CityScene Magazine March/April 2021

MARCH/APRIL 2021

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departments 8 personalities 12 health 14 cuisine 20 financing the dream 26 living 38 visuals 40 on view 44 calendar 46 style

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page 26

page 22

on the scene 18 Let’s Go to

Jackie O’s

Renowned Athens-based brewery sets up shop in Columbus

36 Goodwill and

God’s Will

Spiritual themes keep Cody F. Miller working during the pandemic

page 14 ON THE COVER

page 8 COVER: Photo by Ray LaVoie

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cityscenecolumbus.com | March/April 2021

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We love our bread We love our butter But most of all We love each other.

Kathleen K. Gill President/CEO

Illustration by Roger Curley

This famous quote from the original Madeline, by Ludwig Bemelmans seems perfectly applicable this issue. Many dishes have sparred in the Food Fight ring—from pizza to burgers to sushi, but none have elicited as much response since the original Battle of the Bakeries in 2014.

Internally our editors had a hard time narrowing down which restaurants to include. There are just a ton of places around town with unique pre-meal offerings, and everyone has their favorite.

(My favorite didn’t make it into the story, but the cinnamon rolls sprinkled with nuts, only available Friday and Saturday nights at The Windward Passage are nothing short of amazing.)

While COVID has placed more emphasis on delivery and carry out orders, many restaurants are including their signature breads with orders to go. Whether you crave Ocean Club’s pretzel rolls or the hard crust of a Lindey’s sour dough, it’s often difficult to save your appetite for the entrée.

As much as we enjoy writing about the sweet, we also have to write about the sour.

It’s been a year. A whole year since our lives were impacted by COVID. And looking ahead, the impact will continue this year. While some businesses have been affected more than others the arts and entertainment industry is one of the hardest hit. Some Columbus arts organizations share the changes they’ve made due to COVID-19 since March 2020 on page 22.

Several spring events including the Columbus Arts Festival, Comfest and the Jazz and Ribfest have been canceled while others such as the Arnold Sports Festival are being postponed. Same goes for performances—it’s a mixed bag as to what has been canceled, postponed or switched to a virtual format. Check out our event calendar in print, and online where we will pass along updates as they are announced.

I’ve heard friends say that dealing with the pandemic is like going through the stages of grief: denial (it can’t be as bad as the media is reporting); anger (pointing fingers about everything); bargaining (if I wear a mask I can still go about my daily life); depression (I don’t like living like this); and finally, acceptance.

As we welcome spring this year perhaps there’s more of a reason for hope than there has been in months. CAPA has announced the 2021 Broadway Series lineup kicking off with Hamilton September 28, The Memorial Tournament is scheduled for May 31-June 6 and a reimagined BIA Parade of Homes is slated for September. In the meantime, in the words of another beloved young girl from children’s entertainment, “The sun’ll come out tomorrow!”

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Read on,

Kathy cityscenecolumbus.com | March/April 2021

Gianna Barrett Vice President, Sales Dave Prosser Chief Creative Officer Mallory Arnold Editor Rocco Falleti, Brandon Klein, Sarah Robinson Assistant Editors Garth Bishop Contributing Editor Sanaya Attari, Maddie Gehring, Madeline Malynn, Helen Widman Editorial Assistants Slyia Heffley Social Media Coordinator Carrie Thimmes, Tracy Douds Advertising Sales Jamie Armistead Accounting Circulation 614-572-1240

CityScene Media Group also publishes Dublin Life, Healthy New Albany Magazine, Pickerington Magazine, Westerville Magazine, Tri-Village Magazine and Discover Grove City Magazine The publisher welcomes contributions in the form of manuscripts, drawings, photographs or story ideas to consider for possible publication.

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CityScene is a registered trademark of CityScene Media Group. Printed in the U.S.A. ©2021

PERSONALITIES

A Taste of Adversity Restaurateur Cameron Mitchell faces the most difficult time in his 40 years in the business

By Brandon Klein

CAMERON MITCHELL AND his wife, Molly, moved into their new house last April, shortly after his restaurant empire came to a halt because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cameron Mitchell Restaurants went from $325 million in

revenue to zero in four days and furloughed 4,500 employees. “(My wife) asked me, ‘Are we going to lose the company? Are we going to lose our house?’” Mitchell says. “And (I said back then), ‘Actually, I don’t know. I don’t think so. But I don’t know.’”

Mitchell is no stranger to adversity.

Those who have read his autobiography, Yes is the Answer. What is the Question?, know how Mitchell overcame his troubled teenage years, rising within the restaurant industry to create a company that operates 16 different concepts across 36 locations in 12 states.

The restaurant industry isn’t easy, Mitchell says – otherwise, more people would get involved. He was 16 years old, working as a line cook at a steakhouse, when he realized his desire to pursue a career in the business.

“I was just in the kitchen one day,” he says. “It was four in the afternoon. I was working a double shift that day. I was going to be a host at night and it was just pandemonium in the kitchen; you know that

the managers were barking orders. The a.m. shift was trying to leave and the p.m. shift was trying to come on in. The restaurant was half full and the bar was packed for happy hour.

“I had to run home and change clothes and come back and be a host at night, and you know, I was just in time,” he adds. “I love the energy, the people and the party, if you will.”

Following that chaotic day at work, Mitchell set goals to run his own restaurant company. Years later, when he was an operations director for the now-defunct 55 Restaurant Group, Mitchell realized he had hit his limit with the company. He decided to start his own restaurant in 1992.

Going out on his own came with a new set of challenges. Mitchell spent the first six months working on a restaurant concept in downtown Columbus and was close to finalizing the property when the landlord went bankrupt.

“I had to start all over again. It took me 14 months to go find another location, and that was one of the darkest points in my life,” he says. “I was broke and down to rolling change to buy groceries and so forth.”

Mitchell was able to bounce back, opening Cameron’s American Bistro in Worthington in 1993. He continued to meet his share of challenges, including

“America will come out of this.”

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budget issues with the 1998 opening of Mitchell’s Fish Market and Mitchell’s Steakhouse (which he later sold for $92 million in 2008); the slowdown in business following the 9/11 terrorist attacks; and the Great Recession in 2008. “(There) have been very dark times,” Mitchell says. “To know dark times and weather in those dark times has given me a certain sense of confidence that I’ve been through a lot of those before. Always, deep in my heart, I felt like … I was going to figure out a way. That’s what I do.”

The pandemic, however, was the most difficult time Mitchell has ever experienced in his 40 years in the business, he says.

“As difficult as it was to operate (in the 2008 recession), I never really felt like we were to go out of business or not make it,” he says. “We never had our business shut down.”

Mitchell says he expects the pandemic to have shorter duration than the recession, but to be “more devastating and hard-hitting.” Most, if not all, of decisions the company has made in the last year were in reaction to the crisis.

“I’m a planner by nature … and for many months throughout COVID, we could do very little planning. It was mostly just reacting to what was coming at us,” he says.

The company furloughed its 4,500 workers, and company executives took salary cuts to create a relief fund for affected employees. As the company reopened restaurants starting last May, it brought back most of its employees, Mitchell says.

“We have about 1,000 hourly associates not back yet, because the business levels are not there,” Mitchell says, “but I am proud to say we brought every single associate back in the manager ranks and every single person in the home office back. …

I told everybody we’ll get there together.”

Mitchell described the rest of 2020 as a rollercoaster ride. The company improved its carryout, which made a fraction of its earnings prior to the pandemic, and dealt with surges of the virus affecting its workforce. There were more than 300 cases in the company, he says.

“We got it to about 75% of sales by October of last year’s sales,” he says. “Then we finished up October down to 52% of last year’s sales.”

Among the factors that helped the company persist is the human element, Mitchell says.

“The team working across the company was phenomenal,” he says. “Everybody 10

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rose to the occasion and everybody understood that there’s really only one way we were going to survive this, and that’s by working together and making the sacrifices we need to make.”

Mitchell made focusing on his employees part of the company culture when he started his first business. “(It’s) an ‘associate comes first’ mentality, not a ‘guest comes first’ mentality,” he says. “Obviously, (I) believe in great guest service and genuine hospitality. It runs the deepest depths of my heart, but in our company, we really value the associate first and we look at a training relationship. We take care of our people; our people will take care of our guests and our guests will take care of the company.”

The Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program loan also helped keep the company going during the pandemic.

“We wouldn’t have made it without the PPP dollars,” he says.

The diversity of the company’s geographic footprint helped, too, Mitchell says.

Cameron Mitchell plans to open El Segundo in the Short North this fall. The Mexican restaurant will offer a similar experience to the Pearl and Marcella’s, Mitchell says. The company has other restaurant openings slated for this year and next, some of which are concepts that have not yet been announced.

Mitchell is optimistic about the future as vaccinations are now rolling out to the public.

“America will come out of this,” he says. “... I’ve come a long way since April 3, with my wife (and I) not knowing whether the company was going to survive or not.” CS Brandon Klein is an associate editor. Feedback welcomed at bklein@cityscenemediagroup.com.

Mitchell’s Gives and Takes The Columbus culinary scene still has a long way to go to compete with those of other major metropolitan areas, says the founder of Cameron Mitchell Restaurants.

“It’s not like in New York City or Chicago,” says Cameron Mitchell, “where it’s so densely populated we can have these great restaurants all over the city and down through the city core.”

Columbus is getting better with the addition of new restaurants, he says. He expects further improvement as the city grows; Columbus is projected to reach 3 million people by 2050.

In 2019, Mitchell donated $2.5 million to Columbus State Community College to establish Mitchell Hall, new home of the hospitality management and culinary arts program. The facility features teaching kitchens and labs, a full-service restaurant for students to practice their culinary skills, a bakery, and a culinary theater.

