Cleveland Magazine - June 2025

BEST PLACES TO LIVE

FROM GUTTERS TO GIVING

Matt Kaulig is leading by inspiring one home at a time.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary, LeafFilter has grown from a single office to 153 offices in the U.S. and Canada.

MATT KAULIG IS A DRIVEN ENTREPRENEUR who started LeafFilter Gutter Protection™ from his basement 20 years ago.

Scaling from one home office to one of the largest direct-to-consumer home product companies in the United States and Canada is no easy feat. Yet, that’s exactly what Kaulig did in 2005, while focusing on selling one product: LeafFilter Gutter Protection.

“The early days, I cold called, did door-todoor sales, worked trade show floors and flea

markets,” says Kaulig. “My cell phone was my work line. I worked as a salesman and an administrative assistant, and learned accounting through QuickBooks, which I eventually taught my father who joined the company after a few years.”

If you have ever been to Hartville Flea Market, Kaulig was there with his LeafFilter booth, drumming up business the old-fashioned way — talking to people face to face. Kaulig, a former University of Akron quarterback, still has a built-in competitive nature and strong work ethic.

By 2008, Kaulig says, “As I had grown to seven offices, I knew that we had something special.” Kaulig recalls sitting on the front porch with his wife, Lisa, whom he met at the University of Akron and who is a Copley native. “I remember saying, ‘I think I’ve figured out how to do this in every city all over the country.’”

Kaulig did just that.

YOU EITHER GROW OR YOU DIE

The Great Recession could have derailed his plan, but no way. “Attitude is everything,” says Kaulig. Rather than balking at grim news or folding altogether like competitors, LeafFilter — under Kaulig’s leadership — locked into marketing, expansion and sales. While the competition was scaling back and saving money, Kaulig saw this as an opportunity to expand his business and invest in advertising.

With faith in his product and team, Kaulig pursued three new markets, expanding to Virginia, Cincinnati and Baltimore. These were strategically planned since these markets trended heavily toward government workers who were not affected by recession. “In any business, you have to reinvest,” he says. “You either grow or you die.”

The latter was not an option.

Kaulig reframed his team’s mindset, hosting motivational conference calls every morning. Avoid the news, he encouraged. Focus on the positive LeafFilter accomplishments. Under Kaulig’s strategic direction, LeafFilter grew from $5.4 million in 2008 to 11.6 million in 2009.

“If you get the negative out of your head and focus on what’s going great, it’s absolutely amazing what you can achieve.” Kaulig says.

TODAY NOT TOMORROW

Matt Kaulig has worn the same bracelet every day for nearly 20 years. One side of the black, rubber bracelet has the LeafFilter logo, and the other side has three letters: TNT. He gives one to every employee as a reminder to approach business and life with a sense of urgency, not pressure. “Today Not Tomorrow.”

Kaulig has a culture of getting things done and leading with an attitude of “don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.”

TNT isn’t just about sales. It’s about embracing everyday life, moments in time and capturing opportunities right then and there. “It’s an attitude of, ‘Don’t put it off,’” Kaulig

Twenty years ago, Matt Kaulig made his first LeafFilter sale from the basement office from his home in Stow, Ohio.

explains. “Anything you can do today, do it today, because tomorrow might not happen in business and life.”

Kaulig leads by inspiring and has the personality to rally the troops. “Someone has to be the coach,” says Kaulig, relating how his college athletic experience transcends to business. “You have to figure out how to motive people, how to inspire people, how to lead people to do great things on the football field. It’s no different in business.”

Everyone can’t be a leader, he adds. “You need people to follow you, follow your vision — trust you to lead them to accomplish amazing things.”

For Kaulig, learning all the parts of the business was important and helped with scaling that business. What started as a basement office with $239,000 in revenue has grown to

153 offices in the U.S. and Canada and $1.7 billion in revenue.

Kaulig’s success at LeafFilter led to the creation of a series of companies, further demonstrating Kaulig’s ingenuity and versatility. In addition to founding LeafFilter, Kaulig is also the founder and executive chairman of the Kaulig Companies Ltd., the single member family office for him and his immediate family. As the family office, Kaulig Companies operates across a diverse spectrum of businesses, including sports, media, technology and advisory services.

The competitive athlete spirit has never left Kaulig. His sports ventures include Kaulig Racing, which is a multi-car NASCAR Xfinity and Cup Series team, and he is minority owner of the Cleveland Guardians baseball team. He also sponsors and runs

The Kaulig Companies Championship, a PGA Champions Tour Major at Firestone Country Club in Akron.

THE MORE WE MAKE, THE MORE WE GIVE

Giving is highly intentional and personal for Kaulig. So much so that in 2018, he started Kaulig Giving, which supports the well-being of children and families while developing partnerships with likeminded nonprofits. But it’s so much more than writing a check — Kaulig Giving fosters relationships.

Kaulig is a community leader in teaching responsible giving, highlighting opportunities to make a difference and fostering long-term relationships with the nonprofit community.

“We don’t want to just give away money,” says Kaulig, who has emerged as a

“Every day, we’re working to improve and grow, to do the best we can for our employees, customers and communities we serve.”

MATT KAULIG

mega-donor and who is setting an example for responsible giving. “We want to build relationships and be involved with nonprofits to create meaningful impact.”

It’s not hard to notice the good work coming out of Kaulig Giving. It has aligned with the LeBron James Family Foundation, The Cleveland Guardians Charities, CC Sabathia’s PitCCh In Foundation and the NASCAR Foundation, to name a few. To date, Kaulig Giving has given to over 400 nonprofit organizations. The Kaulig Companies Championship at Firestone has raised $2.6 million and has given back to 25 local nonprofits.

WE FIGURED IT OUT

“Twenty years ago, I never thought we’d be where we are today,” says Kaulig. “Technology changes, and so does the way you do business. But, at the end of the day, we still provide a solution people need.”

The trees aren’t going anywhere, and neither is Kaulig. One thing that is guaranteed — leaves will continue to fall into gutters, and Matt Kaulig will be there.

Addressing the future: “Every day, we’re working to improve and grow, to do the best we can for our employees, customers and communities we serve.”

Without hesitation, Kaulig adds, “The sky’s the limit.”

DID YOU KNOW?

What does 20 years of LeafFilter sales look like?

FOREVER GREEN AND WHITE.

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ON THE COVER

PLACES TO LIVE Greater Cleveland's greatest neighborhoods work to forge community. Plus, our Rating the Suburbs research project. Edited by Ron Ledgard

courtesy Laura Watilo Blake

FEATURED

DESIGN Scott Richardson is the interior designer behind some of the most iconic spaces in Northeast Ohio. By Ida Lieszkovszky

ART The Cleveland Museum of Art welcomes a major exhibition from Japanese artist Takashi Murakami.

BEAUTY Fidelity Hotel offers a new kind of Downtown stay.

INTEREST A renewed interest lands on classic crafting communities.

FRIENDS Acclaimed journalist Wesley Lowery shares the impact the Cavs have had on his friendships.

FOOD & DRINK

AND DOWN Gunselman's Steakhouse & Bar expertly expands its beloved burger pub brand with an elegant dining room and a basement pub in Olmsted Falls.

Cleveland native's book

restaurants.

PATIOS Northeast Ohio's finest patios shine in the summertime.

We are excited to share the Ruffing Montessori community with you. To schedule a personal tour, call the Admissions Office at 216.321.7571 or visit ruffingmontessori.net.

Discover more fun reasons to explore Cleveland’s diverse neighborhoods.

Meet some of the nurses who protect our quality of care.

Grab a sweet treat and discover why Rocky River is a great place to spend the day.

Get to know experienced real estate agents who can help you navigate Greater Cleveland’s housing market.

19036 Old Detroit Rd., Rocky River, 44116 440-333-9600, solarihome.com

Denise Polverine publisher Dillon Stewart editor

managing editor Ron Ledgard

senior editor Annie Nickoloff

associate editor Julia Lombardo

editorial assistants Danny Cunningham, Christina Rufo

contributing writers Annie Gleydura, Vince Guerrieri, Kristen Hampshire, Kate Bigam Kaput, Ida Lieszkovszky, Wesley Lowery, Lynne Thompson, Maura Zurick

editorial interns Lainey Novak, Jaden Stambolia

art director Erin Stinard

associate art director Abigail Archer

contributing artists Daniel Lozada, Kaitlin Walsh, Laura Watilo-Blake

photography intern Maya Holtzman editorial@clevelandmagazine.com

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vice president Paul Klein

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Photo Credit: Sonny Lindsey

Home Waters

The bobber floated still. My grandfather beamed as I watched tiny ripples fall away like grains of sand, yearning for a return to my friends, books and video games.

More than 30 lakes and ponds dot Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties, each within a 20-ish minute drive from the suburban city I loathed. At least once a summer, my grandfather would drag me to one of them. We’d load up tackle and a couple of cheap rods (he refused to upgrade because we weren’t “fancy a--es”) and climb aboard a motorized aluminum boat for two and kick off. We rarely caught a thing, maybe the occasional sunfish. We always ate the same sandwich: turkey, pepperoni, Dijon mustard and thick shards from a block of cheddar cheese on a fresh hoagie roll. Driving back, as the woods gave way to farmland and then to my housing development on the edge of city life and rural living, I dreamt of New York City or Paris or just about anywhere but here. Today, those lakes remain. My grandfather is gone. Gas stations and corporate chains grow like invasive weeds in my formerly slightly rural township, where my friends and I would swim in Big Creek, a tributary of the Grand River. After a decade Downtown and in Lakewood, my growing family, built with the girl I met in high school, lives in my native East Side suburb, just down the street from my parents. When asked what I’d eat for the rest of my life, that sandwich would be it. Life expands, and then it constricts.

My return to fishing was most unexpected. A few years ago, my buddy dragged me out to that same creek where I once swam. Our hike

began before dawn on a frigid March day. By the time we stepped through the riffles and waded into a pool, the sky was aflame in purple and orange. How fleeting and few these moments of awe become as we grow older.

For September to May, with highs in October and March, Northeast Ohio is part of a world-class fishery called Steelhead Alley, stretching from Buffalo to Vermilion. These 20-inch, gunmetal trout are best caught with fly rods, as opposed to the more popular spinning rods. Fly fishing is the practice of mimicking the insects and minnows that fish eat, typically by casting upstream and letting the dummy slowly drift downstream.

I wore the hat my grandfather gave me. Spreading out along the creek, I swear I smelled his rough, garlic hands after Sunday dinner. A warmth sunk to my toes under the late-winter water. Unable to even tie the knots on the line, I at least played enough baseball and darts to quickly take to the cast. After about 20 minutes, the indicator dipped under water. I yanked the rod to the sky. Line spilled from my reel. “Hold the line tight!” my friend shouted as he ran over with a net. The beast danced and jumped. After what felt like 20 minutes but was probably less than five, the tension fell away, and my buddy scooped the fish into the net. We screamed and highfived. I kissed it, took a couple pictures and guided it back into the current.

For all I know, that body of water is an

emulsion of souls that we all have and will once again float through. If that’s the case, I believe the universal current sheltering my patriarch led that fish to my hook.

Appreciation for a single person, place or moment trains the eye to find gratitude elsewhere in life. My new-father status has reconnected me to my family unit. Since moving back, I’ve walked miles along the Chagrin, now less than 10 minutes from my house, and also the Grand and plenty of creeks and brooks. My river adventures have shown Northeast Ohio in a new light. Reflecting on my grandfather has brought solace to the grief I’d suppressed. This summer, I’ll head back to the lakes and ponds we once fished. I’ll check the shorelines and tree lines for some trace of him. If he’s not there, the memories will still be. This place, once something I ran from, is and will always be home.

Dillon Stewart, editor

CONVERSATION

Flagged Down

In March, the CLE Flag Project unveiled The People’s Flag of Cleveland. The unofficial city flag was selected by voters across Cleveland and features a red, white and blue rectangle adorned with a prominent C, a six-pointed star and an angular point inward. Now that the flag has had some time to fly over homes, restaurants and businesses throughout the city, here’s what our readers had to say about the new design.

@a_restless_heart_ on Instagram ”Great idea, not-so-great design”

Sounds of the City

Our Cleveland Current playlist compiles the latest music to know in Cleveland’s local scene. Every month, find an updated list of hidden gems in pop, rap, punk and beyond. Scan this code in the Spotify app to listen, and follow Cleveland Magazine to stay tuned on when new songs are added.

@NickCastele on X “My cold take: old Cleveland flag is fine, just make the anvil and anchor bigger”

Alan Glazen on Facebook "It looks like old-school Communist/Maoist graphic art.”

@_ethangallagher_ on Instagram “This flag is awesome. It’s amazing. Very symbolic. Fairly voted on. I love this flag. I love Cleveland. Cleveland is awesome.”

@madameboompa on Instagram “I’d prefer they’d just plow the streets…”

the QR code

Marie Nader REALTOR

Marie Nader is a distinguished real estate professional celebrated for her remarkable achievements and commitment to excellence. Ranked in the “Top 1% Nationally”, she has consistently demonstrated unparalleled expertise and dedication in the real estate industry. Marie’s impressive career is adorned with accolades, including the prestigious “National Sales Excellence Awards” and the “Quality Service Award” from the #WomensCouncilOfRealtors, underscoring her unwavering focus on delivering exceptional client experiences.

As a “Notary Public” and a recipient of the “Champions Awards #LeadersMadeHere ”, Marie exemplifies leadership and professionalism. She was honored as a “Leading Lady of Real Estate”, a testament to her influence and impact in a competitive market. Recognized by “Cleveland Magazine” as a “Top Real Estate Agent”, Marie continues to set benchmarks for success while inspiring others in her field. Wit a reputation built on trust, and quality service, Marie Nader is not just a leader in real estate, she is a symbol of excellence and empowerment in the industry.

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Tantalizingly vivid flowers grin with open mouths, and flattened creatures swell with emotive expressions. Takashi Murakami’s art is a candycolored invitation into the past.

But there’s more to the famed Japanese artist’s work than a rainbow-paved journey of bright hues and fantastical faces. His new exhibition, Takashi Murakami: Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow, which runs through Sept. 7 at the Cleveland Museum of Art, comments on how generational trauma informs modern culture. The show began at The Broad in Los Angeles in 2022 and has been reimagined and expanded to 100 works for Cleveland.

“There’s a rich and complex engagement with global history and the nuances of our time and recent past,” says the CMA’s curator of contemporary art Emily Liebert.

