tenant @ Findlay!

From today's Soapbox Media, news of another vendor @ Findlay who is carrying items that are lovely and tasty! Stop by here for some delightful sweets and then grab a cup of tea @ Churchhills Fine Teas while shopping for wine, meats, and all sorts of other fun stuff there! I cant wait for the City Council to get off their duffs and start working on the street car so I can go down there on snowy days like today and not have to worry about parking (my bike likely won't cut it). As more fun vendors sign on, the parking situation is going to get worse and worse....

A long vacant space at Findlay Market will soon be filled by Skirtz & Johnston Fine Pastries and Chocolates. According to Findlay Market President/CEO Robert Pickford, the bakery will occupy a double store front at 111/113 West Elder Street on the south side of the Market House next to Krause's.

Pickford noted that the 1,342 square-foot space has not previously been occupied and has been available for about 26 months.

"This brings Findlay Market to 86 percent occupancy," said Pickford who went on to say that if current prospects work out that the occupancy rate could reach 90 percent soon. Skirtz & Johnston also fills several long awaited product niches in the market's overall product mix according to Pickford.

Going forward Findlay Market is hoping to secure additional fresh produce vendors, and preferably additional full-time fresh produce vendors like Daisy Mae's Market. Ethnic groceries, pubs and cafes, and other more traditional retail formats are also being pursued to fill out Findlay Market's product mix.

"The new bakery will bring activity, color, great aromas, and new life to the south side of the market square," said Pickford.

The new vendor for Findlay Market joins after a tremendous year for the historic marketplace that experienced a 23 percent increase in customer traffic with roughly 758,000 shopping visits made to Findlay Market in 2009. During that time the market also welcomed four new full-time businesses, and added Tuesday as a sixth day of operation year-round.

Grammar's Bar showing movies on Tuesdays!

I know folks in Chicago who have outdoor movie nights in their local neighborhoods, where they project the movies onto a screen/sheet and i always thought it was such a great idea. Capitalizing on that idea, Grammar's has been doing something similar in the winter months at one of the larger rooms at their bar, with hopes to carry it over to the warmer part of the year. Its free to view and eat the popcorn and except for booze you buy, you dont even need to fork over dough for a ticket! What a great date idea. Tonight they're showing all Quentin Tarantino movies, with one starting at 6pm, 10 and 12. Each week its a different movie. Here's the blurb from City Beat, and you can easily sign up for updates by becoming a fan on Facebook.

Bored on Tuesday nights? Head to Grammer’s for their weekly movie night. Each Tuesday the bar screens two cult classic movies like The Breakfast Club or Dazed and Confused inside the Tarbell Room. The action has moved indoors because it’s freaking cold out, but in the spring the movies will be projected outside, “bike-in” style, in the beer garden. And, as always, Grammer’s will be providing drinkers and movie-goers with limitless free popcorn. To learn what movies are being screened each week, join the “Tuesday Night Movies at Grammer’s” group page on Facebook. They send out an e-mail the Monday before. Or just stop by the bar at 10 p.m. Free.