Mitchell got involved as a way to give back to central Ohio and to the industry that is his livelihood. He says a byproduct of the program is creating a pipeline of culinary talent that can help restaurants such as his.

“The impact of (Columbus State’s culinary program) will continue to produce tens of thousands of people … over the next several decades, and as they come into the Columbus scene and add to it, they’ll become leaders,” Mitchell says. “The Columbus restaurant scene is alive and well, and will be alive and well over the next 10 to 20 years.”

What is Cameron’s favorite?

The restaurant entrepreneur is often asked about his favorite restaurant concept, dish or other component.

“I always answer that question: the same as the next one,” he says.

Mitchell says he experiences his restaurants and the food they serve in a more analytical way than his customers.

“I’m always thinking about it in a business way. ... I don’t get to go out as much and just really just dine and enjoy it, like everyone else does,” he says.

Occasionally, however, Mitchell does visit places for enjoyment. He and his family recently dined at New York’s Le Bernardin, one of the world’s top restaurants.

“That food is so grand and so over the top, so you really can’t replicate it anywhere. Those types of restaurants, I can sit down and just really be a guest to really enjoy because it’s on such a high level,” he says. “I probably couldn’t replicate if I wanted to.”

HEALTH

Knee-rly Perfect A firsthand account of orthopedic surgery and its lasting effects

By Mallory Arnold

FOR A LOT of people with chronic joint is-

sues and aches, it’s hard to pinpoint when and where the pain began.

But Dublin resident Rick Robinson vividly remembers tearing the cartilage in his knee during a high school wrestling match. He was an active, athletic kid, so bumps and strains were expected, but he couldn’t have predicted the pain would follow him throughout his life.

Just like 790,000 Americans in 2020, Robinson went through a knee replacement in August. The decision had been years in the making after two arthroscopic surgeries. Robinson consulted with Orthopedic One and scheduled the replacement.

“The pain slowed me down and made things difficult,” Robinson says. “I remember a few vacations where we did a lot of walking and it was really hard for me.”

Robinson knew early in his 40s that he was a candidate for early knee replacement, but like many people do, he tried alternative means of recovery before opting for surgery.

“I went on a whole health crusade – losing weight, eating right and doing everything I could to avoid that,” Robinson says.

“I just didn’t want to add another surgery.”

Would he advise others to do the same?

It’s a very personal decision, he says.

“I think it’s different depending on where you are in life,” he says.

“At some point, living with day-to-day pain is more exhausting than people realize,” Robinson says. “It’s more subconscious, kind of like sleep problems. You might be grouchy, snap at people or be less patient and at the end of the day you wonder why. It’s often because of that pain.”

The recovery period for a knee replacement is generally two or three months,

and Robinson went to physical therapy with Orthopedic One for eight weeks, three times a week.

“It hasn’t been necessarily painful, but it’s work,” Robinson says. “Doctors have told me it might take up to a year to be fully healed, but I’m feeling much better already. Within a week of the surgery, I could completely tell the pain on the inside of my knee was gone.”

Now, Robinson is able to engage in all the activities he loves with full enthusiasm, rather than taking a seat on the sidelines when his knee pain flared up. He coaches bowling and goes on long walks and hikes.

“I feel great,” he says. “I feel really great.”

What you knee-d to know According to the Boston University School of Public Health, one in five, or 1.5 billion people, suffer from untreated chronic pain. 80 percent of adults in the U.S. will experience back pain at some point in their lives, and 15 million adults report severe joint pain due to arthritis.

Five alternatives to knee replacement Physical therapy – Working with a physical therapist can increase muscle strength in the knee and can reduce pain.

Medications – Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications can help reduce pain, stiffness and swelling associated with knee pain.

Arthroscopic surgery – This surgery is less invasive, since it’s performed by inserting a small scope into an incision. The practice can repair cartilage and tears inside the knee.

Injections – Corticosteroid injections can reduce inflammation, swelling and pain. On top of that, they can be long-lasting.

Osteotomy – This is a procedure is recommended to younger patients or to people with damage in only one side of the knee.

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e meant Some things arour teeth to be yellow. Y them. aren’ t one of

When should I see an orthopedic doctor?

Many people endure chronic pain on a day-to-day basis, but are willing to suffer because either they don’t know who to turn to or don’t want to bother with surgery. Others simply may not know the signs that they should schedule an appointment with an orthopedic doctor.

• Shoulder pain • Trouble climbing stairs • Tingling or numbing hands • Pain from repetitive movement

With these statistics in mind, it’s no wonder technology is constantly evolving in the world of orthopedic surgery.

MIRA, a miniature robotic assistant, is designed to perform minimally invasive abdominal surgeries. It’s small, it’s easily transported by doctors and it requires fewer incisions than larger, more complex robotic assistant tools. Its purpose: to offer less invasive surgeries and make orthopedic procedures as easy as possible for doctors and patients.

Another new development in orthopedic surgery comes hot off the press. 3-D printing is not new in the medical space, but a team of researchers at Rice University in Houston, Texas is developing custom printed implants that contain live tissue. These printed tissue replacements can be made in any size or shape to adhere to someone’s wound or need.

Possibly one of the strangest but most helpful additions to orthopedics is Xenco Medical’s surgical vending machine.

These machines may soon be available for clinicians to choose disposable spinal tools and implants. CS Mallory Arnold is an editor. Feedback welcome at marnold@cityscenemediagroup.com.

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March/April 2021 | cityscenecolumbus.com

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CUISINE

This Food Fight! for carb lovers dives into the complimentary breadbaskets served by local restaurants. If you’ve ever eaten your fill before your meal, this is a fight you’ll enjoy.

Choose your butter, spread or dip and dig in!

The need for (flax)seed

Lindey’s Restaurant & Bar, German Village Lindey’s breadbasket overflows with sourdough and flaxseed crackers. The dough is coated with an egg butter wash and flaked with parmesan seasoning, while the crackers are sprinkled with rosemary flaxseed.

“The complimentary breadbasket is so popularly requested when dining at Lindey’s Restaurant & Bar that we have made it available for carryout as well,” says Lindey’s manager Grant Cassidy. “It’s probably the crackers that are most popular.”

Garlicky goodness

Café Napolitana Pizzeria & Bar, Downtown We’re knot even kidding, these garlic knots might be the best in Columbus.

“We make it every single day with the same dough we use for our pizza,” co-owner Palmo Aracri says. “We put extra virgin olive oil in the dough, which a lot of places don’t take the time to do.”

Aracri has been using the family dough recipe for 40 years. Originally from Italy, he moved to the U.S. with his family when he was 10 years old.

“Growing up, after school, kids in my neighborhood would go home and eat potato chips,” he says, laughing. “Me? I went home and ate homemade spaghetti sauce and bread. As far as I can remember, my father never bought a loaf of bread because my mom baked some every day.”

Rollin’ in the dough

Spaghetti Warehouse, Downtown Spaghetti Warehouse is a whole vibe: the stained-glass lamps, the iconic trolley car dining and, of course, the famous sourdough bread with to-die-for homemade garlic butter. The loaves are baked in-house and pair perfectly with the soft butter for a warm, mouthwatering, forget-about-your-diet kind of appetizer.

Chipt the script Café Napolitana Pizzeria & Bar

“I judge a restaurant by the bread and by the coffee.”

– Burt Lancaster, American actor

Local Cantina, Grandview While Local Cantina doesn’t offer complimentary bread, we had to switch things up a bit by including them in the mix for their house made corn tortilla chips and salsa, which are some of the best in town. The chips are never greasy, flaked with salt grains and infinite.

Donut kid around

Bareburger, Short North Bareburger brunches bring a different kind of complimentary basket to the table. Even before you even order, you’ll be treated to an overflowing basket of donuts, house-made

Food Fight!

Spaghetti Warehouse

A battle of crisp crusts, doughy centers and toasted buns 14

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Not even salty about it Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant, Easton

Local Cantina

Bareburger

and dusted with powdered sugar. It’s the beginning of a beautiful breakfast and a sweet way to start the morning.

Naan of your business

Yemeni Restaurant, Downtown Prepare for spice at Yemeni Restaurant, where Middle Eastern flavor is abundant and naan is served hot with tea. The naan is crispy, flaky and the perfect medium to eat chicken or lamb fahsah. It’s baked in a clay oven called a tandoor to preserve the natural aroma and to create a faster bake.

Cooper’s Hawk pretzel bread is served as a hot loaf with buttery goodness.

“As amazing as the main courses are, the pretzel bread is one of the best things ever,” says Cooper’s Hawk regular Dale Jaxx.

In one of Cooper’s Hawk’s daily Instagram Live posts, Chef Matthew McMillin revealed a brunch recipe made from the famous pretzel bread.

“Get some carryout from Cooper’s Hawk and make sure you don’t eat all of your pretzel bread,” he tells viewers.

“Turn that pretzel bread into an awesome brunch.”

Olive you, olive oil…

Café Istanbul, Dublin Nothing beats Café Istanbul’s house-made Turkish bread served with a mouthwatering sun-dried tomato olive oil dipping sauce with a blend of spices and herbs like garlic, crushed red pepper, paprika and oregano.

“When you sit down right away, the freshly made warm bread and dipping sauce – we don’t even wait for your order. We just deliver bread and oil as soon as you sit,” says chef and owner Serdal Gunal.

C A M E R O N M I T C H E L L ’ S T R I P L E T H R E AT

Pretzel bread baked French toast

Hungry for homemade

Cap City Fine Diner and Bar, Dublin, Grandview Heights, Gahanna “Cap City bread has been the same since day one,” CEO of Cameron Mitchell Restaurants Cameron Mitchell says. “These are dinner rolls that we made from scratch every day that are light and fluffy and it just becomes a cornerstone of the restaurant. Everybody looks forward to them.”