A painter, sculptor and filmmaker, Murakami has built a worldwide following around his integration of fine art and commercial culture. Pulling heavily from anime, manga and the digital realm, his pantheon of colorful characters established the “superflat” art movement, which has been featured in collaborative works with brands including Louis Vuitton, Vans, Supreme, Crocs and most recently the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“Superflat refers to the flattened forms in Japanese art and plays on the supposed shallowness of Japanese consumer culture,” says Liebert. “He is playing with our expectations, that they will be shallow, but he is actually allowing for more complex interpretations.”

In the CMA exhibition, visitors are welcomed by a reconceptualized Yumedono, or Hall of Dreams, temple in the museum’s three-story Ames Family Atrium. Believed to heal people from suffering, the original octagonal temple in Nara, Japan, hosts a seventh-century Buddhist statue depicting Shōtoku Taishi. Unique to the Cleveland exhibition, the recreated temple serves as a physical and symbolic centerpiece for the vibrant sea of Murakami paintings and harks back to the rich historical collection of Japanese art that the museum pairs with them.

“The past can be a window to the present,” says Liebert, “which is important at a museum like the CMA, which is encyclopedic.”

Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow responds to three historical crises: the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the U.S. during World War II, the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in 2011, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Art, like religion, can be a rehabilitative agent in times of crisis. Murakami’s work speaks to those cultural energies.

Takashi Murakami’s indelible mark on global culture is seen in collaborations with pop stars like Kid Cudi and brands like Nike.

“Hustle’n’Punch By Kaikai And Kiki” is one of the many colorful artworks displaying Superflat style in Takashi Murakami’s upcoming exhibit.

“Murakami is interested in the ways that trauma impacts individuals,” says Liebert, “not only manifested through grief, but also through an outpouring of creativity, religious fervor and obsessions with a parallel universe found in the digital realm.”

Displayed in the temple are four new paintings, all created in 2024. “Blue Dragon,” “Vermillion Bird,” “White Tiger” and “Black Tortoise” emphasize Murakami’s recent fascination with the Japanese city Kyoto as a vital keeper of many of the country’s cultural traditions, including monumental screen painting, ikebana, Kabuki theater, geisha and teahouse traditions. This engagement with Japanese culture is enhanced by the CMA’s vast Japanese art collection. “Looking at our historic collections, there’s a real relationship to contemporary art,” says Liebert.

Among the pieces not to miss, Liebert points to the colossal 10-by-32-foot painting “100 Arhats,” which references Buddhistenlightened individuals who delay their own journey to transcendence in order to guide others on their path to enlightenment. Murakami depicts the Arhats in his iconic figure-warping style, creating towering, almost ghastly, 2-D characters among classic religious iconography.

Murakami’s most iconic character, Mr. DOB, acts as a guide throughout the exhibition. The manga-inspired mascot, who sports sharp teeth, glaring eyes and a globular face, first emerged in 1994 and takes inspiration from iconic characters like Mickey Mouse and Hello Kitty. Central in Murakami’s works, Mr. DOB serves as Murakami’s ever-evolving alter ego, taking on a multitude of transformations throughout the exhibition, paralleling the experience of monumental change undergone by the Japanese public due to these three major historical events. Among the bright, beaming flowers, prodigious depictions of dragons and gigantic glittering tigers, a throughline of creativity emerges that fuels Murakami’s questioning of greater meaning through crisis.

“There are so many ways to address crisis, healing, outrage and escapist fantasy,” says Liebert. “He issues an irresistible invitation, and then once you’re in the art, there’s this opportunity to ask bigger questions and consider more complex issues.”

GETTING OUT

A Playground for Everyone at Solon Community Park

Sebastian’s Playground opened in Solon through community funding on April 26. Named in honor of Sebastian Botirius, the inclusive play space features slides, unique climbing structures and musical instruments that are stimulating and accessible. “It was important that Sebastian’s Playground was built for children of all abilities,” says his father, Kip Botirius, “and that it fosters creativity, connection and physical growth in a safe and inspiring environment.” Sebastian passed away in 2022 at the age of 4 from LRBA Deficiency, a rare genetic disorder that affects the immune system. Like many other children, one of his favorite activities was playing at a playground. “It carries forward Sebastian’s memory by creating moments of belonging for every child who visits,” Kip says. 6679 SOM Center Road, Solon, sebastiansplaygrounds.org

PRIDE IN THE CLE

Every Pride Month, Downtown erupts in a streets-wide parade of color, as thousands gather from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. for a day of love, joy and acceptance. At Malls B and C, find a festival of local food, entertainment and shopping that all celebrates Cleveland’s LGBTQ+ community. Free, Downtown Cleveland, lgbtcleveland.org

HAMILTON OPENING NIGHT AT KEYBANK STATE THEATRE

Cleveland will have a Hamilton summer, as the renowned play returns to Playhouse Square through July 6. See scandal and revolution in action through the complex life story of Alexander Hamilton, told with contemporary flair and catchy show tunes. $59+, 1519 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, playhousesquare.org

KAULIG COMPANIES CHAMPIONSHIP

The vets of pro golf return to Firestone Country Club for a highly acclaimed stop on the PGA Tour Champions. See how iconic golf holes like The Monster (No. 16) show their teeth in this ultimate test of stroke play.

$13+, 452 E. Warner Road, Akron, kauligchampionship.com

TRI-C JAZZFEST

Global icons like Dianne Reeves, Pedrito Martinez, Sun Ra Arkestra and Stanley Clarke fuse with local and regional jazz acts in this Playhouse Square concert series under the chandelier. Experience the rich history of jazz, and see its future come to life.

Various prices, Playhouse Square, tri-c.edu/jazzfest

Creative Transformation

Downtown Cleveland’s boutique Fidelity Hotel showcases a new vision for a historic office building.

FIDELITY HOTEL IS A TESTAMENT to independence. East Sixth Street’s newest lodging option isn’t run of the mill. It doesn’t hang cookiecutter hotel chain art. Texas-based New Waterloo management, which operates multiple hotels across the country, embraced the region and brought in 30 local artists, who crafted artistic designs throughout the entrance, the first floor and the rest of the hotel.

“Our independent nature allows us to provide a level of service that is unmatched in the local community,” says Fidelity general manager Eric Conrad. “We can cater the experience exactly how we believe our guests will benefit most without a brand standing in our way.”

The Downtown hotel boasts Club Room, an all-day restaurant, bar and lounge on the first floor. Executive chef Daniel Young, who first trained at Michael Symon’s Lolita and Mabel’s BBQ before leading acclaimed concepts in Denver and Portland, recently refreshed a menu

that features American and Italian classics. The drink menu offers a slew of martinis, including one made with tequila. A connected private dining room features a mural by fourth-generation Cleveland artist Lari Jacobsen that depicts historic Cleveland symbols like the Guardians of Traffic and a fiery Cuyahoga River.

As guests navigate to their spaces, they’ll see details of the building’s former layout, including original mail chutes in the hallways. New Waterloo management focused on the history of Cleveland and the 103-year-old Baker Building, formerly the Fidelity Mortgage Building, and ultimately made the hotel as much a draw for locals as it is for travelers.

Of the 97 guest rooms, 11 are suites, while the rest are queen and king rooms. Each space has French oak hardwood floors (except the Fidelity suite, which features white oak hardwood floors) that complement the warm interiors. Black rotary phones and leather chairs complete the vintage setting curated by Fidelity Hotel, while Italian Bellino linens and Allegrini bathroom amenities add touches of luxury. Conrad says the rooms are designed so guests “feel like their hotel room is an extension of their home,” which gives them a personal feel.

“It was used as an office building for almost 100 years,” Conrad says. “We truly believe this level of hospitality deserves to be in this building and area once again.”

Rooms range in footprint, with queen rooms (235-350 square feet), kings (248-277 square feet), the Petite suite (365 square feet) the Vincent suite (671 square feet) and the huge Fidelity suite (695 square feet). Smaller rooms range from $165 to $375 per night, while larger rooms cost $800 or more.

The Petite suite is a corner room, and the Vincent and Fidelity suites have separate dining and living areas with custom furniture, a larger walk-in shower and a powder room. They set the stage for small groups for events like weddings, with spaces suitable for brides getting ready with their bridesmaids.

In the case of weddings, guests can head to The Hollenden, a 1,851-square-foot reception hall inside Fidelity Hotel with space for 100 guests. Cleveland business execs can plan team-building retreats in the 380-squarefoot board room or close out big deals in a private dining room featuring a round table that can host up to eight people.

“We are very proud of the ways we are devoted to fostering a hotel that is more than just a place to stay,” Conrad says, “but rather a focal point for connection, collaboration, and community advancement.”

Fidelity Hotel features local art, luxury amenities, upscale dining options and event rental spaces at 1940 E. Sixth St.

Granny Chic

Imagine That & More Studio predates today’s trends in textile crafting, with a robust and supportive community that’s kept the space alive. We joined a sewing class at the studio to learn the ways of the pros and discover the heart of the experience.

My shoeless foot is fixed on the sewing machine’s pedal. I take a deep breath and allow my sewing instructor and stand-in grandmother, Beth Krumhans, to guide my hands forward. In unison, we steer the fabric under the bobbing needle, ensuring the path of stitches is straight.

Krumhans puts it in simple terms. “Sewing is like driving a car in reverse,” she says. “Steer the opposite direction you want the line of stitches to go.”

I feel Krumhans’ hands slowly release from the fabric, and I am brought back to riding a bike for the very first time — my dad has just released his steady hand from my back, yet this time, my foot is only fixed to one pedal and the road ahead is sprinkled with pins. Ornate quilts surround me on the walls of Imagine That & More Studio. The Kamm’s Corners shop and school for quilting, knitting and crocheting is building a community of crafters of all ages. Seated behind a sewing machine for the first time, I am attempting to create my own place mat.

“I always say, Jesus saved me, but quilting mended my soul,” says Megan Sorn, the founder of Imagine That & More.

In 2019, Sorn experienced severe head trauma from a fall. As a result, she spent eight days in a coma. From the experience, the realization that everything can be gone within an instant, coupled with the realities

Young crafters have gravitated to sewing and knitting as the hobbies gain steam on social media. Some craft shops in Cleveland teach beginners how to make their first stitch.

of the pandemic, sparked the concept that became Imagine That & More. Sorn opened the studio space as a way to bring people of different backgrounds and identities together to craft and create.

“It’s not just the sewing and the rhythm of the sewing or the crocheting,” she says. “It’s the community that goes with it.”

The shop focuses on building beginner and advanced skills, offering roughly 12 classes a week in quilting, knitting, crocheting and longarm sewing machine classes. The team creates a comfortable environment for avid crafters, and they work with the greater community to spread joy through handmade creations. For example, in a recent partnership with Saint Joseph Academy, the shop created “Love Bugs” — stuffed companions for the Ronald McDonald Family Room at Cleveland Clinic Fairview Hospital.

Imagine That & More 3756

Rocky River Drive, Cleveland, 216-417-1155 imaginethatnmore.com

My interest in textile crafting grew out of the blossoming granny square fashion trend. My Gen Z friends were all picking up the hobby, but I figured, what better way to jump on the bandwagon than to learn from the grannies themselves? My original goal was to make something for myself to wear, but I was not expecting an emotional and

Cambridge/ Guernsey County

Travel to the vineyards, wineries and breweries of the Appalachian foothills in southeastern Ohio. Wine and craft beer enthusiasts can drink in the natural beauty as they savor the taste of regional beverages in three counties. Plus, enjoy overnight accommodations, transportation and discount tickets to The Wilds.

627 Wheeling Ave. Suite 200 Cambridge 43725 740-432-2022 visitguernseycounty.com

Located in the heart of the Grand River Valley, Ferrante Winery is the perfect place for a summer getaway. Taste the fruits of over 75 years of innovative winemaking experience. The tasting room is open seven days a week, and guests can even stop for a bite at the full-service Italian restaurant and enjoy live entertainment on the weekends.

5585 St. Rte. 307 Geneva 44041 440-466-8466 ferrantewinery.com

Laurentia Vineyard and Winery

Laurello Vineyards is a family-owned winery providing hand-crafted, award-winning wines, specially prepared foods and beer on tap. Laurello offers premium, vinifera wines in addition to unique blends and delicious ice wines. We invite you to stop by to experience our boutique winery.

4573 St. Rte. 307 E. Geneva 44041 440-415-0661 laurellovineyards.com

Laurentia Vineyard and Winery is located within the Grand River Valley. Situated upon 48 acres of estate vineyards, Laurentia’s awardwinning wines, such as the Double Gold Stoltz Block Cabernet, may be perfectly paired with a variety of boards, shared plates and artisan flatbreads.

4599 S. Madison Rd. Madison 44057 440-296-9175 laurentiawinery.com

Lincoln Way Vineyards

“Find Your Wine Time” at Lincoln Way Vineyards. The winery boasts a variety of wines ranging from dry to sweet and everything in between, all made using Ohio-grown grapes. Hard ciders are also available and made using locally sourced apples. Look forward to live music, food truck, ticketed vineyard and production tours and other special events during weekends throughout the year.

9050 W. Old Lincoln Way Wooster 44691 330-804-WINE lincolnwayvineyards.com

This winery on the shores of Lake Erie is open seven days a week year-round, featuring daily live music from Memorial Day through Labor Day and a full kitchen that serves both lunch and dinner.

5499 Lake Rd. E. Geneva-on-the-Lake 44041 440-466-9300 oldfirehousewinery.com

Stonegait Winery is a familyowned winery, featuring estate and American wines all crafted on-site. We offer a full menu showcasing our wood fired pizzas, appetizers, sandwiches and more. Along with our large wine selection, we have beers on tap, bourbons and specialty drinks. We invite you in to enjoy our beautiful patio and relaxing atmosphere. 4275 Bates Rd. Madison 44691 440-307-9571 stonegaitwinery.com

White Timbers Winery, Events & Vineyard offers a tranquil atmosphere indoors and out. This unique, familyowned business specializes in creating individualized experiences for each of its guests. Stay up to date by following the winery on Facebook and Instagram.

10036 Rittman Rd. Wadsworth 44281 330-331-7383 thewhitetimbers.com

2025 HBA 2025 CLEVELAND CHOICE AWARD WINNERS

The Home Builders Association (HBA) of Greater Cleveland was one of the first HBA’s to start doing online judging. This was to allow experts in other areas of the country to review, grade and choose the best residential building and remodeling projects from those entered in northeast Ohio.

The HBA Cleveland Choice Awards grows each year and we are extremely proud of our members and the work that they do. We want to sincerely thank those volunteers who stepped forward to judge the 2025 submissions. Each judge was given a specific category to rate the entries based on their individual area of expertise. There were more than 14 judges from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Michigan that participated in judging this year. Here are our winners:

BEST PERFORMANCE IN NEW HOME

SALES

$5-10 Million

K. Hovnanian Homes

Kyle Shilling, Susan Quilter, Stacey Yezbak, Victoria Werner, Kaylee Zbasnik

Drees Homes

George Pelesky, Erin Rogers, Amanda Bundy

Bundy Otero Signature Homes

Lindsey Monger

Payne & Payne

David Hesse, Michael Yoe

Petros Homes

Chelsey Berkey

$10-15 Million

K. Hovnanian Homes

Monica Brown, Connie Linkous, Marissa Lubera

Drees Homes

Jill Scott

Pulte Homes

Steve Udovic

$15 Million or More

Pulte Homes

Diane Hentz, Brandon Rolko, Julie Dey

Drees Homes

Michele Mave, Debbie Meyer

Petros Homes

David Binder

Payne & Payne

Jason Baylor

BEST SALES ENVIRONMENT

Best Sales Showroom/Design Center Horner Networks

BEST INTERIOR DESIGN

Interior Design: $500,000–$750,000

JEMM Construction

Interior Design: $1,000,000–$1,500,000

Ovation Interior Design

Interior Design: $1,500,000–$2,000,000

JEMM Construction

Interior Design: Over $2,500,000

Ovation Interior Design

BEST INTERIOR ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN – SINGLE FAMILY

Interior Architectural Design:

Under $500,000

Cuyahoga Land Bank

Interior Architectural Design:

$500,000–$750,000

Perrino Builders & Remodeling

Interior Architectural Design:

$750,000–$1,000,000

Keselman Construction Group

Interior Architectural Design:

$1,000,000–$1,500,000

Drees Homes

Interior Architectural Design:

$1,500,000–$2,000,000

Otero Signature Homes

BEST INTERIOR ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN – CONDO OR CLUSTER

Interior Architectural Design–

Condo, Cluster, TH Mancuso Homes

BEST EXTERIOR ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN–SINGLE FAMILY

Exterior Architectural Design: Under $500,000

Cuyahoga Land Bank

Exterior Architectural Design:

$500,000–$750,000

Mancuso Homes

Exterior Architectural Design:

$750,000–$1,000,000

Pulte Homes

Exterior Architectural Design:

$1,000,000-$1,500,000

Drees Homes

Exterior Architectural Design:

$1,500,000-$2,000,000

JEMM Construction

BEST EXTERIOR ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN–CONDO OR CLUSTER

Exterior Architectural Design–Condo, Cluster, TH Keystate Homes

BEST COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Condo or Cluster Community

Petros Home

Single Family Community

Pulte Homes

BEST REMODEL

Bathroom Renovation : Under $100,000

Keselman Construction Group

Bathroom Renovation: Over $100,000

Keselman Construction Group

Basement Renovation

Payne & Tompkins

Kitchen Renovation: Under $100,000

Keselman Construction Group

Kitchen Renovation: $100,000-$150,000

Otero Signature Homes

Kitchen Renovation: Over $150,000

Mancuso Homes

Interior Renovation: Under $150,000

Keselman Construction Group

Interior Renovation: Over $150,000

Keselman Construction Group

Exterior Renovation: Under $150,000

Timan & Co. Construction

Exterior Renovation: $150,000-$250,000

Mancuso Homes

Overall Addition: Under $200,000

Mancuso Homes

Overall Addition: $200,000-$300,000

MJ Builders

Overall Addition: $300,000-$400,000

Bennett Builders & Remodelers

Overall Addition: Over $400,000

Keselman Construction Group

Remodeled Home: Under $250,000

Cuyahoga Land Bank

Remodeled Home: $250,000-$500,000

Element Design/Build/Remodel

Remodeled Home: Over $500,000

Bennett Builders & Remodelers

BEST CUSTOM HOME

Specialty Entertainment Room (indoors or outdoors)

Mancuso Homes

Green Built Home: Under 2500 Square Feet

Mancuso Homes

Green Built Home: 2501-4000 Square Feet

Keystate Homes

Overall Custom Home:

$500,000-$750,000

JEMM Construction

Overall Custom Home:

$750,000-$1,000,000

Keselman Construction

Overall Custom Home:

$1,000,000-$1,500,000

Skoda Construction

Overall Custom Home:

$1,500,000-$2,000,000

Otero Signature Homes

Overall Custom Home:

$2,000,000-$2,500,000

Payne & Payne

Overall Custom Home: Over $2,500,000

Banyan Designer Homes

transformative experience.

“There’s something about the space that just does the healing,” Sorn says. “I always laugh. I’m like, OK, Lord, so it wasn’t really for me, it was for them.”

As I reach the severed end of my fabric swatches, Krumhans instructs me to turn the hand wheel on the machine to lift the needle. I flip up the presser foot and snip the thread, revealing the new patchwork textile, which is half bright yellow with white daisies and little red apples and half sage green and white gingham. Watching the magical mismatched fabrics mesh together to create a beautiful textile reminded me that Krumhans’ mother once taught her to alter clothing to fit her petite frame.

And now she was teaching me, welcoming me into that lineage.

“There’s something about the space that just does the healing,” Sorn says of her community space. “I love coffee. I like beer. But when I sit and have my tea or coffee, it’s gone. I’ve consumed something. When I’ve sewn, I’ve made something. And then if I give it away, it is a double blessing.”

Imagine That & More studio gives back through crafts, like “Love Bugs” for children in local clinics and care facilities.

The Best Team in Basketball: On Friendship and Fandom

One Clevelander contemplates the Cavaliers’ enduring impact on his life, from the excitement of childhood fandom to the evolving dynamics of male friendship, sports and identity.

When I lived in New Jersey, I always kept my bedroom window cracked, listening for the hollow sound of orange leather hitting the asphalt. The boys who hooped a few houses down were older kids, middle and high schoolers with wave caps and Jordans, who, as long as I wasn’t too annoying, let me sit and watch and learn. When, the summer before eighth grade, my parents announced we were moving to Ohio, I refused to board the moving van until after I could ring the doorbell and say goodbye.

Two months earlier, the Cavs used the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft to select an Akron kid who, as a high schooler, had already been crowned “The Chosen One” on the cover of Sports Illustrated. “If you ever find yourself in Cleveland,” I mumbled to the boy who’d taught me about PlayStation, Eminem and jump shots and who has undoubtedly since

forgotten all about me. “We can go see if this LeBron kid is any good.”

A friend of mine moved here about a decade before me and despises the city to this day. Compared to the 1990s Atlanta, a mecca of culture, the Black American Hollywood-post-crack Cuyahoga County was a life sentence to a layer of hell. But when I arrived, I saw the blighted industrial wasteland with bright immigrant’s eyes. The New York City suburbs, where I’d grown up to that point, are a salad bowl of ethnicities and cultures; a picture painted with clashing colors. Cleveland, at least in the 2000s, moved with bolder binaries. Black and white. East and west. City and ’burbs. The public schools and the parochials. It was a hopeful city when it wasn’t busy being depressed. That, I understood. Some places feel complicated. To me, Cleveland never did. Male friendship, on the other hand, has, for me, always been hard. But less so then. You talk, watch sports, and then you talk about them. Fandom is a bonding agent, an assembler of tribes. I’m no lover of rules. But the rules of Cleveland sports were easy enough. We like the Dolans. We hate the Wolverines. We curse the Modells. LeBron was our child king, our promise of better days ahead. He was the future. And we believe in the future. We’re earnest, brokenhearted fools who know that this could be the year and that this won’t be the year, and that there’s always next year. We can make fun of our city and ourselves. (“At least we’re not Detroit!”) You, on the other hand, cannot.

Superstars like Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland mirror the Cavs’ glory days and rekindle fans’ fierce connections.

Bratenahl

Each morning of eighth grade, I’d convene with Teddy and Mike outside of the middle school science lab to recount LeBron’s highlights and statlines from the night before. In high school, Colin and I would sit at a suburban Winking Lizard to eat wings, drink Cherry Cokes and shout at Drew Gooden. At the college paper, Joe and I would argue with Vince, our sports columnist and inhouse Cavs critic. On weekends, KG, Sean, Drew and I would debate which hat we’d each wear. They were Kevin’s hats, so they were community hats. We’d pregame to the team’s ’70s fight song, and then we’d watch at Steve’s crooked-sitting house on Mound Street or Evan and Max’s spot in Palmer Place or, when we were home, KG’s parents’ garage in Old Brooklyn. We learned to love Varejao and Boobie, and we stomached Paul Silas’s offense and Mike Brown’s allergy to timeouts. We laughed and cried and argued and hugged. We’d have given a minor appendage for Max Strus or Ty Jerome and eagerly amputated a major one for Kenny Atkinson. We were despondent. We were frustrated. We were hopeless. We were home.

On the summer night of The Decision, I drank cheap beer with Josh, a fellow Detroit News intern, and spent the drive making phone call welfare checks on Mike from high school and KG from college. By the time our prodigal king returned in 2014 to take us to glory, my guys were dispersed across the country. Our conversations had long since

grown beyond stat lines. There’d been weddings and babies, promotions and layoffs. Great loves and losses. I still wasn’t the most natural about talking to the guys about any of it. I’m still not. But it’s easier knowing that, if things get too awkward, we can just glance at what’s happening on the court. There’s always a game happening somewhere and a discussion to be had about it in group chats.

On the night that, for the Cavs, “next year” finally became “this one,” I was in D.C., pacing between the front and back rooms of Solly’s on U Street, where Ohio State fans gather and an Ohio University pennant hangs on the wall. I’m told that, when Kyrie hit The Shot, I mounted the bar to lead the chants. Footage allegedly exists, but I’ve never watched — less out of embarrassment and more concern that my body can’t handle re-experiencing such joy. At some point I stumbled outside to call the guys one-by-one.

It’s been 22 years since he and I arrived in Cleveland. Our city, our country and the game have all changed. We live, in so many ways, in the world that LeBron built. Windhorst and McMenamin break news on TV. Rich Paul damn near runs the whole league. Dwyane Wade is the patriarch of one of Black America’s first families. Richard Jefferson’s voice chirps the in-game commentary. As King James winds down his career in Laker gold, his oldest son works to be part of the franchise’s future. Players speak directly to their fans about their trades and suspensions and the stories from league locker rooms. The Decision, today, would feel quaint. Magic and Bird brought the game to the national stage. MJ, Shaq and Kobe made it a global spectacle. LeBron and his cohort have cemented it as America’s sport. They leave

behind a league whose next generation of superstars hail from Serbia, Slovenia, Athens, Paris and Ontario but know that, to best the best, they have to play here. They leave a sport whose most exciting future chapters are playing out in the W: Angel and Caitlin. Kelsey and A’ja. The Rockers didn’t get back for Paige but, if they could manage to hurry it up, might be able to snag Azzi or KK.

Cleveland is now a city defined less by past blight than it is the brightness of our future. There’s still work to be done. The Opportunity Corridor still feels full of more corridors than seized opportunities. But we’ve got fresh leaders and new innovation. The Flats no longer resemble a Scooby-Doo ghost town. We host conventions and, maybe, if we figure out this stadium thing, a Super Bowl.

And the Cavs are the best team in basketball. The banner that once proclaimed us all witnesses to LeBron’s greatness now instructs the city it’s time to let ‘em know on our own. We’ve got a starting lineup full of superlatives. Garland: the best pure point guard since Price. Mobley: the most promising talent since Kyrie. Allen: the best true big since Ilgauskas. Mitchell: the purest scorer to ever don wine and gold. There’s no longer any need for self-deprecation. “This team,” my youngest brother told me as we walked from Rocket Arena after the Thanksgiving Eve game against the Hawks, “is something special.” To be the best Cavs team ever, it’s got to win it all. Current ring count: LeBron, Kevin, Kyrie and J.R — 1. Donovan, Darius, Evan and Jarrett — 0. Hopefully, this playoff run will stretch long enough for me to make it back to Cleveland to watch a game.

To be clear, I won’t actually attend in person. It would be nice to watch with my dad and the brother who still lives in the city. KG died a few years ago, but I bet I can find his siblings and cousins in that Old Brooklyn garage. The city has changed. Cleveland is the same. Maybe I’ll pop up to see my former roommates, now in Chicago, or my Cleveland-born buddies clustered in New York. We’re grown men watching a game that transports us back home. We’re grown men longing for more: more LeBron, more championship rings, more vulnerability in the still-complicated community we’ve built.

Will this be the year? This could be the year, even if we’re not supposed to say that. If not, there’s next year. On the night these playoffs end, no matter how they end for us, I’ll be back at Solly’s, in the corner beneath the bowling trophies and Bobcat banner, a double club soda and lime to my left and my D.C. guys to my right.

Editor’s Note: This story was published during the second round of the NBA Playoffs.

LeBron James defines the current basketball world, influencing the culture and industry on and off the court.

Solon Schools has received the #1 education ranking from Cleveland Magazine for 15 consecutive years.

Parks & Recreation

10 tennis courts, 4 pickleball courts, 10 baseball fields, playground areas, two sand volleyball courts and a full-sized basketball court. Additionally, the Park offers a walking path and a large pavilion. Plus, Grantwood Golf Course and 1,200 acres of Cleveland Metroparks.

Community Center

Indoor and outdoor pools, gymnasium, jogging track, meeting and banquet rooms, aerobics studio, free weight room, rock climbing wall and a fitness area.

Center for the Arts

Theater, art, dance and musical programming and exhibitions.

Solon is ranked #2 in Best Places to Raise a Family in Cuyahoga County in 2025 by Niche.com

Solon Business Community

Home to over 900 businesses from global headquarters to our favorite mom-and-pop shops and 60 restaurants that satisfy every craving. Solon’s economy is perfectly suited for new and expanding businesses.

Contact ashaker@solonohio.org if you would like to open a business in Solon.

Gunselman’s Steakhouse & Tavern enters a new chapter in the historic former Olmsted Falls library building. CONTINUED ON PAGE 34

BY

PHOTO

KAITLIN WALSH

An 80-Year-Old Burger Pub Takes a Step Into Elevated Territory

Gunselman’s Tavern builds on its legacy with two new concepts, an upscale steakhouse and an Irish pub, in a century-old Olmsted Falls building.

Gunselman’s Steakhouse & Bar 7928 Main St., Olmsted Falls, 440-202-9705, gunselmanssteakhouse.com

No one’s checking out novels anymore inside the 1800s-era colonial that once housed the Olmsted Falls Library. These days, it’s the reservation book that’s getting all the action — ever since Gunselman’s Steakhouse & Bar opened in July 2024 in the historic downtown building.