Pro Tip: Weekend brunches feature the dinner rolls rolled in sugar and cinnamon!

The great dough debate

Mitchell’s Ocean Club, Easton While most places offer one kind of dinner roll, at Ocean Club, it’s a tale of two breads.

“At Ocean Club, we’ve always had our pretzel bread along with our cracked sourdough wheat, both of which are warm out of the oven with butter. It’s just fabulous,” Mitchell says. “It gives our guests two different flavors. And it’s an ongoing debate, because some people like the pretzel bread better and some people like the cracked sourdough wheat. They get their choice of both and people like that a lot.”

• 4 eggs, whisked • 1 cup sugar • Dash of cinnamon • 3 cups heavy cream • 1 tbsp. vanilla bean paste • ¼ tsp. salt • 1 Cooper’s Hawk pretzel bread, cut into 1-inch cubes • 6 slices thick bread like challah of brioche • 2 oz. cream cheese Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs and set aside. Heat heavy cream with sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. The liquid should be hot, but not simmering.

Remove from heat and whisk eggs into the hot mixture. Pour that through a fine mesh strainer and discard solid that are caught.

Put all cubed breads in a medium bowl and pour over the hot mixture.

Allow bread to soak in custard for 10 minutes. Then, pour into a 9x13-inch baking dish. Dollop cream cheese and evenly disperse it in the bread.

Café Istanbul

Yemeni Restaurant

Place dish in a large pan, then fill with about one inch of hot water. Place in oven and bake for 60 minutes.

March/April 2021 | cityscenecolumbus.com

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A Spirited Battle

We asked some of Columbus’s favorite distilleries to submit their fiercest competitors to face off in this battle of the spirits. Vote for your favorite at www.cityscenecolumbus.com.

Watershed Distillery

Fresh and flaky focaccia

Marcella’s, Short North, Polaris Marcella’s bakes house-made focaccia bread. Dip it in oil and balsamic vinegar for full effect.

“It really makes it light and fluffy and really makes for a tasty focaccia,” Mitchell says.

Bun’s of Delaware

Winter Sun 101

• 1.5 oz. Watershed Four Peel Gin • .5 oz. Aperol • .75 oz. fresh orange juice • .25 oz. fresh lemon juice • .5 oz. rosemary orange oleo* • Tonic Shake all ingredients except tonic over ice until well chilled. Strain over new ice in a chilled Collins glass and top with tonic. Garnish with orange peel. *To make rosemary orange oleo, use the peels of two oranges, making sure not to include the pith.

Place in a mason jar or anything with a sealable container. Add one large stem of rosemary and cover with sugar. Set on counter overnight, shaking every so often to release oils. Once sugar is dissolved, strain out solids.

Middle West Spirits

Gimme S’more

• 2 oz. Middle West Spirits Bourbon Cream • 1 oz. smoked whiskey or peated Scotch •.75 oz. honey liqueur • 1-2 dashes Xocolatl Mole Bitters Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass. Add ice and stir. Double strain into stemmed glass and garnish with toasted marshmallow.

“With the fall release of the bourbon cream, I was inspired by the memories of bonfire smoke and marshmallows with the perfect char,” says Beverage Director of Service Bar Kyle Nelson.

High Bank Distillery

Smoked Old Fashioned

150 years of buns

Bun’s of Delaware, Historic Delaware It’s hard to miss the Bun’s neon sign hanging over West Winter Street. It’s even harder to walk by without stopping inside for a famous bun burger. Prior to your meal, a bread board is delivered to the table with homemade loaves of white bread and sunflower seed bread with herb butter. It’s the place to be for delicious bread, no buns about it!

It’s a little corny…

Pecan Penny’s Bar-B-Q, Downtown If you’re in the mood for Texas-style comfort food, Pecan Penny’s offers cornbread served with maple pecan butter,” says Marritt “Mars” Vaessin.

“It speaks to our simple ways of simple food done well,” says the general manager of Pecan Penny’s.

• Whiskey War • Angostura • Orange bitters • Demerara Syrup • Orange peel “Though it’s not the most elaborate cocktail, our Smoked Old Fashioned is a mainstay on our menu and features our original Whiskey War,” says Founding Partner and Director of Business Calvin Jones.

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Pecan Penny’s Bar-B-Q

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• Did you know? • Pecan Penny’s is the latest concept from the owners of The Walrus, Olde Towne Tavern and Corner Stone Craft Beer & Wine.

It’s getting saucy

Figlio, Grandview Heights & Upper Arlington Figlio’s warm focaccia bread is made inhouse and served with olive oil and herb dipping sauce, poured fresh at every table. While Peter Danis, owner and founder of the restaurant, says people rave about the focaccia, the dipping sauce often steals the show.

“I think the dipping sauce is really the star,” he says. “I mean, we love our focaccia. It’s fresh, it’s flavorful, we bake it with rosemary. But it’s the dipping sauce that when we dine in our own restaurants, I always ask the server to put extra herbs into it because it’s so good.”

The focaccia takes a full two days to prepare in the restaurant, and it’s always served fresh. The blend of herbs in the dipping sauce were meticulously chosen by Danis and his wife, Laurie, after being inspired by a restaurant in Sarasota, Florida 25 years ago. The Danis’ special ingredient? A special sun-dried tomato air-shipped from a particular farm in California.

Giammarco’s

Best of the Chain Restaurant Breads

Results are in from a CityScene online poll:

WINNER

Texas Roadhouse Their sweet butter takes the rolls from good to great!

2nd O’Charley’s Restaurant & Bar 3rd Olive Garden 4th Bravo! Italian Kitchen

Figlio

Seasoned to perfection

Giammarco’s, Westerville Giammarco’s’ bread sings – you can hear it in the crackle the browned crust makes right before you take a bite.

“We have been told our bread is addicting,” says a rep from Giammarco’s. “The bread is fresh and hot, but it’s the seasoned olive oil that puts it over the top.” CS

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• Did you know? • Giammarco’s co-owner Tom Bernardo was raised in Westerville, but spent four years in Italy playing football and studying the country’s food and wine.

March/April 2021 | cityscenecolumbus.com

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on the scene

Let’s Go to Jackie O’s

Renowned Athens-based brewery sets up shop in Columbus

By Mallory Arnold

EXPERIENCED COLUMBUS CRAFT beer fans

have an easy time picking out Jackie O’s on pub menus.

Founded in 2005 in Athens, the brewery has its flagship taproom on the Ohio University campus.

While many are willing to make the trip to Athens just for the famous Razz Wheat and cheese curds, a new location – the first outside of southeast Ohio – recently opened right here in Columbus.

Jackie O’s on Fourth opened this past November, in the midst of the pandemic.

Right now, it’s a retail shop with curbside pickup for safety, but General Manager John Cliff has high hopes for 2021. Within the year, he hopes to build the place into a full bar and, potentially, a brewery in and of itself.

“Pandemic pending, of course,” Cliff says.

Jackie O’s on Fourth has about a dozen cans and more than 20 barrel-aged bottles. In addition, crowlers are being sent straight from Athens.

One of the most attractive aspects of Jackie O’s in Athens is the atmosphere, which is both eclectic and comfortable.

Cliff is determined to share that same vibe in the Columbus location.

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“It’s something that’s super important to us,” he says. “We’ve created a culture we want to bring to Columbus through, obviously, the beer, but also the culture and service. The laid-back vibe we do have in Athens, Ohio with a focus on quality.”

Cliff has been part of the Jackie O’s team for 15 years, and 2020 was one of the strangest.

“I’ve been in a sales position for Jackie O’s in Columbus for about seven years now,” he says. “And I’ve always had my eye on opening a place here.”

However, at the beginning of the pandemic, Cliff picked up his life and moved to Vermont. Just a few months after moving, he got a call about opening Jackie O’s on Fourth.

“So, I moved right back to Columbus,” Cliff says, laughing. “It all happens for a reason, you know?”

While it’s been a journey to get here, Cliff hopes to have Jackie O’s on Fourth fully open in May. In the meantime, you can prepare by tasting the menu via curbside pickup.

Crowler: A large aluminum can used for craft beer, typically able to hold around two U.S. pints.

Perfect for sharing and refilling.

Cliff leaves us with the perfect toast to the evening: “It started as friends, turned into a business, became a family and produces the best beer in the state.” CS Cliff’s Picks What’s your go-to spring Jackie O’s brew?

“I’m always a big fan of Who Cooks for You. Something with hops with a lower alcohol, very drinkable beer makes it a spring drink for me.”

Any other picks?

“Sours and saisons. The tart character fills that refreshing void you need in the spring.”

Mallory Arnold is an editor. Feedback welcome at marnold@cityscenemediagroup.com.

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ROBERT DIETZ, SENIOR vice president and chief economist of the National Association of Home Builders, predicts that single-family home construction will continue to grow.

“With home builder confidence near record highs, we expect continued gains for singlefamily construction,” he tells Forbes in a December 2020 interview. “Albeit at a lower growth rate than in 2019-2020.”

Pandemic-driven Charles Moore demand put 2020 home sales at the highest level since 2006. Experts claim buyers were driven by a desire for larger suburban homes with dedicated spaces for work and school.

CityScene asked Charles Moore, president of Central Ohio Middlefield Bank, the most common questions hopeful homeowners have about the process.

CS: When it comes to mortgages, should I choose a fixed-rate or an adjustable-rate mortgage?

CM: With a fixed-rate mortgage, your loan interest is set and cannot change.