The owners, a group of four high school friends, considered calling their newest endeavor The Library, but they decided to stick with a name that has a history of its own. Gunselman’s Tavern has been a Fairview Park mainstay since 1936, and Gunselman’s To>Go opened in Rocky River in 2023. Though the newest addition to the Gunselman’s family of restaurants is considerably more upscale than its predecessors, the owners liked the idea of honoring the beloved brand they’ve worked so hard to build.

“We’ve had so much success with Gunselman’s, and it’s always evolving,” says co-owner David Grace. “We wanted to give the new place some instant credibility by using our name in it.”

It seems to have worked. Like its humbler Fairview Park forerunner, the steakhouse is slammed nearly every night of the week, especially on weekends. Not as fancy and highfalutin as most steakhouses, the point is accessible food in a bustling community atmosphere.

The renovated space is unrecognizable from its library days in both appearance and noise level, buzzing with conversation, laughter and the clinking sounds of drinks being served. The decor is intentionally minimalist, aside from an accent wall made of 1800s barn doors and an ornate tin ceiling — the same one that once graced chef Michael Symon’s now-defunct Lolita.

“We were able to renovate the ceiling so that it looks brand new, which adds a lot to the dining area,” Grace says. “But in general, we believe less is more, and we didn’t want to take away from the beautiful views.”

He’s referring to the serene David Fortier Park, a five-acre green space that butts up

against the back of the building, and to the historic Charles A. Harding Memorial Covered Bridge across the street, a local landmark where many a photo shoot takes place. Inside the steakhouse, picture windows on each wall frame views of the peaceful surroundings, while front and back patios provide more seating in warm weather.

Behind the scenes, chef Mario Izzo has created a traditional steakhouse menu featuring simple, straightforward fare that’s set apart by flawless execution and an ambiance that’s warmer and more inviting than your average steakhouse.

Entrees range in price from $20 for thinsliced blackened grouper filets to $100 for a 32-ounce Angus Beef bone-in tomahawk rib-eye of epic proportions. More down-toearth choices include a 12-ounce strip steak ($38), twin 8-ounce lamb chops ($43) and shrimp and grits with grilled scallops ($30). There are a few homages to the original Gunselman’s, too, like Irish Kevin’s Paprikash ($19), a massive, steaming bowl of homemade spaetzle with tender, fall-apart chicken thighs in a thick, paprika-spiced veggie sauce. (It’s the least expensive entree on the menu but also the one most likely to send you home with two meals’ worth of leftovers.)

Most of the entrees come with two sides.

Delicious as they are, though, don’t let them keep you from ordering an appetizer — especially the buttery lobster bisque ($14), with thick chunks of Maine claw and knuckle meat that bring an authentic New England taste to rival any you’ll find on the coast. The breaded calamari with banana peppers ($15) is a delight, too. Light, crispy and snackable, it’s the perfect choice to tide over the whole table while you wait on the main event.

Speaking of waiting for the main event, though, this isn’t just a steakhouse. The restaurant’s full name is Gunselman’s Steakhouse & Bar — and while there is a bar within the steakhouse itself, there’s also a full, separate pub downstairs. Because of its proximity to the steakhouse (just a short staircase away), it’s a perfect complement to your dinner reservation.

“We originally thought that some people might come in and have a burger instead of a steak,” says co-owner Joe McDonough, “but now we’re seeing people on both ends, either coming in for a drink while they’re waiting for their table upstairs or coming down for a nightcap afterward.”

The pub’s smaller, more laid-back menu is delightfully Irish, closer to those of the Fairview Park and Rocky River locations — a bowl of heart mulligan stew ($17), egg rolls

WHEN YOU GO

SNAG A SEAT

Walk-ups are possible, but if you want to dine in the steakhouse, it’s best to make plans ahead of time.

The pub, however, is firstcome, first-served.

SWEET SATISFACTION

The surprisingly long dessert menu features a smooth vanilla cheesecake ($7) and a dreamy, bourbon-laced sweet potato pie ($7).

TAKE A HIKE

No stuffy steakhouse dress code here, so don’t be afraid to stop in if you’ve been out sweating on the park trails. The menu is fancy. You don’t have to be!

The fancier dining room features Edison bulbs and tin ceilings from the iconic restaurant Lolita, while the basement pub features sheet metal paneling, neon signs and draft Guinness.

filled with corned beef and sauerkraut ($13) and burgers made with a custom blend of brisket, chuck and short rib. Especially of note is the delicious Dubliner ($13), topped with Irish white cheddar cheese, crunchy bacon and signature spicy BBQ sauce.

“We almost like to think of it as the mullet of fine dining,” Grace jokes. “You know, business in the front, party downstairs.”

The buzzy din and full tables in both the steakhouse and pub make clear that the newest iteration of Gunselman’s has already firmly established itself as a place for festivities and joy — so much so that it’s hard to believe that this same building once housed the quietest of communities. Less than a year into service, it has hosted everything from rehearsal dinners and anniversary parties to celebration-of-life events after burials at nearby Holy Cross Cemetery.

But just as important are the everyday diners: couples on dates, friends catching up and families enjoying a meal together. It’s a real slice-of-life kind of spot, and Grace and McDonough say it all represents exactly what they hoped for when they decided to expand the Gunselman’s footprint.

“Our goal was to kind of create what we did at Gunselman’s but on a higher scale,” Grace says, “We’ve always thought of Gunselman’s as a public house, a place for people to meet, and we wanted the steakhouse to have that same feel. Very family-friendly, really a part of the neighborhood.”

Where We Gathered

In his new book, Dining Out, Cleveland native Erik Piepenburg documents how restaurants — not just bars — have played a major role in the LGBTQ+ movement.

ERIK PIEPENBURG TEARS UP talking about his debut book, Dining Out: First Dates, Defiant Nights, and Last Call Disco Fries at America’s Gay Restaurants. Wearing a sharp slate sweater, the fit 50-something-year-old New York Times contributor with neat graying hair nibbles on a pastry and sips a latte at Duck-Rabbit Coffee in Ohio City. It’s his annual trip home to attend the Cleveland International Film Festival and to visit his mom.

What is a gay restaurant? Is this coffee shop one? No. At least not right now. But maybe sometimes. Or some day.

“I don’t mean to sound like a dick when I say this, but a gay restaurant is a restaurant where there are mostly gay people eating,” Piepenburg says. “When I moved from Cleveland to New York in 1989, you would walk into certain restaurants in Chelsea and it was a sea of gay men.”

From New York City’s Stonewall Inn to Los Angeles’s The Black Cat Tavern to Cleveland’s The Cadillac Lounge, gay bars’ important role in the LGBTQ+ movement is well-documented. Yet, they are not for everyone. Bars cater to drugs, alcohol and loud music — not the best places for older people looking for companionship, teenagers struggling with identity or anyone seeking sobriety. Gay restaurants, by contrast, offer a safe place to mingle and talk.

“They are very different experiences,” he says. “I wanted to explore, since the early 1900s to our queer today, where have gay people been eating and why?”

Today, one can walk through Ohio City, Tremont, Downtown and even the suburbs and see pride flags hanging from the windows. Heck, the streets of Hingetown are painted rainbow. Yet, many of those spaces

The closing of Chicago’s Melrose Diner inspired the North Olmsted native to explore the history of gay restaurants.

are dominated by heterosexual, cisgender men and women. The same is even happening at many gay bars, where (mostly) straight women go to dance on Saturday nights or during bachelorette parties.

Are those flag-hanging spaces gay restaurants and bars? Not necessarily, even if the gesture is important and appreciated.

“It immediately says, Hey, even if you’re the only gay couple in this restaurant, don’t worry about it. We support you,” Piepenburg says. “That doesn’t make it a gay restaurant. But that’s progress in some ways.”

As a college student at DePaul University and then a young producer at MSNBC.com, Piepenburg ate at Melrose Diner “three to four times a week,” he says, often after studying late or working second shift. The 56-year-old Lakeview restaurant in Boystown served pancakes, omelets and, most notably, sweet-and-sour cabbage soup 24 hours a day behind a red-and-yellow ’60s, bulb-lit sign.

When it closed in 2017, Piepenburg mourned the loss of his once second home, the place where he once went on dates and got to know servers’ names and watched guys walk to the bars after long evenings at work. The place, but more importantly the people who worked and ate there, deserved to be remembered. That loss became an impetus for Dining Out

“I wouldn’t quite say a death in the family, but this place that meant so much to me is now gone. The camaraderie that you get at that kind of a gay restaurant is gone,” he says. “So, I wanted to remember Melrose by talking about what it means to be a gay restaurant.”

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A Gen Xer growing up in North Olmsted, Piepenburg found kinship with those who shared his passion for culture. Late nights at The Phantasy introduced him to industrial bands. CIFF programs helped develop his love for film, which now appears in his coverage of horror movies for the Times. Finding a gay community in Northeast Ohio wasn’t as easy as a “deeply closeted” teenager.

Working on Dining Out, however, recontextualized one important place from his teen years. Few would peg My Friends restaurant on the Lakewood-Cleveland border as a gay restaurant. And at most times of the day, it was not. In the early morning, factory workers and police officers ate dinner after the third shift. Later in the a.m., families and older people would enjoy a leisurely breakfast before office workers grabbed a bite at lunch or on the way home. However, the atmosphere and clientele were different after those shows at The Phantasy.

“I didn’t quite know it at the time, but now looking back, after certain concerts, My Friends was totally a gay restaurant,” says Piepenburg, who also points to Beauregard’s on Detroit Avenue and Lake Effect on Detroit Avenue, which was co-owned by LGBTQ+ talk show host Buck Harris. “You had out gay and lesbian people, and you had closeted gay boys like me, who were like, Oh, I see you.”

The phenomenon of “queering a space,” as he calls it, is one he found at restaurants across the country.

“One of the many ways that gay restaurants are different from gay bars as gay spaces is that they can shift throughout the day,” says Piepenburg. “It’s a space that is not necessarily gay, but it becomes gay when you

have enough gay people there.”

Gay restaurants, and bars for that matter, can be oases in conservative states like Ohio. In Green Bay, Wisconsin, Nepalese Lounge and Grill serves that same purpose. Despite its name, the restaurant does not serve food from Nepal, but since 1982, “Naps,” as locals call it, has been a safe space for LGBTQ+ individuals from across a state of Catholics and football fanatics. In addition to trivia, fish fries and bingo, guests drive hours, even traveling across state lines, to attend its monthly trans mixer.

Beneath the fun lies a bravery that makes Piepenburg’s emotions rise. When the bar first opened, vandals would kick open the front door and throw bottle rockets and trash at the patrons. So frequent, the front door was sealed and customers entered through the back. Even as hostility toward the trans community grows once again, multiple owners have stood strong and proud.

“I met a lot of heterosexual cisgender

realized years later

men there, some were with their wives, and they had on their female-presenting clothes and wigs and everything,” says Piepenburg, choking up. “So many of them were like, ‘If I went out to a restaurant like this back in Kenosha or whatever, that’s not gonna go well for me. Here, I can be myself.’”

Nepalese Lounge and Grill is now the oldest gay bar or restaurant in the state — an honor it does not relish. Between 2002 and 2021, more than 50% of gay bars closed in the United States, says author and Oberlin professor Greggor Mattson. Those that remain are not the same. But do they remain vital in this time of progress? Piepenburg says a place like Naps, which attracts people from across the region, proves their necessity.

“What we’re seeing is a sign of progress,” he says. “But that doesn’t mean that I can’t be nostalgic for the gay restaurant and gay bars experiences that I grew up with. They don’t exist in the way that they did. I think that’s kind of a loss.”

Erik Piepenburg

that My Friends, his teenage late-night spot, was an example of “queering a space.”

Andrew Revy

Founder-Owner of Immigrant Son Brewery, Sofia’s Kitchen & Bar

Northeast Ohio’s top chefs share their local favorites.

Andrew Revy has spent nearly 40 years in the restaurant industry, working from employee to owner across fast food, fine dining and recently opening Sofia’s Kitchen & Bar in Lakewood. A first-generation Hungarian American, his story runs deeper than restaurants. His parents fled Hungary just before the 1956 revolution, settling in Cleveland and passing down a strong connection to their roots. — CHRISTINA

RUFO

SPICE IT UP I like Indian food and spicy food. So, I really love Amba (Ohio City) and everything I’ve tried on the menu, but I thoroughly enjoyed the fried zucchini masala there. What I really like to do there is order multiple dishes to share. There’s just such a wonderful variety of dishes, and you’ve got an absolutely wonderful array of flavors going on. I love the creative, authentic dishes at Abundance Culinary (Cleveland Heights) and the rotating dumpling selections. The reason why I like both of them is because they’re constantly changing their menus and trying new techniques.

SPECIAL OCCASION Recently, we had an amazing wine dinner at Poppy (Larchmere). I think they’re doing some really cool things there. The food pairings with the wine are done for you. Everything is prepared fresh. The chef that they have on board there, Eric [Kneip] is great, and Jessica [Parkison] has always done a wonderful job. There’s also Ginko in Tremont. They have absolutely fantastic sushi, and there’s a great vibe and atmosphere there. A standby classic is Dante (Tremont) as well. At Dante, the pasta dishes are always great, and I really like getting their charcuterie boards and grabbing some wine.

LOCAL GEMS My wife and I always like to go to Humble Wine Bar in Lakewood. It’s a perfect spot. They do a really good job with their pizzas. I also want to give a shoutout to Larder in Ohio City. The pastrami sandwich is my go-to, but I love to try the daily specials. There’s also Astoria in Detroit-Shoreway. I love the little market there, and I love to go there with a group to try their meat and cheese boards.

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DINING GUIDE

17 River Grille

WHY WE LOVE IT: This tranquil indooroutdoor bar and restaurant offers an elevated dining experience with front-row views of the town’s iconic waterfall. The patio, split between a cozy wraparound terrace and a scenic lower deck, is perfect for sipping craft cocktails with fireplace features, twinkling lights and the soothing sound of rushing water.

TRY THIS: The Idaho Rainbow Trout ($27) is a standout entree that is both comforting and elegant, featuring a beurre blanc topped with lobster meat, whipped potatoes and broccoli with mascarpone butter. 17 River St., Chagrin Falls, 440-893-0797, 17rivergrille.com

CLEVELAND’S 24 BEST PATIOS TO EAT AND DRINK OUTSIDE

1330 on the River

WHY WE LOVE IT: This waterfront patio and cocktail bar in the Flats East Bank offers a two-level dining experience with pergolas, string lights and stunning views of the Cuyahoga River. With dock access for boaters and a dog-friendly policy, it’s a versatile and welcoming spot that captures the essence of Cleveland’s riverside dining.