Variable has a range of rates that can fluctuate over time. Before you choose an adjustable-rate mortgage, be sure to know how high the rate can go and if you can maintain payments at that rate.

CS: Should I get a 15-year or 30-year term loan?

CM: This depends on if you prefer a shorter repayment period with higher payments and lower interest rates or a potentially higher interest rate with lower 20

cityscenecolumbus.com | March/April 2021

monthly payments. Your banker can help you crunch the numbers to see how both outcomes will affect your total interest paid. If you can afford a larger monthly payment, 15-year mortgages can save you money over the life of your loan.

CS: What are some core questions I need to ask when thinking about investing in my new home?

CM: The biggest factor is cost. No surprise there. Many folks justify a new dream home over low interest rates and overlook the increased financial and time cost of maintaining a larger property. Be sure to do a thorough accounting of the monthly

budget and be honest with yourself about the sacrifices it will require. Proper planning is key to making sure your dream home really is the perfect fit.

CS: What can I do now to prepare for my next home?

CM: After figuring out your projected monthly budget, you’ll want to begin an intense research period to see what makes the most sense for your lifestyle and financial situation. Save for a down payment and create a list of your dream home’s nonnegotiables. Lastly, get pre-approved for a loan so you’ll know your total potential budget upfront.

Mortgages and Airbnbs In many cases, you can finance an Airbnb rental under specific circumstances.

If you want to live in a property but host short-term renters, one option would be to pursue a traditional mortgage for a primary residency. However, you must intend to live there. Also, when you buy and finance the property and it's listed as a primary residency, you won’t get to use rental income to qualify for your mortgage.

Another option for funding an Airbnb is an investment property loan, which means you wouldn’t use this space as your living quarters. These can be harder to qualify for and require at least a 20 percent down payment.

A third loan option would be a private loan, financing offered by a private investor or lender. While there are very few requirements and hoops to jump through, the down payment is the most costly out of all the options.

3 things to avoid when refinancing a mortgage Refinancing at the wrong time You may not be in the best position to refinance if there’s less than half a percentage point different between current interest rates and the rate you were given when you purchased your home. You should also note your credit score and if it’s decreased since you first applied for the mortgage. Also, if you currently own less than 20 percent stake in your home, you may not want to refinance.

Paying more attention to the interest rate than the annual percentage rate (APR) It’s a good idea to look into the APR, as that will give you a better idea of how much your loan will cost in total. Interest rate only tells you how much the lender is charging you for borrowing, while APR reflects the interest rate plus many of the fees the lender charges for closing your loan.

Not talking to different lenders As a rule of thumb, it’s best to get quotes from at least three different vendors before you commit to a new loan.

A study by LendingTree reported that homeowners who only got one quote paid an additional $66,000 in interest over the course of the loan compared to those who shopped around and got multiple quotes.

Information curated from Tara Mastroeni of Forbes Magazine.

Should I pay off my mortgage before I retire?

While paying off your mortgage before you retire is a major financial achievement, a financial contributor from U.S. News & World Report says that it’s not essential to a healthy retirement. There are several scenarios in which you would be of sound mind to keep your mortgage going into retirement.

1. You are earning a better rate on investments than you pay on your mortgage.

2. You have other higher-interest debt.

3. You can qualify for a tax deduction by saving elsewhere.

4. You would be paying off your mortgage with savings.

This varies by individual and depends on things like cash flow, investment accounts and how much you’ve saved for retirement.

Mallory Arnold is an editor. Feedback welcome at marnold@cityscenemediagroup.com.

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The Columbu Reflecting on a year unlike any other

By Rocco Falleti

T

he past year forced everyone to make sacrifices. For performers and artists, COVID-19 meant stepping away from the stage and finding other ways to engage audiences. And though many of those efforts have been successful, it’s no substitute for the collective euphoria of a crowd experiencing a show.

“There’s a magic of sitting next to somebody and having a shared common experience of music together, even if you don’t know the person sitting next to you,” says Byron Stripling, artistic director at Jazz Arts Group. “You give a standing ovation and you’re standing up together. All the 1,000 people in this hall, or 500 people, or 50 – now you have a commonality and you leave (with) a smile on your face. When you go home, you’re in a different place.

There’s this spiritual part that happens.”

Here’s how a few organizations adjusted to life during a pandemic and found new avenues to share their art:

ing art. Our plan is, hopefully later in April, to start having small in-person performances,” Porter says. “So everybody’s excited about that. We are really, really committed to creating new art. It might be dance, but it certainly is of our time.”

In the absence of a normal season, BalletMet leveraged virtual opportunities, including a virtual scavenger hunt, Zoom Sue Porter classes with educational outreach and a stream of The Nutcracker. Though the year was not what BalletMet had planned, it strengthened its ties to the community.

“That’s not to say that anything is going to replace the live experience of being in a studio and learning or being in a theater and seeing that live performance,” Porter says. “We know everybody’s hungry to get back to that. So I don’t think (any) of this is a replacement for that. But if we look

at it as an enhancement, I think there are all kinds of opportunities.”

Porter says, she is grateful to be a part of the Columbus community and amazed at the support the arts organizations have seen in these troubling times.

One of the main aspirations for BalletMet is to have a small live performance in its theater or outdoors. While there are still a number of unknowns, Porter remains positive for 2021.

“We are committed and want to see The Nutcracker back in the Ohio Theatre, to continue next season with both some amazing more contemporary dance and some full-length (shows), and to have audiences feel comfortable getting back into a significant theater,” she says. “It might not seem like a lot, but right now, it’s what we’re looking forward to.”

BalletMet COVID hit BalletMet in the midst of rehearsals for spring performances. Out of an abundance of caution, performers were sent home and work moved to Zoom sessions.

Forced to cancel the season and close its doors for large in-person classes, the BalletMet team began to adjust how they danced. Classes were moved to Zoom and, during the summer, a hybrid program for students at the academy was created. As the days get closer to semi-normalcy, BalletMet Executive Director Sue Porter is invested in her dancers’ future.

As of late January, BalletMet had welcomed back its professional dancers as it continues to figure out a return to the stage.

“As soon as it’s safe, we’ll bring them in the studio because we’re committed to do22

cityscenecolumbus.com | March/April 2021

Greater Columbus Arts Council The Greater Columbus Arts Council has learned a lot adjusting to life amidst social distancing and scaled-down events. That was never as clear as it was this past summer, when the organization canceled the Columbus Arts Festival.

Perhaps most important to GCAC was the level of support and engagement throughout Columbus for the city’s arts organizations.

“We learned that we are resilient and stronger when we work together,” says Jami Goldstein, vice president of marketing, events and communication at GCAC. “Artists in our community and our arts organizations are innovative and giving. So much was done for free this year to benefit the community and, particularly, children and education efforts, and artists and organizations have pivoted to operate in a virtual environment in a way that will continue to Jami Goldstein be beneficial into the future.”

s Arts Scene

Bryon Stripling playing at the last JAG performance before the first COVID-19 shutdowns.

Jazz Arts Group As JAG prepared for a performance in early March 2020, Stripling received notice from Gov. Mike DeWine that the organization would have to restrict audience sizes.

At first, the performance could go on with 1,000 people or fewer. After a dress rehearsal and a quick dinner with the band, another message came from the state: the new limit was 50 people.

After some thought, JAG decided to hold the performance virtually on Facebook Live to ensure the safety of performers and audience members. Stripling went straight to Costco, he says, to stock up after the performance. Like most people, he figured they’d be back on track in a month or less. Flash forward to this March, and Stripling is still making trips to Costco.

“What we know is that healing happens through music,” Stripling says. “What we know is that the highest form of hope is, really, art and music. Even though, financially, everybody in our organization has taken a hit, especially the musicians … that does not dampen our desire to get back to what we do.”

Performances were postponed, and though JAG hoped to salvage some of the season in person for the whole band,

leadership ultimately decided to stick with virtually broadcast performances. Engagement was, and still is, key to Stripling.

“We know the mere act of giving somebody a song makes them feel better, but it also makes us feel better,” Stripling says. “You know how you feel better when you exercise? It’s kind of intuitive. Like, ‘Man, if I get up and move, I’m going to get tired.’ But it actually gives you energy. That’s what music is for people. … For us, the giving of this gift is like an act of kindness, and an act of kindness, no matter how small, is a great thing.”

JAG has given smaller group performances throughout the past year. During the social unrest last summer, JAG introduced its “Songs for Hope and Healing” series. The streamed broadcast was a collaboration between JAG and the Columbus Urban League utilizing music as a message of change, and it featured conversations on social justice and unity.

JAG also produced its annual Christmas special for a virtual audience. But at the end of the day, Stripling is eager to return to an audience, no matter its size.

“I know it is going to be different, and I know that the delivery system that we typically have is going to change,” Stripling says. “But it’s going to be live, and live is important.”

March/April 2021 | cityscenecolumbus.com

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COSI Within days of closing last spring, COSI launched an online learning module called COSI Connects. While the museum stayed closed, engagement with its audience through educational videos and activities helped strengthen outreach. The learning module has expanded into a mobile app, and on-site distribution of science kits or “Learning Lunchboxes” is available through COSI on Wheels.

Recently, COSI launched a new magazine-style weekly primetime television series called QED with Dr. B, in partnership with WOSU. The show features one-on-one talks with scientists, engineers and innovators across the globe and strengthens its commitment to education.

“Through this pandemic, more people began to see and understand in real time the critical importance of science and science literacy. This is and has been a fundamental component of COSI’s mission, and we are proud to serve as a critical reFrederic Bertley source for people to gain knowledge and support their curiosity around science,” says COSI President and CEO Frederic Bertley. “As COSI offered almost unlimited virtual content and programming, we were able to reach a wider audience, even globally in many cases, and expand on that appreciation around the importance of a science literate society.”