TRY THIS: Owner Chef Zeek recommends the Au Jus In The Mood For Chicken ($32) featuring a 6-ounce twin breast served with fresh herb mashed potatoes, French green beans and a wild mushroom veal reduction. 1330 Old River Road, Cleveland, 1330cleveland.com

BY CHRISTINA

Brecksville

Mayor Daryl J. Kingston & City Council

Dominic Caruso, President

Beth Savage, Vice-President

Dan Bender, AJ Ganim, Mark Jantzen, Ann Koepke and Brian Stucky

All Saints Public House

WHY WE LOVE IT: Battery Park is home to one of Cleveland's greenest patios. The secluded area showcases an outdoor bar, firepit, fountain and plenty of seating. TRY THIS: The smothered chicken ($25) is served with sauteed mushrooms, spinach, a Dijon

Parmesan cream sauce, crispy redskin potatoes and grilled asparagus. 1261 W. 76th St., Cleveland, 216-675-0028, allsaintspublichouse.com

BrewDog

WHY WE LOVE IT: This British-inspired brewpub in the Flats has a show-stopping patio that blends industrial flair with laid-back charm. The space offers games, riverfront views and an outdoor bar in a dog-friendly atmosphere. TRY THIS: The Korean loaded fries ($12.45) are the perfect snack with sliced buttermilk fried chicken thighs, Korean barbecue sauce, sweet red onions and Sriracha mayo on top. 1956 Carter Road, Cleveland, 216-367-2494, drink.brewdog.com/usa/cleveland

Alleycat Oyster Bar

Chagrin Tavern on the River

WHY WE LOVE IT: Set along the scenic Chagrin River, this multi-level patio has become a family-friendly spot for waterfront dining with three distinct seating areas. The covered patio with garage doors and TVs is perfect for winter events and bands. The open-air patio is equipped with umbrellas and a canvas awning, hosting live music on multiple days of the week. Additionally, dog-friendly dock table seating is right at water level for boat access TRY THIS: The Lake Erie Perch ($27) comes lightly breaded with a side of coleslaw and fries. 196 East Island Drive, Eastlake, 440-540-4199, chagrintavernontheriver.com

WHY WE LOVE IT: With dual-level patios perched along the Flats East Bank, this spot delivers waterfront dining at its finest. Whether slurping oysters at ground level or sipping cocktails upstairs, the open-air vibe pairs perfectly with a seafood-forward menu and modern atmosphere. It’s a go-to for summer nights and soaking up Cleveland’s waterfront energy. TRY THIS: The stuffed oyster appetizer ($18) is filled with watercress, arugula, chicharrone, breadcrumbs and fontina cheese. 1056 Old River Road, Cleveland, 216-574-9999, alleycatoysterbar.com

THE ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION OF NORTHEAST OHIO, WISHES TO THANK EVENT SPONSORS, RESTAURANTS, AND GUESTS OF THE 2025 SILVER SPOON AWARDS PARTY.

Special thanks to Battle of the Land chefs and judges!

Allie La Valle, Larder Brandon Chrostowski, Edwins Leadership & Restaurant

Chimes, Thyme Table

OUR DEEPEST APPRECIATION TO OUR SPONSORS party

Cocktail Sponsor

Valet Sponsor

Chef Brandon E. Chrostowski, Culinary Honorary Chair

Jeremy Umansky, Larder

Julie

Rowan Murray, Red Zach Ladner, Tutto Carne

Don’s Pomeroy House

WHY WE LOVE IT: The American steakhouse and seafood favorite, housed in a mid-19th-century mansion, has been a part of Cleveland’s special occasions for more than 40 years. The seasonal patio is the idyllic spot to bring traditional dining outdoors. TRY THIS: Northeast Ohioans love the crab cake ($18) with Maine lobster-corn relish and smoked tomato buerre blanc. 13664 Pearl Road, Strongsville, 440-572-1111, donspomeroy.com

Collision Bend Brewing Co.

WHY WE LOVE IT: A long patio on the banks of the Cuyahoga River makes for a pristine spot for sunset views accompanied by house-brewed beer, American fare, pinball machines and live music. Add a poochfriendly policy and a front-row seat to boat traffic, and you’ve got a go-to hangout for breezy evenings and chill weekends. TRY THIS: With a menu full of delicious brewery staples, get a real taste of Cleveland with the Ironman Burger ($22). It combines pierogies, kielbasa, sauerkraut, Muenster cheese and sour cream, served with a side of fries. Pair that with any of the 14 beers on tap for a perfect combo. 1250 River Road, Cleveland, 216273-7879, collisionbendbrewery.com

Forest City Brewery

WHY WE LOVE IT: Step into this eclectic backyard beer garden with a history that stretches back more than 100 years. Featuring live music, the green space is covered by century-old trees and tons of seating on Duck Island. TRY THIS: There’s nothing more Cleveland than the house cabbage and noodles ($12) in leek oil. 12135 Columbus Road, Cleveland, forestcitybrewery.com

Georgetown Vosh

WHY WE LOVE IT: The popular patio in Downtown Lakewood boasts a casual outdoor bar, known for a legendary happy hour, plus a lush, tree-lined courtyard with twinkling lights and wrought iron seat -

ing. TRY THIS: This spot whips up delicious American favorites like short rib mini sliders ($16) with caramelized onions, horseradish sauce and fries. 18515 Detroit Ave., Lakewood, 216-221-3500, georgetownvosh.com

Centrally

One of the

Highly

1,300+ acres of parkland within the city’s 9.73 square miles

Access to 87-mile Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath, Cuyahoga Valley

National Park (ranked #11 in the country), and municipal parks

14 hotels provide more than 2,000 rooms

More than 50 restaurants offer diverse dining experiences

Independence Local Schools earned a 5-Star Rating for exceeding academic achievement standards

7 post-secondary educational institutions, including Kent State University's College of Podiatric Medicine

Beautiful civic and recreational facilities offer a variety of year-round activities and programs to residents

Gregory P. Kurtz | Mayor

Harlow’s Pizza

WHY WE LOVE IT: Escape to the secluded back patio, complete with vine-covered walls, Southwestern decor and white paper lanterns hanging above the private pizza oasis. This eatery is known for its Neapolitan pizzas with unique toppings. TRY THIS: Lakewood loves the Leonardo ($20) with mozzarella, extra virgin olive oil, pistachios, fresh grape tomatoes, arugula, garlic and sea salt. 14319 Madison Ave., Lakewood, 216-712-6502, harlowspizza.com

LockKeepers

Lakewood Truck Park

WHY WE LOVE IT: A rotating selection of local food trucks includes Parilya, Smash Time and Manna Food Truck. They line up alongside this 12,000-square-foot, indoor/ outdoor space on Detroit Avenue with arcade games and two bars that offer unique cocktails, beer, wine and milkshakes. The open-air layout and casual vibe make it a perfect hangout for everything from weeknight bites to weekend parties. TRY THIS: Drink your dessert with the Oreo banana split shake ($11) made with vegan cookies and cream, Bacardi light rum, banana liqueur, banana and Oreos. 16900 Detroit Ave., Lakewood, 216-712-4032, lakewoodtruckpark.com

WHY WE LOVE IT: For more than 30 years, this upscale restaurant has made a name for itself as a top Italian fine dining spot. The covered outdoor patio space provides a relaxing atmosphere that's perfect for taking in the picturesque views. TRY THIS: The eggplant rollatini appetizer ($10) comes filled with three cheeses and baked in marinara. Pair that with the pan-seared Atlantic salmon ($34) for a perfect dinner alfresco. 8001 Rockside Road, Valley View, 216-524-9404, lockkeepers.com

Missing Mountain Brewing Co.

WHY WE LOVE IT: Aside from a solid selection of house-made beers, this spot's most notable feature is its two-tiered, 3,500-square-foot patio that extends over the rushing waters of the Cuyahoga River for breathtaking, immersive nature views. The patio’s design combines rustic elements like repurposed barrels and pallet walls to create a classic brewery atmosphere: contemporary, cozy and lively. TRY THIS: With a menu full of fun appetizers, the artisanal pretzel ($9) is one of many perfect snacks to pair with any of a dozen specialty drafts on tap. 2811 Front St., Cuyahoga Falls, 234-706-2212, missingmountain.com

Poppy

Porco Lounge & Tiki Room

WHY WE LOVE IT: At Cleveland’s quintessential Tiki bar, ornate Americana decor found inside is complemented by a quaint, secluded patio. A small stone waterfall and a couple of pink flamingos “walking around” help set the tropical mood. TRY THIS: Escape with a painkiller ($18) crafted with rum and coconut. 2527 W. 25th St., Cleveland, 216-802-9222, porcolounge.com

Redhawk Grille

WHY WE LOVE IT: This eclectic patio is always buzzing. It offers the perfect mix of comfort and entertainment with weekly live music and designated spaces for bocce and cornhole.

WHY WE LOVE IT: Tucked behind a Craftsman-style house, this lush garden patio is a colorful oasis complete with fruit trees, herbs and edible flowers used throughout the seasonal menu. A covered porch near the bar offers cozy shelter, rain or shine. Beneath red umbrellas, cheerful mismatched chairs add to the charm of a patio that feels more like a friend’s backyard than a restaurant. TRY THIS: The Poppy Burger ($20) comes topped with a horseradish remoulade, smoked cheddar, cherry peppers and arugula with a side of malt vinegar powdered fries. 12502 Larchmere Blvd., Cleveland, 216-415-5069, poppycleveland.com

Two full-service bars and a menu packed with American favorites round out the experience, making it an ideal spot for big parties and casual weekend hangs. TRY THIS: The flash fried calamari ($14) is great for a quick bite, battered in a house blend of seasonings and drizzled with a sweet Thai chili glaze. 7481 Auburn Road, Concord Township, 440-354-4040, redhawkgrille.com

Sapphire Creek Winery & Gardens

WHY WE LOVE IT: “Sapphire Creek Winery is all about the outdoors. We have multiple patios, each with its own unique vibe,” including water and fire features, says owner Kathleen Birkel Dangelo. TRY THIS: The steak and frites ($38) is a prime 8-ounce

sliced coulotte steak that comes with truffled frites, arugula, crispy onion and a black peppercorn sauce. 16965 Park Circle Drive, Chagrin Falls, 440-543-7777, sapphire-creek.com

The Garden of Eden

WHY WE LOVE IT: Discover a posh rooftop oasis with inventive cocktails and enviable views of Downtown. The chic space features plush sofas, bar seating and a verdant ambiance, creating a serene atmosphere by day and a vibrant scene by night with resident DJs. TRY THIS: The lounge atop the 12th floor of the Metropolitan at the 9 hotel offers light American eats like Rooftop Tendies ($15) served with cotija cheese and baja ranch, but the cocktail list stands out 2017 E. Ninth St., Cleveland, 216-313-8810, thegardenofedenrooftop.com

The Lakehouse

Trader Jack's Riverside Grille

WHY WE LOVE IT: Enjoy three patio seating options right on the Chagrin River. The restaurant offers a picturesque waterfront dining experience, and outdoor spaces feature comfortable arm chairs, umbrella covered tables and a protective awning. A unique upper patio is enclosed with clear garage doors, allowing for year-round use with heating in colder months and an open-air feel during summer. Diners can enjoy stunning views of the river and its boat docks, creating an atmosphere that “feels like a vacation.” TRY THIS: The perch and shrimp ($20) comes with three perch filets and four fantail golden shrimp served aside garlic bread, fries and slaw. 35901 Lakeshore Blvd., Eastlake, 440-946-8330, traderjacksriversidegrille.com

WHY WE LOVE IT: Terrace riverfront views on the Flats East Bank meets a menu of bar fare with a coastal twist. TRY THIS: Tempura-dusted firecracker shrimp ($16) is served with sweet chili aioli, scallions and sesame seeds. 1146 Old River Road, Cleveland, 216-727-0158, lakehousecle.com

The Fairmount

WHY WE LOVE IT: “We had the opposite problem than most places have,” says owner Jacob Orosz, who expanded the restaurant to match the outdoor space. A fireplace, 10 draft beers and frose at the patio bar enhance the experience. TRY THIS: “Our flatbreads have gotten better since we purchased the oven (formerly used by Il Rione),” Orosz says. The truffle mushroom flatbread ($16) has white sauce, truffle oil, provolone, mozzarella, roasted mushrooms, shallots and Parmesan. 2448 Fairmount Blvd., Cleveland Heights, 216-229-9463, thefairmount.net

The Yard on 3rd

The Orchid House Winery

WHY WE LOVE IT: The eight-acre venue, formerly housing Thorncreek Winery, is the first expansion from Sapphire Creek Winery. Both offer indulgent selections from the same Napa Valley winery, from sauvignon blanc to pinot noir. The upscale, yet approachable, atmosphere and unique variety of seating are ideal for private parties, corporate gatherings and special events. TRY THIS: The hoisin glazed pork chop ($36) features a 12-ounce double boned chop, herbed linguine and broccolini. 155 Treat Road, Aurora, 330-562-9245, orchidhousewinery.com

WHY WE LOVE IT: This seasonal outdoor hangout combines the charm of a backyard gathering with the excitement of a food truck park. With rotating food trucks, a fullservice bar and casual seating like picnic tables and truck-bed booths, it’s perfect for laid-back days or lively nights filled with music, lawn games and a dog-friendly crowd. TRY THIS: The Willbilly Punch ($40) combines tequila, rum, gin, vodka and punch. It comes as a 110-ounce “red Solo cup” complete with twisty straws, floating ducks and Swedish fish floaters. 38040 Third St., Willoughby, 440-527-8070, theyardon3rd.com

CHRISTIAN HARSA

SHAPING

WRITTEN BY

IDA LIESZKOVSZKY

PHOTOGRAPHED BY DANIEL

LOZADA

OUR SPACES

RICHARDSON DESIGN BELIEVES GREAT SPACES DO MORE THAN IMPRESS — THEY INVITE.

FOR 30 YEARS, THE FIRM HAS CRAFTED ICONIC DESTINATIONS IN NORTHEAST OHIO AND BEYOND, WITH A SUBTLE BUT UNMISTAKABLE FINGERPRINT: SHAPING EVERYDAY LIFE IN RESTAURANTS, MUSEUMS, OFFICES AND HOMES.

IFyou’ve ever eaten at Mabel’s BBQ, met a friend at the Van Aken Market Hall, spent a mini vacation at Castaway Bay or played away the afternoon at the Children’s Museum of Cleveland, you’ve experienced the interior design work of Scott Richardson and his firm. For 30 years, Richardson Design has left its mark on many of the area’s most popular restaurants, hotels, homes and offices.

The work of Richardson and his colleagues extends far beyond Ohio’s borders, but it’s noteworthy how many of the area’s high-profile destinations are featured in the firm’s portfolio. Great Lakes Brewing Co., the Crowne Plaza Cleveland hotel at Playhouse Square, Aladdin’s Eatery, Boaz Fresh Lebanese, Boom’s Pizza, Bomba Tacos, Klutch Cannabis dispensaries, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s offices, AdCom, Sawmill Creek Resort and Tony Packo’s Restaurant all count the firm as clients. The firm has designed food stations for the Browns, the Guardians and the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. There are entire apartment buildings and many individual homes in the area that feel modern and chic, thanks to the firm’s efforts. From startups to billion-dollar corporations, Richardson Design takes them all on.

I would like to describe for you here what a typical Richardson designed space looks and feels like, but they all look and feel pretty different. Mabel’s BBQ heralds the age of industrial-chic restaurants, with steel lighting beams, heavy wood tables, brick walls and the distinct feeling that you’re about to eat a lot of meat. Castaway Bay, geared at families on a quick getaway, is saturated in bright turquoise and shades of happy green. Smiling sloths and flamingos and fish traverse the walls of the hotel rooms while a fake beach with fake palm trees tries to help you forget it’s probably snowing outside. The latest Klutch Cannabis dispensary, set to open on East Fourth Street, is in the original space of Record Rendezvous, so the design has a “record shop vibe,” though you won’t be able to buy any

records. The Children’s Museum is an immense and airy indoor playground where kids can mess around in water features in one room and put on plays in another. The original Antonio’s Pizzeria in Parma, which the firm is redesigning, is going for a nostalgic feel with cozy tables, gilded wallpaper and leather seats. The renderings are more mob wife than mobster: plenty of rich textures and pasta, no smoking or crime.

All of these spaces are distinct, and that’s by design.

“We don’t have a style to our firm, to our design, like a lot of places, a lot of other firms I feel do,” Richardson says. “Our projects look the way they do because of who our client is, and who their customer is, and the unique features of that project. It’s not about us. It’s about them.”

While the firm takes on all sorts of clients, they do have one unified goal for what all of their end products should be. That ideal is emblazoned in unmissable black lettering on a large wall just inside the offices of their headquarters on West Sixth Street: “creating the places where you want to be.”

“That really defines the type of projects we do,” Richardson says. “Places where people want to be — so restaurants, hotels. We do a lot of sports work, stadium and arena work, cultural attractions, zoos. We do some very high-end residential work.”

I wanted to get a sense of what Richardson is like at work, so I asked to tag along on a couple meetings or site visits, but it turns out that interior design work is much more secretive than I realized. Most of the projects the company had in the works were blocked off from me by non-disclosure agreements.

My plan B was to ask Richardson to meet me at one of his all-time favorite projects. He chose the Van Aken Market Hall in Shaker Heights.

WE MET UP ON A WARM SPRING MORNING. The place was bustling with folks grabbing coffee, meeting old friends and typing furiously on laptops. Kids bounced around while moms perused the small shops. As soon as he got there, Richardson bumped into a friend from the Entrepreneurs Organization, a nonprofit that supports business owners under 40. All the hustle and bustle of the place is a sign that it’s “doing exactly what it was supposed to do,” he says.

There was a bit of construction going on toward the back, where Richardson Design had put a small stage-like area with steps leading up to it. He doesn’t know what they’re working on there, and he doesn’t mind.

Richardson initially attended the Cleveland Institute of Art to be a photographer but found that interior design intrigued him more.

“I think it was being creative, but being able to do things at a scale that you’re inside of,” he says.

After graduating, he got a job at a firm in Columbus, but it didn’t take long for him to realize he’d like to strike out on his own. Together with his wife, Jill Richardson, they decided to move back up to Cleveland in 1994. But starting your own firm isn’t easy.

“He literally bought a mailing list of architecture firms around the country, and we printed postcards with some of his renderings on the postcards,” Jill recalls about those early days. “He mailed those postcards to every architecture firm that he could find in New York City, and he had one guy reach out to him. And we still work with him today.”

What attracted him to the medium was the longer life of interior design. Interiors are not disposable the way items or even cars are.

Still, 30 years’ worth of design work has meant that

many of the restaurants he’s worked on have closed, such as Michael Symon’s B-Spot burger joints. Others have gotten new names and looks, like the restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton Cleveland, Turn Bar & Kitchen. Hotels have been renovated, offices have closed, and sports stadiums are prone to overhauls and occasionally big moves. At the Van Aken Market Hall, many of the stands have changed owners over the years. Interior design trends change, as do the needs of clients. He’s used to it by now.

Nevertheless, six years after its grand opening, the Van Aken Market Hall is as popular as ever.

Scott Richardson was drawn to the large scale and lasting impact of interior design work. His firm has completed projects both in Cleveland and around the globe, which have earned major accolades.

“We love to create places where you want to be, and this embodies that because people want to be here,” he says. “This place fosters interaction. It fosters business growth. Look at all the different people here having fun and enjoying it. There was nowhere for them to do it before. We created it.”

Should it need a renovation at some point in the future, Richardson — or at least Richardson Design — will be available for hire.

I don’t say this because he’s planning on retiring — he dislikes the word and bristles at the notion. But, spending a bit of time with him in and out of the office, one gets the sense that Richardson Design is a little bit less about Scott these days and increasingly about the pool of younger talent that he has mentored, taught and hired over the years. Take, for instance, his wife Jill’s response when I asked her to describe her husband’s design style.

“I don’t want this to all be about Scott, because, yeah, he is Cleveland born and bred, but all the work comes out of these people that are sitting in front of us,” she says, glancing out her office at the staff. Jill is the director of finance and business operations, overseeing the financial wellbeing of Richardson Design and its 16 employees.

“We have design directors who, on a daily basis, are the ones who are managing and overseeing these projects,” she adds, “and so the kudos to them, because they are definitely the driving force these days.”

She was more eager to elucidate me on his management style, one of fostering creativity, mentoring and guiding designers through projects. He spent 15 years as an adjunct professor at the Cleveland Institute of Art, and the

You’ve likely experienced Richardson Design’s work in some of Northeast Ohio‘s popular spaces, such as Boom’s Pizza, The Children’s Museum of Cleveland and Klutch Cannabis.

teaching never fully left him. Some of his former students are now his employees.

The firm’s interior design director, Tracy Van Der Kuil, started working with the company as a consultant and ended up joining full-time over a decade ago.

“It was just nice to be nurtured and to be developed and to be appreciated, and respected, and you definitely feel like you’re part of the team here,” she says. “It’s an extended family. There’s a very strong culture here to be part of each other’s family or to be part of each other’s life or to be interested in one another’s life outside of the office space, as well.”

While visiting Richardson at his office, a sleek and modern space with an open design surrounded by glass-walled offices and meeting spaces, we noticed a group of young employees head out for coffee. He says that’s typical, a sign of both the convenient Downtown placement of the office and the congeniality among his employees.

That friendly work environment is one reason Richardson says he is reluctant to hire and fire, opting instead for maximum stability.

“I know too many design firms that staff up and then lay off, and then staff up and then lay off, and I’m not going to be that,” he says.

He had to lay people off during the pandemic, which he described as “terrible” and “gut-wrenching.” He’s also had to let go of some employees who he says didn’t “fit” with the company. He dislikes big egos.

“You learn from that, and so now I’m very much slow to hire,” he says. “It has to be the right person, the right fit, because I feel responsible for them.”

He tries to hire people for the long term, like Kristie Oldham, the company’s partner and chief operating officer. The two first met when she worked for an architecture company, and they collaborated on a few projects 25 years ago. She joined Richardson Design full-time 18 years ago. Oldham says she’s able to work well with Richardson because their skill sets are complementary.

“As one idea might be a little large, I may reel it in,” she says. “Where the opposite, I may not be thinking enough outside of the box and Scott’s coming in and pushing that.”

Oldham oversees the half-dozen or so projects the firm has going on at any given moment, from small projects with a week-long turnaround to major projects that can take years. That includes one project where the firm is working on an addition to an office space they initially designed 13 years ago — an undertaking that she’s particularly tickled by.

“It was a pretty proud moment to walk through that space,” she says. “[It’s] just kind of good to hear, even from the newer employees, how they really love their office and they like the openness, they like the privacy that they can

“Our projects look the way they do because of who our client is, who their customer is and the unique features of that project. It's not about us. It’s about them.” SCOTT RICHARDSON

get and how it works really well for their teams and how they work.”

She couldn’t tell me which office it is though, because of the NDAs.

While Oldham was brainstorming ways to update that particular office project, Richardson flew off to Mexico with Jill to work on Casa Vista Pastora, an investment property they’re turning into an AirBnB. The white walls of the house contrast nicely with the dark green of the cacti and palm trees by the heated pool outside. Inside the beige concrete walls you’ll find a hand-painted tile backsplash, custom beds, and an openair rooftop with a firepit. I ask if he’ll also be spending some vacation days there once it’s complete.

“I mean, I would, but when I stay there, I don’t make any money,” he tells me.

Though he prides himself on his creative work, the years of running a business have clearly rubbed off on him.

That’s what happens over the course of three decades. He started out as a one-man shop, mailing out postcards of his drawings to a list of firms his wife put together from the phone book. Now his firm touts massive clients, like Aramark, alongside its loyal roster of local clients.

Still, he tells me, one thing never changes.

“I’ll always be an artist that sits and draws,” he says. He still hand-draws renderings for clients. He never got used to computer based renderings, calling himself a “dinosaur.” That’s how he imagines life when he “moves on to something.”

One former collaborator and longtime friend of his, architect John Williams, hired him as an artist to design his annual Christmas card years ago, back when the two shared office space. The card featured a triptych of their Ohio City studio and Williams’s dogs peeking out one of the windows.

Williams says that despite his training as an architect, Richardson was always more of the artist between them.

“Scott and I would always laugh about how we would get together for a meeting and talk about things, and I’d have notes on paper, and he would have drawings,” he says.

The two shared that office space and sometimes clients for about a decade. Clients liked to visit them at their studio because their dogs were always there, and nothing makes a long meeting more palatable than pets. Together, they designed the former Century restaurant in the Ritz Carlton, for instance. In fact, it was while they were headed to a presentation for a joint project that they discovered their relationship actually goes back to childhood, when

Williams was Richardson’s summer camp counselor.

“There is a kismet there that we would cross paths again so many years later and have such a good friendship and such a good working relationship,” Williams tells me.

Even friends who didn’t start out as coworkers end up collaborating with Richardson sometimes.

Industrial designer Dan Cuffaro attended the Cleveland Institute of Art with Richardson, and the two have maintained a close relationship over the years. When Cuffaro moved back to the Cleveland area after years of working in Boston to teach at CIA, one of his new hobbies became biking around town with Richardson and coming up with plans to improve the city. Sometimes, these expeditions were inspired by design competitions, like the time they came up with a proposal for a Cleveland lakefront master plan sponsored by The Plain Dealer and Kent State University’s Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative. Other times, though, they just did it for fun, like when they created and submitted an unsolicited proposal to revamp Lakewood’s downtown. Their plans don’t tend to come to fruition, but that’s not really the point.

“Scott’s almost like family. There’s just a lot of honesty. He’s really straightforward,” Cuffaro told me. “I’ll get all worked up, and Scott just is like smooth sailing. It’s really easy for him, if I’m getting worked up, to redirect towards a productive outcome.”

At one point when we first met, it almost sounded like Richardson was about to complain about a finicky client, but he quickly pivoted to saying it’s all just part of the job and no big deal.

The work can be stressful. He has to juggle the temperaments of clients, make sure projects run smoothly and on time, coordinate with architects and builders, and manage his own firm. Still, he likes to remind his employees that at the end of the day, it’s not all that serious.

Scott Richardson carefully hires members of his design firm, aiming to create a cohesive team. After 30 years, his Richardson Design has major projects in its future, and the firm is gaining national recognition.

“These are first world problems,” he says. “We’re designing for people to unwind and have a good time, and you’ve just got to kind of keep that in perspective. What we’re designing is not mission-critical to the future of the world. But it’s important to us as artists.”

Not all projects win awards, though some do, as a colorful row of them at their offices will attest. Either way, word has been spreading about the firm. Jill estimates that 95% of the company’s projects come through word of mouth or referrals. People are catching on outside of Northeast Ohio, too; it was recently named one of Interior Design magazine’s “Rising Giants,” the smallest firm on the list (measured in design fees) to make the cut.

Particularly important to him is when the firm can take on smaller clients. As a former startup, Richardson has a soft spot for working with individuals who are setting out on their own for the first time, like a chef opening their first restaurant.

“You can make a much bigger impact on the life of someone who’s sort of a startup,” he says. “Might not win a design award, but it’s meaningful.”

Community Spirit

In a time when community is often filtered through a screen — shrunk to group chats, reels and curated feeds — some cities and neighborhoods are reimagining what it means to belong. While social clubs fade into nostalgia and neighbors are strangers, areas like Rocky River, Hudson, Independence, Clark-Fulton and others are investing in a different kind of fellowship: neighborly infrastructure. Here, the sidewalk matters. So does the playground and the pop-up market. These are places where civic life still has a heartbeat and where connection is less about convenience and more about a conscious act. It is about gathering, contributing and growing something shared. STORIES AND REPORTING BY

KRISTEN HAMPSHIRE, CHRISTINA RUFO, JADEN STAMBOLIA AND MAURA ZURICK EDITED BY RON LEDGARD

How We Rate: In the years that we’ve rated Cleveland’s suburbs, we’ve evaluated three major factors: safety, education and housing. We’ve added other qualities that make a suburb desirable such as public services, diversity and walkability. Scores are assigned to each suburb for every category used in the rankings. Those scores are based on the year’s available numbers. We then add up the category scores, weighting certain categories more than others. Safety and education, for example, are given more weight than property taxes, which is given more weight than environmental infractions The Top 20 are those suburbs with the highest combined scores — in other words, the suburbs that perform best in all of the categories combined

How We Did It: Overall rankings are determined using raw data that is converted into points calculated from the average in each category. Rankings for safety and education are awarded based on the total scores in each category.

Safety: Sources: Statistics for the calendar year 2024 are provided by each suburb. Crimes per 1,000 in Richfield Village are based on the combined populations of Richfield Village and Richfield Township, since the Richfield Village police patrol both and do not keep separate village stats. As noted on the Safety charts, data submitted by suburbs after the deadline are reflected on the chart but were not calculated into the overall ranking.