CAPA

Chad Whittington

Much like other entities across the Columbus entertainment industry, CAPA entered uncharted waters as the pandemic set in and forced a large number of events for 2020 from both local and national artists to cancelation. In matter of days, performances began to get rescheduled, tickets refunded and staff went to work at home. Amidst the uncertainty, CAPA was able to produce a number of entertaining virtual arts experiences and hold a few in-person events at theatres with reduced-capacity including an abbreviated summer movie series and national events like the Hip Hop Nutcracker.

One of the larger virtual performances was the “ApART Together Concert Series,” which featured local music artists from a wide variety of genres.

“We’ve received a lot of positive feedback on how uplifting and inspiring that content has been to our audiences,” Chad Whittington, president and CEO of CAPA, says. “I expect we will see more limited-capacity events as the vaccine rolls out over the next few months, but these performances have been a great opportunity to create trust and comfort among our audiences before we get back to full operating capacity.”

The 2021 season will start slow as the recovery continues in the arts community and vaccines roll out. Whittington says that CAPA theatres will remain pretty quiet for the first part of the year.

“The 2021-22 season will be packed with events that will offer something for everyone and provide plenty of opportunities to get caught up on the year we lost,” Whittington says. “I am optimistic we will begin to see a return to normal in the fall.”

Short North Alliance With restrictions on gatherings and capacities, the Short North has looked a tad different than what we are accustomed to seeing throughout the year. The streets were a little less crowded, especially as the weather turned this winter, but the Short North continues on and has learned a lot over the year.

“If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is the true importance of community and collaboration.

Both have been what have kept our creative business community going throughout the pandemic and both will continue to be what defines us moving forward,” Betsy Pandora, Betsy Pandora executive director of the Short 24

cityscenecolumbus.com | March/April 2021

North Alliance, says. “Beyond that, we have also seen the incredible spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship present and strong in the Short North Arts District.”

While we all missed having a full-fledged Gallery Hop, the virtual space provided a connect between the arts and the Columbus community. Though it has been challenging, the businesses have done their best to continue offering its services and entertainment to the best of its abilities while keeping patrons safe.

“From our work together early on to take events like Gallery Hop to the virtual space to how our business community has adapted to offer online, curbside, and other creative forms of commerce will certainly serve to strengthen our community now and for years to come,” Pandora says.

Shadowbox When asked how the COVID-19 pandemic affected Shadowbox, CEO Stacie Boord was candid in her response.

For a group that is used to performing more than 400 times a year, the drastic cut back to a little over 70 was something they never fully anticipated.

Amidst the uncertainty that 2020 possess-ed, Boord acknowledges the challenges, but also Stacie Boord finds positives.

“There have been so many blessings in this thing. Like, as crazy as this year has been, it’s also been incredibly productive,” Boord says.

“Exhausting, but productive.”

Though most of the 70 performances came in the first part of the year, the Shadowbox crew was able to briefly return for a short stint of performances in November for its Beatles show. Like most, virtual experiences were explored and engagement from its patrons was most surprising to Boord as 336 new donors were generated.

“Our patrons have been amazing, the donors have been amazing and we really try to engage with them,” Boord says. “And through all the lows and highs and twists and turns and all of that… they were with us. I am so incredibly grateful and humbled by their support.”

While there is no clear cut return date to the stage, Boord knows the first performance will be a continuation of the Beatles show, which is a fan favorite and personal favorite of Shadowbox.

There are also plans for a new sketch show, “Let’s Skit it On.” Rehearsals have continued on a smaller scale “We’re gonna be really thoughtful because it is very difficult to create original work during this time when people can’t be close together,” Boord says. “We’re very conscious of protecting our own artists. We have everyone evacuate the theater every few hours so that the air can completely turn over…

All of that.” CS

Rocco Falleti is an associate editor. Feedback welcome at rfalleti@cityscenemediagroup.com.

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Luxury Living HOME REMODELING SPECIAL

The Time Traveler’s House Massive overhaul offers juxtaposition of historic reverence and cutting-edge design

By Garth Bishop

B

efore-and-after photos are a key component of any remodeling story, offering a side-by-side comparison between the home as it was and the home as it looks now.

A massive overhaul of a historic Victorian Village home offers a new twist on the before-and-after concept. A trip through it means seeing the before and the after side by side – late 19th century heritage alongside meticulously designed contemporary aesthetic.

The project, located on Highland Street, was designed by Rogers Krajnak Architects and executed by NJW Construction Inc. It won a local merit award for Rogers Krajnak in the small projects category of American Institute of Architects for 2020.

The house, which now clocks in at 3,970 square feet, was built in the 1880s.

It’s designed in the Vernacular Victorian style, with Queen Anne influences.

A Two-Pronged Plan To refer to the renovation as major may very well be an understatement. Rogers Krajnak and NJW created a two-and-a-half story addition, as well as a detached garage.

Visible all throughout the main structure is evidence of the house’s rich history, and even the garage – which is 100 percent new construction – is designed to thematically resemble pre-existing elements.

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“We were interested in having a historic house in the Short North/Victorian Village neighborhood, but we were also very intrigued with the concept of doing a modern addition to a historic house,” says Darryl Rogers, principal at Rogers Krajnak.

“In our eyes, it was respecting the history of the house while doing something difference – being compatible by being modern at the same time.”

Another word that may join “major” in the understatement category: ambitious.

Rogers – architect for the project and the new homeowner – wanted to expand the living space, modernizing it while simultaneously restoring its historic character.

“They were trying to create more functional space and bring back some of the original home elements that had been lost over the years,” says Joel Walter, president and founder of NJW. Just finding a house for this type of project was a challenge in and of itself, says Rogers.

But this particular house is on a corner lot and had a great deal of space to expand.

Additions in the Addition Inside the house, it’s plain as day where the original home ends and the new build begins. The original is defined by faithfully restored brick walls, the new by exposed steel and minimalist detailing.

“What we ended up with is … a tale of two houses,” Rogers says. “There’s this historic house that we’ve restored and renovated, and there’s this modern addition.”

The addition brings a new chef’s kitchen, a family room, a covered porch, two bedrooms and a shared bathroom to the home.

The kitchen, as it often is in wholehouse renovations, was a major focal point.

Rogers’ wife, Kim, is a fantastic cook, and she wanted a kitchen that would give her room to explore, he says. The open family room off the kitchen is also uncommon for the house’s era, Rogers says, as is the exterior covered porch.

“Most Victorian houses have very small original kitchens … so the addition allowed us to do the kind of kitchen that we wanted to do,” he says.

The new master suite was redesigned with detailed custom built-ins, and sizable closet and bath spaces.

An Eye on History Rogers wanted the house to be architecturally accurate for its era, and so focused closely on such elements as its interior and exterior brick work. That reach of that focus was substantial, Walter says, all the way down to grout colors and metal ridge roll capping.

The original house sported some attention-grabbing stained glass windows on the third floor, and it was important to Rogers that they remain, so Rogers Krajnak and NJW worked to retain them by rebuilding the window frames. Much of the original flooring was saved, too, as were the fireplaces with their original tile work.

Window design and recessed elements help soften the impact of adding onto a historic house, Rogers says. Even the brand new gable and shed roof forms of the addition are evocative of the house’s 1880s splendor.

Previously, the only way up to the third floor was a spiral staircase that – despite its distinctive appearance – presented some substantial logistical problems. The previous homeowners took a MacGyver approach to those problems, filling the third-floor space exclusively with furniture of the inflatable variety, but Rogers had other ideas.

NJW removed the old staircase and replaced it with a modern-looking steel stair, which made it far easier to furnish the studio space on the house’s top level.

The extra space afforded by the removal of the staircase allowed Rogers Krajnak to completely redesign the master suite closet space.

“I enjoyed the quality of the staircase and what it created in there, but also, Darryl picked out some solid two-inch treads that we built out of white oak,” Walter says.

Garth Bishop is a contributing editor. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenecolumbus.com.

March/April 2021 | cityscenecolumbus.com

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Luxury Living

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cityscenecolumbus.com | March/April 2021

DIY or DIY Not?

10 things to know before you embark on completing a renovation yourself

By Garth Bishop

D

IY is extraordinarily popular these days, and it’s easy to see why. The wealth of resources available online and the constant opportunities to see people talking about how great their DIY project turned out work together to make a seductive pitch.

But completing a home renovation all by your lonesome isn’t just a matter of strong work ethic and determination. Even small remodels entail a great deal of planning – and a considerable number of factors that might cause things to go south.

If you’re thinking of going the DIY route, here’s a list of things you ought to know before you take the plunge.

1 The local permit requirements and building codes. You do not want to find out during or after your project that it runs afoul of either of these things. Get very, very familiar with them before you move forward.

2 Whether you have the patience for it. If you’re doing it yourself, this job is going to take a while! So you need to know if you’ll be able to handle the time commitment, invest a lot of effort into learning all the relevant components, put up with the physical demands and deal with the frustration if something goes wrong.

3 How long it could take. What if the project takes longer to complete than you expected? Will you be OK with seeing a halffinished home improvement project every day?

4 How tolerant the rest of the house is.

Will everyone else in your house be OK with seeing that work in progress every day? How about with the noise, the smells, the demands on your time?

5 Whether you have the resources.

You’ll need a full complement of skills and, potentially, a significant number of tools –

and you’ll want to have both before you get started. Part and parcel of having both of those things is having the confidence that you can do the job safely. Think very, very carefully before you decide you have the wherewithal to demolish walls, fix roofs, perform electrical work or do any more than the most basic plumbing.