Education: The State of Ohio collects information from each school district each year to compile its report card. The website can be found at https://reportcard.education.ohio.gov. We used the information compiled for the 2023-24 school year for our list. The state’s 26 possible indicators for student performance are based on standardized tests, a gifted indicator that measures how gifted students are performing, a chronic absenteeism improvement indicator measuring the number of students who are chronically absent (missing at least 10% of the school year) as well as schools’ efforts to reduce that number, and an end-of-course improvement indicator measuring the performance and improvement on retaken end-of-course tests. Each school’s possible indicators vary depending on which tests its students take. The state’s Performance Index rewards the performance of every student, not just those who score “proficient” or higher. The scores range from 0 to 120, with 100 being the goal. The state tests students in reading and math every year from third through eighth grades. It also tests science in fifth and eighth grades. The state has transitioned from its Ohio Graduation Tests to end-of-course tests. Those include English I & II, math I & II, geometry, algebra, American history, American government and biology. In our rankings, the end-of-course tests are expressed as an average percentage of all students who scored at proficiency or above. The state’s value-added ranking measures the impact

schools and teachers have on students’ academic progress rates from year to year or another period of time, using student achievement data. There are four value-added measure grades combined to get a Progress Component Grade. The state calculates this progress made for all students, and then for subgroups of gifted students, students with disabilities and students whose academic performance was in the lowest 20% of students statewide. Through 2019, state law stipulated that if any of these subgroup grades were lower than a B on an A-F scale, and the overall grade was still an A, then the overall grade would be demoted to a B to reflect this discrepancy. We calculated the students per full-time teacher ratio using the state-reported figures for enrollment and full-time teachers.

Median Home Sale Price: Sources: The county auditors or fiscal officers’ offices provided figures for valid sales of single-family homes in 2014, 2019 and 2024.

Property Tax: Sources: 2024 rates of taxation are from county auditors, treasurers or fiscal officers and the Ohio Department of Taxation. They include each community’s rollback and reduction for owner-occupied residential property for levies passed before November 2013.

Population, Poverty, Diversity & Owner-Occupied Housing: Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2019-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Diversity points are awarded based on the suburb’s percentage of minority residents (non-white, Hispanic or multiracial), with the most points given to those suburbs closest to a 50% balance.

Environmental Infractions: Source: The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s database of reported polluted sites, which is continuously updated and includes reports of polluted sites that the EPA has not fully investigated.

Community Services: The mayor’s office of each suburb informed us which of the following services are available to all residents: tennis courts, basketball courts, baseball and softball diamonds, indoor or outdoor ice rinks, indoor swimming pools, outdoor swimming pools, public playgrounds, recreation centers, public skateboarding parks, senior services, youth services, free mulch, free leaf pickup, free garbage pickup and recycling programs.

Roads With Sidewalks: Each suburb provided information on the miles of roads and sidewalks. Percentage of roads with sidewalks was determined by dividing centerline miles of roads by half the miles of sidewalks and converting to a percentage.

SAFETY STATS

COMMUNITY

COMMUNITY

2025 Education StatS

COMMUNITY

Rank

Studentteacher ratio

3rd-grade achievement tests score (out of 200) (2023-24) 4th-grade achievement tests score (out of 300) (2023-24) 5th-grade achievement tests score (out of 300) (2023-24) 6th-grade achievement tests score (out of 300) (2023-24)

7th-grade achievement tests score (out of 200) (2023-24)

8th-grade achievement tests score (out of 300) (2023-24)

COMMUNITY

Rank

Studentteacher ratio

3rd-grade achievement tests score (out of 200) (2023-24) 4th-grade achievement tests score (out of 300) (2023-24) 5th-grade achievement tests score (out of 300) (2023-24) 6th-grade achievement tests score (out of 300) (2023-24)

7th-grade achievement tests score (out of 200) (2023-24)

8th-grade achievement tests score (out of 300) (2023-24)

2025’S TOP RATED SUBURB:

Chagrin Falls

Four things that make this Northeast Ohio village special.

1. NATURAL BEAUTY AT THE CENTER: The namesake falls and scenic walking paths give the neighborhood its postcard charm. Nature is never far in Chagrin Falls, where the soothing sounds of rushing water and the sight of bobbing ducks create a peaceful backdrop. Stroll the brick paths of Riverside Park or explore nearby trails like the Arboretum Trail and those in South Chagrin Reservation, where wooded paths, river views and local wildlife offer a refreshing escape.

2. CREATIVE SPIRIT: The local arts scene thrives year-round. In spring, the beloved Blossom Time festival kicks things off with a carnival, hot air balloons, parades and a 5K run. Summer brings open-air joy with Thursday night concerts at Riverside Park, a Sunday farmers market and Art by the Falls, a juried art festival set along the riverfront. In the fall, Chagrin Falls draws filmmakers and fans for the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival, showcasing documentaries from around the world. The season also brings quirky favorites like Oktubafest and the infamous pumpkin roll tradition. When winter rolls in, festive storefront displays and a sense of holiday cheer encapsulate the community. Rachael Raymond, general manager of the family-run Chagrin Falls Popcorn Shop, has spent many seasons working alongside fellow small businesses. “In the middle of winter, when it’s quiet and the hustle and bustle of Christmas is over, there’s snow on the ground and walking through town feels like a Hallmark movie,” she says. “You don’t get that everywhere.”

3. LOCALLY ROOTED: Independently owned shops and restaurants remain backed by strong community support. Polly Snavely has lived in Chagrin Falls her entire life, 59 years and counting. “The best part of Chagrin Falls is the sense of community,” she says. “We have each other’s back.” Chagrin Falls is home to a thriving mix of independently owned shops that bring personality to its walkable Downtown. Fashion lovers can browse stylish boutiques like Blush, Cuffs, Haven and Winds of Change, and gift-seekers will find treasures at shops like Hedges Designs, The Artful Yarn and Apple Jax Toys. Kelly Christie has lived in the Falls for 15 years and is the store manager at Hedges Designs. “I’d say probably 70% of the customers who come in, we know by name. We know their faces, their kids, what’s going on in their lives,” she says. “People here really look out for each other.” Cozy up inside Fireside Book Shop or explore The Glass Asylum, a working glassblowing studio. For culinary expansion, the Popcorn Shop offers nostalgic treats, and Lemon Falls Cafe and The Olive Scene offer elevated provisions.

4. A TRUE THIRD PLACE: Downtown Chagrin Falls invites you to linger and is intentional in its design. With benches tucked along Main Street, cafe tables near the falls and cozy nooks scattered throughout the side streets, it naturally functions as a third space. Whether you’re sipping coffee, catching up with a friend or simply people-watching, there’s always a place to sit and stay awhile. These little pockets of gathering space help turn a picturesque town into a living, breathing community.

ROCKY RIVER

A Great Lake Community

THERE’S A WALKABLE historic retail district, lakefront access, a pier for fishing and sunset gazing, and parks in nearly every neighborhood. Bike lanes abound in Rocky River, where children often start preschool together and turn the tassel as graduating seniors — many of whom move back after leaving the nest to raise their families.

“The kids really become like a family,” says Andrea Mediate, who moved to Rocky River in 2004 for this exact reason. Now, she runs a window treatment cottage business Up from home called Curtains and is president of the city’s Green Team of volunteer residents.

“We support the community through communication and education,” says Mediate. She also runs a Safe Streets committee, and more than 250 residents participate in the team’s efforts.

Beyond this group, many citizens step up to help with park activities and engage in conversations to provide input on major projects, such as a new master plan for Rocky River Park and the recently completed Bradstreet’s Landing, a waterfront rehabilitation of the 590-foot pier.

These natural assets culminate into a diverse offering, and residents’ voices drive improvements, says Mayor Pamela Bobst, who has served the city for 30 years, 19 as mayor.

“Residents are our partners, and they engage with us in meaningful ways,” she says, pointing to Bradstreet’s Landing’s expanded green space as a byproduct of civic feedback. “The park allows access to the lake at grade, and all of these interests coexist — fishing, beach glass hunting, birding, kayaking, people sitting on the beach or having a picnic.”

All told, Rocky River has nine city parks, Metroparks access to the Rocky River Reservation, riverfront recreation and 4.7 miles of Lake Erie shoreline.

It’s also home to more than 1,200 businesses — a combination of locally owned

One way to create community is through shared experiences. Rocky River uses places such as Bradstreet’s Landing and playgrounds to give its citizens a place to meet and to be together.

destinations and national outposts that earn support from residents who prioritize buying local, Bobst says.

“People here are so committed,” Bobst says of a sentiment that sweeps from schools to social activities. “We are all focused on creating and sustaining a community that our children are proud to call home.”

She adds, “It’s the social infrastructure that really makes a community like Rocky River.”

Sometimes the really tough times magnify this lakefront community’s resilience and stick-togetherness.

“When we are faced with challenges like a tornado or COVID, we function at the highest level, helping each other, helping our businesses.”

She cites the response after 2024’s tornado hit, when Rocky River opened its high school’s parking lot to host more than 300 FirstEnergy trucks and crews.

“As a city, we can set the stage and create a culture of caring,” Bobst says, “but it’s the neighbor-to-neighbor outreach that helps us make the best of really difficult situations.”

Mini ‘River’ for Little Cruisers

WINDING “TANGLE TOWN” roads and cul-desacs weave through a Safety Town landscape designed as a replica of Rocky River, complete with a clock tower, city hall and other recognizable buildings in town.

The Safety Town project was an all-in community effort and collaboration between Rocky River Police and Fire Departments, the recreation center, schools and city. Students from West Shore Career TechnicalDistrict constructed the wooden landmarks that were painted by local artist Jenny Stratton. Harlan Radford Jr. from the Rocky River Rotary Club raised funds for a dozen pedal cars that were assembled by School Resource Officers.

Rocky River uses a replica of the city and pedal cars to help folks learn their way around town and to have fun watching kids play.

“It’s a safety town community — by the community for the community,” says Rich Snyder, director of public safety service. A working stoplight completes the realistic experience.

“We wanted it to feel as

Six Northeast Ohio communites use projects to create community spaces.

BAY VILLAGE GATHERING BY THE GREEN

In the heart of Bay Village, a charming new park is helping residents slow down and connect. Completed in June 2024, the Village Green links City Hall, the public library, Lake Erie and local shops into one peaceful, picturesque gathering space. “It’s a lovely spot in a great area,” says Mayor Paul Koomar. “Really, it’s a beautiful space.” With its pergola, gardens and plenty of tables and chairs, the Village Green invites people to relax, eat lunch or simply enjoy the outdoors. A paved, ADA-friendly trail ties everything together, making it easy for residents to stroll from coffee shops to the lakefront. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, the park comes alive with Food Truck Fridays, offering good eats, community fun and the occasional live music set.

A PLAYGROUND WITH PURPOSE

The $3.2 million all-inclusive Beachwood Playground is more than just a place to play — it’s the heart of the community. Designed for kids of all ages and abilities, this vibrant space has quickly become a daily destination where families gather, laugh and connect. “It’s truly one

BEACHWOOD

of a kind in Northeast Ohio,” says Ben Lombardi, the city’s communications manager. To make it even more special, Beachwood hosts pop-up events like make-your-own sundae nights and cookie decorating, turning everyday afternoons into joyful community celebrations. “These types of amenities not only enhance residents’ quality of life but also play a key role in why people choose to live and stay in Beachwood,” Lombardi says. “They create gathering spaces that foster a sense of belonging, making the city even more attractive to new families and longtime residents alike.”

CV25 PROVIDES VIBE ANCHOR

CentroVilla25, a vibrant new marketplace on West 25th Street, is anchoring the Clark-Fulton neighborhood as Cleveland’s hub for Latin culture and entrepreneurship. Painted in bright colors and filled with the aromas of Latin American cuisine, CV25 brings together vendors representing Mexico, Cuba, Venezuela and beyond. The space, which soft-opened in January, is a $14 million project by the Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic Development, led by Jenice Contreras. “There wasn’t any acknowledgement that Clark-Fulton has the largest density of Latino residents living in Cleveland,” says Contreras. Inspired by Minneapolis’ Mercado Central, she envisioned CV25 as a space where local entrepreneurs could thrive without being priced out. Once just a parking lot pop-up, CV25 now offers a permanent home

realistic as possible,” says Snyder, relating how residents taking a stroll through the city hall’s park space stop to rest on the benches and watch the children zoom around a mini Rocky River. Families stop up year-round for bike rides on its play-and-learn streets.

Actively Aging Into Adventure

A ZIP LINE OUTING, bustling cafe and jamming guitar group that rocks out 1970s hits are not what most people expect to find at a senior center. But Rocky River is bucking stereotypes with a “pro-aging” initiative and an advocacy task force that’s looking at research, like an Ohio Longitudinal Study on Aging and Retirement, that found age beliefs can steal or add nearly eight years to your life.

There’s nothing but life at the Rocky River Senior Center. It is undergoing an expansion that will add a 100-seat lecture hall, gym and dance studio.

“It’s like a miniature college campus here,” says director Deborah Huff.

More than 5,000 adults from Rocky River and surrounding communities are participants, and the center’s programming spans from free movie Fridays to the arts and language classes to field trips to try glass blowing.

“The friendships formed here extend beyond the senior center,” Huff says. “Members get together at each other’s homes, have happy hours or go on walks together. The center provides a sense of purpose and connects members with the community and each other.”

Quintessentially Western Reserve

ON ANY GIVEN SUMMER SATURDAY , Hudson’s clock tower and gazebo greens are bustling with families and visitors who peruse the 40-plus tents of just-picked produce, handmade goodies, farm-fresh meats and more at the Hudson Farmer’s Market. The ever-expanding tradition started in 2008, and now it transforms the Downtown into a weekly festival with live music, food vendors and occasional balloon art.

J Hudson has been running the show for most of the time.

“It’s the heart of Hudson,” he says, describing rows of bicycles parked along Church Street and marketgoers from stroller riders to golden agers. (Hudson’s last name is coincidental, though he is a fixture on the greens during market season.)

The city and local organizations hold about 150 events annually in the greens, which include a third grassy open area in the First & Main retail and dining district. Screen on the Green movie nights. Superhero Day. Ice cream socials. There’s a beer garden, and if you’re strolling within the city’s designated

HUDSON

outdoor refreshment area, you can stroll the grounds with a cold beverage in hand.

“Downtown is the nucleus, and it’s walkable, accessible and offers ways for families to gather and spend time,” says Mayor Jeffrey Anzevino.

This is exactly what settler David Hudson envisioned when he mapped out plans for the downtown area, says Anzevino, who offers a litany of history factoids about the city.

“The clock tower and gazebo greens were designed to be open spaces with surrounding amenities,” he says. “We preserve this as a place for people to gather.”

As such, there are no drive-thrus in Hudson aside from the McDonald’s that was built before this rule came about and grandfathered in. It lacks golden arches and looks like a tasteful cottage-style home.