6 Where you’ll get materials. Not only should you know in advance all the materials you’ll need – the fewer trips to the home improvement store, the better, right? – you should also know where you’re going to get them. Don’t just assume your favorite hardware store will have everything!

7 The relevant instructions. Whatever you’re installing, it has instructions from the manufacturer, and you’ll want to have them well in advance – not just so you can plan properly, but so you know whether your skill set is adequate to follow them.

8 Who’ll be helping you. If friends or family members will be helping you, are you confident they’re up to the task? If you think you’ll need a professional subcontractor, are you confident you can find one who can work within the parameters you’ve set?

9 The steps of the project. You need more than a goal; you need a series of steps that will get you to that goal, and you need to have them ordered in a way that makes sense.

0 Whether it will meet your ultimate goal. That is, if you’re doing this because you only trust yourself to do it the way you want, are you sure you’ll do it the way you want? If you’re doing this to save money, are you sure you’ll save money in the end (and in the long run)? If you’re doing this because you think it will be fun, are you sure it will be fun?

Garth Bishop is a contributing editor. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenecolumbus.com.

March/April 2021 | cityscenecolumbus.com

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Luxury Living

Adding Attractive Accessibility Using universal design to improve lives

I

n 2020, the U.S. had half the number of accessible homes as households that need them. Only nine percent of households with someone who has a physical disability live in an accessible home.

Luckily, the best remodelers do more than just design and execute projects that look great: They design and execute projects that are tailored to each client’s needs.

Accessible living has many meanings, but at its most basic level, it describes a living space designed to meet all the physical needs of its residents, whether it is accommodating a physical disability, or the ability to age in place, or even the possibility of these sorts of issues in the future.

The Approach Designing an accessible space means learning and understanding the accessibility needs of the client and never taking any aspect for granted, says Joel Walter, president and founder of NJW Construction Inc. That means being as thorough as humanly possible when assessing needs.

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“You’ve got to design it to their strengths, instead of a standard design that might not benefit them,” Walter says.

Many homeowners don’t realize the full range of possibilities open to them, and may not go into the remodeling process knowing there are features that can make their or their loves ones’ lives more comfortable.

Appealing Accessibility Function shouldn’t sacrifice design appeal and vice versa. Homeowners still want their homes to look visually attractive even through the addition of accessibility features. It’s a common misconception that designing an accessible space will be unsightly.

For example, a bathroom may be altered so that the shower is zero barrier, taking away the risk of stepping over a barrier on wet tile, but this also opens up the space to make it appear larger. And while homeowners may require contrasting tile and grout colors to give depth and contrast to help failing eyesight, the designer has the freedom to play with shades and textures.

Phil Pangrazio, president of Ability360 – an Arizona-based nonprofit that promotes programs to assist people with disabilities – explains universal design isn’t meant only for those with special needs.

“The idea,” he says in an article by azcentral, “is

to build an environment so it works for everyone. It’s universal, meaning it should serve everybody.”

Universal Design The Centre for Excellence in Universal Design, based in Ireland, lays out seven principles guiding the design philosophy: Equitable Use: The design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities.

Flexibility in Use: The design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities.

Simple and Intuitive Use: Use of the design is easy to understand, regardless of the user’s experience, knowledge, language skills or current concentration level.

Perceptible Information: The design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user’s sensory abilities.

Tolerance for Error: The design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions.

Low Physical Effort: The design can be used efficiently and comfortably and with a minimum of fatigue.

Size and Space for Approach and Use: Appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation and use regardless of user’s body size, posture or mobility.

Photos courtesy of Dave Fox Design Build Remodelers and NJW Construction, Inc.

Aging in Place Making accommodations for people whose mobility has been limited by age isn’t a new concept. What’s new is the breadth of options available for these projects.

The need for aging-in-place strategies has intensified as the baby boom generation has gotten older, increasing demand for these services. As some homeowners look to renovate their homes to better handle their own needs, others remodel to make it easier for older friends and family members to visit.

Examples include grab bars, task lighting, walk-in showers and bathtubs, non-slip flooring, entry handrails, and kitchen counter height adjustments.

When choosing a remodeler, look for universal design credentials. Any remodeler should get a comprehensive accounting of the homeowner’s needs before assessing what sorts of changes may be warranted.

Examples of common accessibility renovations • Zero-threshold showers • Hand-held showerheads • Zero-threshold doorways • Floating vanities • Toilet and shower grab bars • Toilets set away from the wall • Kitchen islands open on all sides • Rocker light switches • Raised electrical outlets • Lowered closet rods and shelving • Circular design (to cut down on the need to turn around, particularly for wheelchair users) • Wide doorways • Wide hallways • Automated doors

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March/April 2021 | cityscenecolumbus.com

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Luxury Living

Salvaging and Selling Columbus History Columbus Architectural Salvage commits to preserving history of home and heritage

By Madeline Malynn

S

alvaging furniture and architectural pieces has become an increasingly popular pastime, but a look into the process reveals the intricate work involved.

Members of Columbus Architectural Salvage, a group that focuses on vintage or antique building materials found in historic homes and sites throughout central Ohio, have found no shortage of unique pieces around the city. From old jail cell doors to items from the former Ohio Union station, there is plenty to salvage in central Ohio.

A look into the process The process begins with acquiring salvage rights to a home or building, which entails paying for items being removed from the property. Individual pieces are also bought from individuals renovating old houses.

After getting rights to a property, the salvagers work to find value in every piece.

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Deconstructing may take anywhere from a few hours to a couple of months. Finally, the group works to list them on its website.

When choosing which articles to sell, store manager Mallory Patterson works to save every piece.

“We take everything, or what we can, and realize what there is a market for and what there isn’t,” she says. “Finding value in salvaging comes from experience.”

The most difficult part of the job is being able to make a profit on the find, Patterson says. The job is labor-intensive, and it is also necessary to have a big space available to store the items.

“Salvaging is a risk. Money is invested in retaining the pieces, and then it is a waiting game to selling,” she says. “We are taking a risk and hoping it works out.”

With the demand for fast and easy, quality items are harder to find.

Patterson points out that the job is not as glamourous as it may seem. However, it’s fellow salvagers and antique lovers that make the process worth it. Salvaging provides people with the opportunity to find and fall in love with unique and even historical pieces to keep forever.

Madeline Malynn is an editorial assistant.

Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.

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March/April 2021 | cityscenecolumbus.com

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Luxury Living

Wright Next Door Architectural history just a 40-minute drive away

By Mallory Arnold

The Westcott House circa 1915

J

ust 40 miles West of Columbus, in Springfield, Ohio is the Westcott House.

It was once the home of Burton Westcott – wealthy businessman and president of the Westcott Motor Car Company. While Westcott remains famous for being one of the first to value luxury automobiles, his most notable page in history might be the hiring of architectural legend Frank Lloyd Wright to design his house.

The home, built in 1906, has gone through many renovations over the years, some better than others. While Wright’s houses today are revered and preserved, in the early 1940s, the Westcott House was converted into an apartment building, practically destroying all evidence of his work.

After the house sat unnoticed for many years, the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy and the Westcott House Foundation brought it back to life through detailed, meticulous and expensive resto34

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rations. For the past 15 years, it has been a museum.

The house attracts Wright fans, architects and curious travelers, says Marta Wojcik, executive director and curator of the house.

“This house is so important partly because even if people don’t have the background in architecture, it’s intuitive,” Wojcik says. “They drive by and see there’s something unique about it and when they have a chance to go inside. You can’t deny there’s something really impactful about Wright’s spaces, how special it is.”

Wojcik says the restoration was brutal at times.

“In 1990, we started looking at it to see if it would be able to be salvaged. It took a lot of optimism to see what it could be,” she says. “It’s remarkable that they took it back to its original form.”

Generally, when a historical house is restored to its original form, architects will

look at old photos to match the aesthetic and layout. However, there were only two pictures of the Westcott House. In a rare and unique predicament, the restoration committee followed Wright’s original, preserved drawings of the house to rescue it from its shambling state.

“This house just has so much warmth inside,” Wojcik says. “People tell me, ‘Oh I could live in this house, it’s so comfy and cozy.’ It doesn’t feel like a museum.”

Prior to the pandemic, the Westcott House was open for tours and events so people could experience the house after hours with music and drink. While tours are temporarily on hold, Wojcik hopes they will be back up and running toward the end of spring.

While it can be daunting for a nonprofit to reopen after closing for a period of time, Wojcik is hopeful visitors will continue to come explore and experience the home.

“We have people who drive here from Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Dayton because it’s unique enough to make that trip from those cities,” she says.

“It’s just a really special place.”

Mallory Arnold is an editor. Feedback welcome at marnold@cityscenemediagroup.com.

Frank Lloyd Wright indicators

For more information about the Westcott House, visit www.westcotthouse.org Address: 85 S. Greenmount Ave., Springfield, OH 45505

Architect and docent Thomas Arnold tells us what we might see when visiting the Westcott House: Prairie style “Wright’s designs from this period became to be known as the prairie style. Prominent features often included an emphasis on the horizontal, broad eaves and low roof profiles anchored by a singular vertical element in a large centrally located chimney,” Arnold says.

Because Wright’s rooflines deviated from the norm, people often joked that they were leaky.

“He pushed the limits of available construction technologies contractors were accustomed to using,” Arnold explains. “Consequently, clients would often complain about leaks” Low ceilings and passageways Wright was 5’7”, thus often brought the scale of his homes down to suit his stature.

He sometimes joked that, had he been taller, the proportions of his designs might have been different.

Furniture “Wright pioneered what he described as organic architecture,” Arnold says. “It was important to him to integrate and control the design of all aspects of the house, even the furniture.”

Most recognizable, perhaps, are the high-back dining room chairs, which Wright used to enhance the intimate nature of gathering around the table for a meal.

“To him, designing the furniture was significant so that he could create a cohesive environment,” Arnold says. “He didn’t want to risk a homeowner dragging in Victorian furnishings that would not be in harmony with the overall composition.”

Open floorplans Wright has been credited as one of the first to make use of the open floor plan.

Photos courtesy of Brad Feinknopf and Rod Hatfield

Stained glass or art glass Wright valued light and privacy, and he found a method of mixing the two. Stained glass allowed for natural light but also protected the house from people looking inside.

“He used art glass to celebrate the infusion of natural lighting in a unique way,” Arnold says.

Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired neighborhood Rush Creek Village in Worthington consists of 49 homes built in the style of Wright. Theodore Van Fossen helped create the neighborhood in 1950, using his experience of working on Wright’s buildings to shape every house to be just so.

While none of the houses is open to tour, you can visit the neighborhood at East South Street.

March/April 2021 | cityscenecolumbus.com

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on the scene

Goodwill and God’s Will

Spiritual themes keep Cody F. Miller working during the pandemic

By Helen Widman

CODY F. MILLER is no stranger to drawing

inspiration from the Holy Scriptures.

The Columbus-based artist was recently awarded an honorable mention in the international Engage Art Contest for his mixedmedia work The Struggle. The piece is based on Ephesians 6:12, which was the theme of the 2019-2020 Engage Art Contest.

The contest is an international art competition that welcomes all skill levels of original visual art, performing arts, music and film. The juried contest was created by art appreciators and philanthropists Bill and Linda Bantz. Each year’s iteration of the contest is based on the spiritual battle described in Ephesians 6:12, as well as related verses.

Miller’s piece depicts three skeletons surrounding a woman on a boat all against a dark night sky. The focal point of the piece is a flame held in the hands of the woman on the boat. A lot of thought went into the process of creating this piece that, at first glance, may not be easily understood.

“Sometimes, the spiritual forces of darkness seem like a blitzkrieg of unbeatable giants,” Miller says on his website. “At times, they’ve overtaken me; they yawn at how easy it is. My prayers are elementary; I have a white-knuckled grip on the fact that maybe God will come and reason with me there. And I wait.”

Miller says The Struggle conveys a deep message about how systemic racism can be unconsciously ingrained into our minds.

“It’s talking about our struggles against something that’s even deeper, more insidious than what we see right in front of us,” he says. “So, when we think of systemic racism – its roots are so deep and I’ve read lots of history about it – there’s still stuff where it’s like, ‘Wow, Lord, there are so many things inside of me that I don’t see that I need you to reveal to me.’”

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Miller derives most of his work from Scripture, often the Old Testament, but will draw inspiration from anything that conveys grace to him. This could range from a Radiohead song to a Dostoyevsky book, or anything someone else does that he thinks is unexpected in a painful or beautiful way.

As a resident artist at the Goodwill Art Studio and Gallery in Grandview Heights, Miller has had many years to study how people interact with his work.

“I would say, 99.9% of the time, that people come and they don’t know that it’s from the Scripture,” he says. “It’s steeped in metaphor and symbolism. And I want it first and foremost to speak … about a certain grace or something that speaks into their life in some way.”

Miller is now working on commissions for a licensing project, finishing some licensing contracts and creating new work for the Goodwill gallery. Though he doesn’t know when the next Engage Art

Contest will take place, Miller says he would enter again.

Miller has also remained busy and dedicated to his craft even as the pandemic has put a halt to most art festivals and galleries. Fortunately, he’s been able to work privately in order to license his art out to different places and continue to sell prints.

“The last year was my best year ever in terms of sales,” Miller says. “Kind of weird, but anyways, I’m thankful.”

Though the Goodwill studio has had to limit the number of artists inside as well as incorporate new health guidelines such as social distancing, Miller remains optimistic.

“We’re looking forward to when we can have all of our artists back, but at some level, we are operating as a gallery and I’m really excited and happy about that,” he says. “Beautiful, wonderful place.” CS Helen Widman is an editorial assistant. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.

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37

VISUALS

No Holds Barred Dana Harper aims to make art with no rules

By Brandon Klein

TRADITIONAL ART MEDIUMS were too rigid for local artist Dana Harper’s liking.

“I make art because it feels good. I make work inspired by my own experiences in hopes to connect with others,” Harper says. “I’ve always been a collector of materials, and I enjoy finding objects and transforming material through process. I like when there are no rules.”

She now enjoys working with a collection of unconventional materials: holographic vinyl, translucent window films, glass beads, fuzzy yarn.

Harper attended The Ohio State University and majored in fine arts and technology. She went on to graduate from

Dana Harper

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Penn State University to receive her master’s degree in fine arts and sculpture.

“I learned to work with different materials, to push ideas in terms of scale and process. It was also in graduate school where I was first inspired to make installations,” she says. “After school, I felt more prepared to take risks. I had a firmer grasp on the idea that I was going to make this career up as I went along.’

Residencies and grant funding from organizations such as the Greater Columbus Arts Council allowed her to work with institutions such as the Columbus Museum of Art and the Wexner Center for the Arts to make public works of art.

“I think the most important thing for me is to spend as much time in the studio as I can, as well as continue to honestly examine why I make the work I make,” she says.

Art enthusiasts may know Harper for her graduate thesis, Bloom Bloom. “(It) has become a sanctuary to me,” she says. “I discovered the flagging tape material on a walk to school, plucking it from construction sites and taking it into the studio with me. I tied it to another common construction material, chicken wire, which created a thick neon texture. ... The panels of covered chicken wire were flipped upside down and hung from the ceiling. As the work developed, I wanted to create a large enough space to hold 20 to 30 people at one time.”

Harper is now working on a series called Oblivion Discs. She uses a circuit cutter to cut tiny circles of holographic and iridescent vinyl.

“The center of the disc is one color and the edges are another. Between the center and the edge, the colors create a shift or gradient,” she says “I enjoy the space in between – the time of transformation or shift from one being to the next. This happens as one material mutates into a new texture or form.”

Harper will host a virtual workshop, organized by the Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery, on March 13. Participants will source found materials to create “wishing talismans.” CS Brandon Klein is an associate editor. Feedback welcomed at bklein@cityscenemediagroup.com.

“The dog is man’s best friend.

People who love dogs identify with them so closely.”

March/April 2021 | cityscenecolumbus.com

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Ohio Glass Museum

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cityscenecolumbus.com | March/April 2021

ON VIEW

Due to health concerns, dates and shows are subject to change.

Visit the websites for more information.

Gallery Exhibits The only thing fresher than the spring air is the new art on display around Columbus.

Kourniotis invited artists to choose trailblazing female figures from history to celebrate through their art. March 1-April 30. www.blockfortcolumbus.com

934 Gallery: Between, With, and Away.

Featuring artists Tiffany Lawson and Gloria Shows. March 5-31. And Tunnel Vision: Select Works from Michael. Artist Forest Kelley imagines the history of gay men living in rural western Massachusetts in the era between the Stonewall Uprising in 1969 and the death of Rock Hudson by AIDS in 1985 through the lens of his uncle who died during that time. April 2-30. www.934gallery.org

Contemporary Art Matters: Sculpture I. A group exhibition featuring Bianca Beck, Gerhard Demetz, Curtis Fairman, Brendan Fernandes, Pamela Fraser, Jonathan Hammer, Allison Janae Hamilton, Kurt Lightner, Bruce Robinson and Almond Zigmund. Shows February 18-April 15. ‘A Closer Look’ shows Thursday, February 18 from 12 -7 p.m. This will be a free, ticketed event with social distancing and public health protocols. www.contemporary artmatters.com

The Arts Castle Gallery 22: Retrospective of Karen Everhart Work. A collection featuring works by Everhart over a 40-year period. Virtual. Through April 10. www.artscastle.org Blockfort: Lasting Legacies. For Women’s History Month, guest curator Panagiota

Columbus Museum of Art: Raggin’ On: The Art of Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson’s House and Journals. This is the first major exhibition of the artist’s work since her death and a celebration of Robinson’s work, vision and the home and neighbor-

hood she cherished. Through October 2021. www.columbusmuseum.org Columbus College of Art & Design Beeler Gallery: Subversive Historian.

This commissioned video work by Ohiobased artist Michael Stickrod is part of the collaborative project Staples and Rubber Bands (1969-2019) with New Yorkbased French pioneer video artist Michel Auder. Through March 15. www.beeler gallery.org David Myers Gallery and Studio: The Joye of Spring. This is the seventh annual exhibit featuring the art of studio and Parkside Village artists. March 20-April 14. And Two Voices, One HeART. Original paintings by Kathy Norris and Cathy Camacho. Artist opening reception April 17, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Through May 19. www. davidmyersart.com Dublin Arts Council: Art & Wellness: ARTifacts Created at Home. Dublin Arts Council presents a retrospective of a twoyear Art & Wellness initiative in an exhibition of artwork created by professional artists and community members. The juried exhibition will include two- and three-dimensional artworks and video encompassing community reflection and interpretation of art and its influence on personal and community well-being. March 9-April 16. www.dublinarts.org Hayley Gallery: Art 365. This show features mixed-media artist Wil Wong Yee, who creates scenes only seen in Columbus with mastery of light and color.

Through March 16. www.localohioart.com

Capital University Schumacher Gallery

Highline Coffee Art Space: Abby Feinknopf: Abloom! This central Ohio artist’s floral paintings announce spring and blossoming from darkness. March 2-April 30. donscottgallery. weebly.com/highline-coffee-art-space.html March/April 2021 | cityscenecolumbus.com

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Marcia Evans Gallery: 15 Year Anniversary Show. Opening reception March 7, 1-3 p.m. On view March 6-April 26. www. marciaevansgallery.com (Not)Sheep Gallery: Wait Here. Features new work from Priscilla Roggenkamp.

March 1-30. And new work by Deborah Griffing and Christine Kosiba. April 1-30. www.notsheepgallery.com Ohio Arts Council Riffe Gallery: Build It: Artists Creating Community in Ohio. Highlighting the artists who are building community for one another in their geographical location. Virtual. Through April 10. oac.ohio.gov/RiffeGallery/Visit-the-Gallery Mac Worthington Studio, Gallery & Sculpture Park

Mac Worthington Studio, Gallery & Sculpture Park: 2021 Sculpture Park Opening. Exhibit includes sculpture park and studio tour plus indoor gallery exhibition. Open daily 11 a.m.-5 p.m. March 1-April 30. www.macworthington.com

of everyday and special occasion glass tableware examines the effects of human creativity, as well as the influences of culture and industry on the finished pieces. March 12-Aug. 29. www.ohioglassmuseum.org Open Door Art Studio & Gallery: Hear Me Roar. An exhibition showcasing the talented female artists it represents, coinciding with Women’s History Month. March 13-April 9. cchsohio.org/opendoorartstudio

Ohio Craft Museum: Functional Ceramics. This exhibition features functional pots by 16 artists from across the country and Canada. Through April 17. www.ohiocraft.org Ohio Glass Museum: La-DiDa…a journey in glass from functional to fanciful. This exhibition

Ohio Craft Museum

New, Modern, Amish Crafted 38 N State St, Westerville, OH 43081 amishoriginals.com 42

cityscenecolumbus.com | March/April 2021

Build It Artists Creating Community in Ohio Erika Hess, Curator Featured Artists:

Marcia Evans Gallery

Otterbein Fisher Gallery: Andrew Ina: Unintended Consequences. Through May 7. www.otterbein.edu/art/miller-fisher-galleries Otterbein Frank Museum of Art: Kiguilou Pinah: Year of Sorrow. Curated by Tariq Tarey. Through April 23. www.otterbein. edu/art/frank-museum/ ROY G BIV Gallery: Benedict Scheuer / Noah Kashiani. March 12-April 3. And Aimee Wissman / Annie Burley / Tyler Davis. April 9-May 1. www.roygbivgallery.com/exhibitions CS

Jordan Buschur Glen Cebulash Calcagno Cullen Eli Gfell Dana Lynn Harper Ashley Jude Jonas

Ann B. Kim Anissa Lewis Liz Maugans Jessica Pinsky Stephanie Rond Gloria Ann Shows

JAN. 28 – APRIL 10, 2021 ALL EVENTS TAKE PLACE ONLINE AND ARE FREE! LOCATION

Vern Riffe Center for Government & the Arts 77 S. High St., First Floor Lobby

Register for events online at riffegallery.eventbrite.com

HOURS

Due to changing conditions, please call or check ahead regarding gallery visits.

Closed for all state holidays.

INFORMATION

Visit riffegallery.org 614-644-9624

Image credit: Stephanie Rond, Alphabet Vs the Goddess Yemaya’, 2018, mixed media, 78" x 95"

MEDIA SPONSORS

540 South Drexel Avenue, Bexley, Ohio 43209

Phone 614.338.8325 Fax 614.338.8329 www.artaccessgallery.com

New Work by Karen Rumora, Todd Camp and Rod Hayslip Meet the Artists April 23, 4-6 April 15 through June 19 Wednesday through Friday 11–4, Saturday 11–3

Barb Unverferth

Other times by appointment 614-338-8325 or Actaccessgallery.com or instagram artaccess1, facebook March/April 2021 | cityscenecolumbus.com

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Picks&Previews

What to watch, what to watch for and what not to miss!

Due to health concerns, events are subject to change. Visit websites for more information.

The Black Athlete: Politics and Protest in the Era of Black Lives Matter: A Dialogue March 5, 4:30 p.m.

Virtual Join the 1619 and Beyond Program and the Ohio State department of history for a lecture by Derrick White, professor of history at the University of Kentucky, and

Louis Moore, associate professor of history at Grand Valley State University. www. artsandsciences.osu.edu

more questions and explore science found in our everyday lives. Must register for this free event by March 4. www.capa.com

Full STEAM Ahead Live Vol. 3 – When Science Goes Viral March 5-19 Virtual Mister C returns to the virtual stage more with crazy experiments. Full STEAM Ahead is full of interesting science, catchy tunes and whacky personalities. Both students and parents will be inspired to ask

Jazz Arts Group presents ‘70s Jazz & Pop Hits March 10, 8 p.m.

Southern Theatre, 21 E. Main St. and virtual Bellbottoms, mullets and roller disco – let’s go back to the ‘70s. Jazz Arts Group brings on all the nostalgia with the biggest jazz and pop hits of the era. Enjoy the swinging music in-person (with limited seating) or virtually (available on JAG TV from March 19-28.) www.jazzartsgroup.org Columbus Symphony Orchestra presents Tchaikovsky – Violin Concerto March 12-13, 10 a.m.

Ohio Theatre, 39. E. State St. A limited number of seats are available for this violin performance filled with energy and the talent of Columbus Symphony’s conductor, Rossen Milanov, and musician Augustin Hadelich. www.columbus symphony.com

Jazz Arts Group

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Author Talk with Imbolo Mbue March 18, 3 p.m.

Virtual Imbolo Mbue discusses her novels Behold the Dreamers and How Beautiful We Were in Columbus Metropolitan Library’s

Carnegie Author Series. www.columbus library.org Columbus Symphony Orchestra presents Haydn – The Creation March 19-20, 7:30 p.m.

Ohio Theatre, 39 E. State St. This Columbus Symphony Orchestra performance, inspired by the Book of Genesis, is an integrated multi-media experience. MBA Productions has created a virtual projection tapestry that reimagines music into visuals. www.columbussymphony.com New Albany Symphony Orchestra presents Musical Giants March 21, 3 p.m.

McCoy Center for the Arts, 100 E. Dublin-Granville Rd. This premiere performance will be one to remember. Cameron Leach performs Adam Roberts’ Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra. Plus, patrons will hear Beethoven, The Eroica Symphony and Hovhaness’ And God Created Whales. www.newalbanysymphony.com Lincoln Theatre Association presents Marc Fazon March 26, 8 p.m.

Lincoln Theatre, 769 E. Long St. and virtual Craving a night of laughter? Marc Fazon is the Columbus-based standup comedian to give you just that. Fazon recounts his life experiences with unique flair that’s family-friendly and hilarious. www.lincoln theatrecolumbus.com

Paw Patrol Live!

April 3-4, 10 a.m. & 2 p.m.

Ohio Theatre, 39 E. State St. From one of the most well-loved children’s shows comes Paw Patrol Live! It’s all paws on deck for this adventure, when

Columbus Symphony Orchestra

PAW Patrol’s beloved characters embark on a pirate adventure. www.capa.com CAPA presents Brian Culbertson April 4, 8 p.m.

Southern Theatre, 21 E. Main St. Brian Culbertson takes the stage at the Southern Theatre with The XX Tour.

While the performance rocks through classic hits from his songbooks, the tour focuses on much of his music from his 20th album XX. www.capa.com Five Senses Reeling presents Sibling Rivalry: Tour April 14, 8 p.m.

Southern Theatre, 21 E. Main St. Warning: only the fierce can handle this event! Bob The Drag Queen and Monet X Change throw a party right onstage with makeup, rivalry and hilarity. www. fivesensesreeling.com Opera Columbus presents Don Giovanni April 30, 7:30 p.m.

Southern Theatre, 21 E. Main St. Known as Mozart’s greatest opera, Don Giovanni conveys the tale of the promiscuous and immoral, dancing on the line of demonic. The opera is hauntingly beautiful and sung in Italian with English surtitles. Plus, the performance will include favorites such as the Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus and ProMusica Chamber Orchestra. www.capa.com

Keep an eye out for….

These shows are either canceled, rescheduled, postponed or up in the air due to COVID-19.

Check back in for updates!

March 5-7 Broadway in Columbus presents Riverdance CANCELED | www.capa.com March 23-28 Broadway in Columbus presents Cats POSTPONED | www.capa.com April 22 Live Nation presents Trey Kennedy POSTPONED | www.treykennedy.com/tour April 27-May 2 Broadway in Columbus presents Hadestown TO BE ANNOUNCED | www.capa.com Movie premieres in March and April 2021 Raya and The Last Dragon Theaters and Disney+ | March 5 Coming 2 America Prime Video | March 5 Chaos Walking Theaters | March 5 Godzilla vs. Kong Theaters and HBO Max | March 31 Mortal Kombat Theaters and HBO Max | April 16

March/April 2021 | cityscenecolumbus.com

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STYLE

Wrist-y Business It’s time to talk watches

By Sarah Robinson With technology ever-present in our lives, it’s nice to unwind with an old-fashioned watch that doesn’t necessarily connect to Wi-Fi or need charging. The Diamond Cellar in Dublin and Easton and Alexander’s Jewelers in the Short North carry a great variety of high-end watches. Check out these classic styles:

1

1. Nomos Glashuette Tangente Neomatik 41 Watch.

Diamond Cellar. $4,100.

2. Classima Watch by Baume & Mercier.

Diamond Cellar, $4,950.

Don’t forget to spring forward on March 14 and turn the dial forward one hour on your watch.

Sarah Robinson is a contributing editor. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.

Menswear Style UK reports these are the top four trends in watches in 2021: • Vintage chic • Smartwatches • Chronographs • Black watches

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cityscenecolumbus.com | March/April 2021

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