Looking for a big box store? Head outside city limits. You won’t find mega shopping or strip malls in town.

“Our zoning, land development codes and design standards are set to maintain a small-town, charming historic feel,” says Anzevino, who served on the architecture and historic board of review before becoming mayor three years ago.

Last year, Hudson celebrated its 225-year anniversary. The original North Main Street home that founder David Hudson built a couple of years after settling there is still standing.

“A lot of homes have ‘the plaque,’” Anzevino says of this historic designation — a sort of beauty mark.

Connectivity has been a focal point of city planning during the last five years. The outcome is miles more of sidewalks, trails and multi-use paths to give residents ways to bike or walk into downtown. Plus, Hudson Springs Park has a lake for kayakers.

There are 20 parks within Hudson’s 25 square miles, Anzevino points out.

“The green space, parks and canopy we preserve all goes back to not overdeveloping,” he says.

There’s a pride of place in Hudson, says Nicole Alverson, from a multi-generational family of Hudsonites. She’s executive director of the city’s chamber of commerce.

Togetherness applies to family — and families of businesses, both local and select national names, Alverson says. For example, Green Valley Brewing Co., which opened 20 months ago “embedded themselves into the community.” The business partnered with nearby Nona’s Hudson Crafted Confectionery to concoct a brew, and the chocolatier sometimes offers its gelato at the brewery.

Hudson has a neighbor afar, too — in Germany. Its sister city is Landsberg, and when the relationship approached its 25th year, the chief magistrate asked if Hudson delegates planning a visit would bring its town a city flag.

It had been decommissioned, so Anzevino assembled a committee, enlisted Kent State University graphic design students and concepted what is now the official Hudson flag. Historic Town Hall has one of Landsberg’s.

“It’s another way to link our two cities,” he says.

Hudson’s next update will be to open Summit County’s first-ever inclusive playground.

The plan is to break ground on the project late this summer or early fall and have it completed by the end of the year,

Hudson’s clock tower park along with Springs Park both give the community a variety of ways to stay active.

thanks to efforts by the Hudson Inclusive Playground committee and its driving force, Megan Higgins.

It’s a grassroots effort with multiple fundraising powers that resulted in raising $1.3 million within slightly over one year. The Ohio County Department of Developmental Disabilities, through Summit County, provided a $430,000 grant to purchase the playground equipment.

“The disability community is the largest minority group in the world and the only one that anyone can join at any point in their life,” Higgins points out.

Anyone who visits will be able to find a way to play at the future attraction. You can be 95 years old on a zipline, sensory sensitive or navigating the playground without sight or hearing.

Higgins says, “This is the evolution of play.”

INDEPENDENCE

The Small Town

Within a ‘Second Downtown’

IF YOU’RE LOOKING for something, whatever it is, you’ll find it in Independence. Healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, hospitality — the list goes on with about 850 businesses, including homegrown shops like Indy Sewing Studio.

The key commerce district draws in about 25,000 people daily.

But what many who spend time there to work might not realize is how entirely small and close-knit Independence is, with 7,600 residents. Cuyahoga Valley National Park

to longtime vendors and new businesses alike. “It has a bigger impact,” Contreras says. “It creates a richness in our region to have this amazing cultural hub that everybody can enjoy.”

MENTOR

ROCKING SPIRIT

Mentor does not have a traditional Downtown, but Civic Center Park — and its state-of-the-art amphitheater — has become the city’s heart. Built in 2017, the Mentor Civic Amphitheater was designed to bring people together, and it’s doing just that. “Our goal is to create a space where members of our community can interact,” says Ante Logarusic, Mentor’s communications officer. With the free summer concert series, Mentor Rocks, the Amp hosts thousands of people for Tuesday nights filled with live music, food trucks and good vibes. Big-name acts like Gin Blossoms, LeAnn Rimes and Everclear have drawn crowds topping 119,000 in 2024. With two video boards and plenty of room, the 4-acre venue turns summer evenings into shared experiences.

PARMA

A NEW CHAPTER AT GOLF COURSE

Parma is teeing up a community connection with a $12.3 million transformation of Ridgewood Golf Course. A new, 15,400-squarefoot clubhouse and event center will replace the nearly century-old facility, offering

not just golfers but everyone a place to gather and relax.

“This is without question the most exciting thing we’ve had here in my lifetime,” says recreation director Mickey Vittardi, a lifelong resident who has served in the department for 38 years. Designed to showcase the course’s scenic ridge views, the new space features patios, a pavilion, indoor lounges and a pub and eatery open year-round. The event center will host up to 180 guests, and six golf simulators promise fun (and revenue) in every season. Inside, the facility will highlight the history of Ridgewood and Parma.

STRONGSVILLE A TOWN CENTER THAT UNITES

Strongsville has transformed its civic core through the $6 million Town Center Enhancement & Walkability Initiative, turning 81 acres into a place where residents of all ages can connect. Completed in late 2024, the project added a fully ADA-compliant playground, an interactive splash pad, new trails and a pavilion designed for community events. “Our goal is to create quality of life amenities that are leveraged by local businesses for workforce retention and attraction, and that bring families, senior residents and residents with disabilities together,” says Brent Painter, Strongsville’s economic development director. New walkways now connect the library, recreation center and Strongsville Commons — home to events like the Homecoming Festival and Winter Wonderland.

consumes 21% of its square mileage. And an average class size in the school district is about 80 students, with roughly 1,000 students total, says superintendent Kelli Cogan.

To know Rockside Road does not really mean one understands Independence.

The city connects “town and country” with collaborative programs that invite businesses into the schools and civic activities, making Independence a forward-thinking second downtown with connectivity to the city’s values of small-town charm and traditional values like hard work and self-reliance.

Mayor Gregory Kurtz is a lifelong Independence resident. A strong tax base affords exemplary city services.

“We plow our seniors’ driveways. We pick up rubbish by residents’ garages. We transport those who need it to appointments,” Kurtz says, adding that $5 lunches are available three times weekly to the city’s older residents at the civic center.

The city is ready for calls for assistance.

“We received 6,000 calls on top of that, and we pride ourselves on having a team with a great ‘I can help you’ attitude,” says Kurtz, who’s been mayor for 28 years. Major appliance removal? “If you call, there’s a good chance we can help you out.”

In Independence, there are parking lots and lots of parks.

Trails for miles and miles are accessible from Independence, with CVNP just as much a part of the city’s landscape as its parks.

“We are very fortunate to have that permanent green acreage,” says Kurtz.

Kurtz says the city has created five areas that are part of its strategic plan to guide the way forward. He calls these opportunity districts “uncut diamonds,” citing a potential for development, which includes a new residential subdivision that is in the approval process, catering to a demand for housing.

Economic development director Jessica Hyser grew up in Independence and has children in the school system. Houses get sold to family members, she says. A new subdivision will fulfill housing demand.

Kurtz calls Independence a “crown jewel and the heart of Cuyahoga County.”

Independence is more than the hustle and bustle of intersecting roads. It is a place where Cuyahoga Valley National Park trails come together and where sewing can be more than a family affair.

TIM EVANSON, VIA FLICKR

Take-Action Collaboration

Road to Readiness in-service days for Independence teachers allow educators to soak in straight talk from local employers across industries. The initiative stemmed from conversations between the economic development department, schools and the business community. It was launched two years ago.

The idea: to help teachers understand the skills students need to succeed in today’s workforce, so they can stay in Northeast Ohio to pursue careers.

“The program educates the educators so they can understand the work environment of career paths,” says Hyser.

“The businesses love it. They can showcase what happens behind the scenes and directly tell teachers who are preparing the next generation of workers what skills they will need.”

Any opportunity to invite businesses into the schools and vice versa is exercised.

And educators, along with business owners and residents, are personally invested in the community, says Kelli Cogan, superintendent. “We have so many teachers who went to school here, grew up here,” she adds.

The schools host an annual cultural fair that moved to the civic center to welcome more residents to experience the diverse flavors of Independence restaurants that set up booths to offer samples while kids prepare presentations on various countries.

Sew Cool!

Dana Rowan was looking for a creative outlet and came from a family of sewing hobbyists. But these days, many don’t learn from family. She created a special spot just for that in a charming two-story former home that’s now Indy Sewing Studio.

“We are in the business of education,” she says.

But Indy also has a handmade clothing line that is ramping up. Rowan sources reclaimed fabrics and scours secondhand stores like Savers so she can make the most sustainable garments possible.

It’s all taking off. Rowan says, “Now we are at the point where we need to scale.”

INSTALLATIONS YEAR ROUND

Become a neighborhood insider by checking out these unique city hotspots

A century of discoveries awaits you! Since 1925, Cleveland’s Main Library has been a cornerstone of knowledge, creativity, and community. We’re marking 100 years with a year-long celebration—featuring special events, exhibits, author talks, and more.

EXPLORE CREATE CONNECT

Explore unique and rare treasures you’ll only find at Cleveland Public Library’s Main Library.

Create, build, and innovate at in the MakerSpace or Studio 525 (just for teens)!

Connect to stories, people, and ideas through events, programs, and shared experiences.

Plan your visit at CPL.org/Main100

Life

With a

CLEVELAND RESTORED

RESIDENCES AT 1717 WAS CREATED FROM THE RESTORED EAST OHIO GAS BUILDING, WHICH WAS THE SECOND TALLEST AND FIRST ALL-GLASS BUILDING IN CLEVELAND WHEN IT WAS BUILT IN 1959.

DOWNTOWN CLEVELAND RESIDENT ALLY COSTELLO ADMITS SHE IS “OBSESSED” WITH HER VIEWS from her Residences at 1717 apartment on E. 9th Street.

“When I sit at my desk, I have the best view of the city. I am facing Lake Erie, looking right at St. John Cathedral. I can see right down East 9th Street to the lake and past the harbor where all the boats are,” says Costello, who moved to Cleveland from Washington, D.C., this past September. “I especially like it in the morning when I am drinking coffee or having breakfast. I can just stare out the windows and be entertained.”

Costello grew up in Geneva, Ohio, but moved to Phoenix, Arizona, while in high school. She’s also lived in several other urban locations. So, when Costello decided to move back to Cleveland recently to be closer to family here, she wanted to find “a place with more city vibes.”

“The main reason I wanted to live Downtown was that I could walk to so many things,” says Costello, a marketing professional who works mainly from home. “Coming from Washington, D.C., I didn’t have a car. My boyfriend, John, has one. But if we can, we’d rather walk. Heinen’s is right down the street, and I am pretty active and outside almost every day. I really appreciate

the location of this building. It makes my life so much easier.”

In deep winter Costello also takes a job bartending at an establishment within walking distance.

“The bar is connected to a hotel, so people are always asking me about the city,” says Costello.

Costello says finding her Downtown apartment was part fate. While she was first just casually thinking about a downtown residence, Costello happened to walk past the Residences at 1717 one day and, on a whim, went inside.

“I was told two units were available and I could see them right then. As soon as I saw the views and space of my current apartment, I told my boyfriend we had to live there,” recalls Costello, who gives five stars to the building’s on-site management, 24-hour emergency maintenance, housekeeping, leasing and security staffs.

Residences at 1717 was created from the restored East Ohio Gas building, which was the second tallest and first all-glass building in Cleveland when it was built in 1959. Today it offers oneand two-bedroom luxury apartments, features a gorgeous, historically preserved marble lobby and is part of the K&D Management portfolio.

The complex offers a modern fitness center, which Costello uses frequently, an up-to-date business center and community room complete with full kitchen, pool table, darts and a lounge area with a television.

“When people come to visit, they are always interested in the history. I love the pride that people have in this city and it makes me appreciate it more,” says Costello. “We wanted to make our apartment super cozy because we have a lot of visitors. We take advantage of the natural light and have a lot of plants.”

Costello likes the apartment’s open floor plan, the attractive island and bar stools, custom cabinetry, granite countertops, Energy Star stainless-steel appliances and in-suite washers and dryers. And overnight visitors have a special treat.

“Our guest bedroom bed faces the window. So, when anyone wakes up in the morning, the lake is their view and it’s the first thing they see. That’s special, and everyone loves it,” says Costello.

“Cleveland has so much potential. Being 25, in a relationship and living here — I just love it,” adds Costello. “I am surprised I don’t see more people like me Downtown. Cleveland is not as expensive as other cities, and there is so much to do, especially in the summer. I’d like to see even more little cafes and businesses open up here.” — Jill Sell

Discover why this Downtown Cleveland resident says more people should move to the city.

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1, 2 & 3 Bedroom Suites, Penthouses 1228 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, OH 44115 833.248.3130

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Welcome

Howard Hanna Realtors bring expertise to the housing market.

HE SOLD THEM A HOUSE. SHE SOLD THEM A HOUSE. He sold them another house. She sold them another house. After numerous years of each being a top real estate professional in the City of Cleveland and beyond, there was bound to be some overlapping of clients.

“There were times we were on either side of the transaction,” says Realtor Carolyn Bentley, co-managing partner of Ted & Co./The Bentley Group with Howard Hanna Real Estate Services. “Recently, we have been reviewing 20 years of clients, and we noticed it’s happened three or four times in some cases.”

The other half of that “we” is Ted Theophylactos, co-managing partner of Ted & Co./The Bentley Group, and also with the Cleveland City Office of Howard Hanna. Theophylactos is classified as the real estate company’s “very best of the best,” top 1% of agents.

These two could have been fierce competitors, but they are smarter than that. At the end of February of this year, Bentley and Theophylactos joined forces and created a real estate power partnership. They combined to operate under one team name because each has a strong brand and impeccable reputation. Also, each brings certain related real estate groups and repeat clients to the table.

But their combined teams are working together, creating what some in the residential real estate market are calling “the merger of the decade.”

“Ted and I have had parallel careers for about the past 15 years,” says Bentley. “We both focus a lot on new construction and particularly in Cleveland neighborhoods. We have built up our expertise in these areas and are passionate about what happens to people and their neighborhoods.”

But Bentley and Theophylactos are not twins, and that works to their advantage and ultimately to the benefit of those looking to buy or sell homes. Bentley brings an intense respect and understanding for systems, organization and recordkeeping needed for a successful real estate career. Theophylactos’ upbeat personality, networking and negotiating skills, as well as his connections to just about everyone in Cleveland’s urban real estate world, are well known. He often concentrates on big builders and larger housing developments, sometimes with 20 or 30 units, while Bentley specializes in smaller builders and architects.

“Combining things allowed us to streamline the process. That really gave me more time to spend with my clients,” says Theophylactos. “We took the best of both our systems and that made it easier because we became more efficient. Clients appreciate that.” — Jill Sell

Realtors Ted Theophylactos and Carolyn Bentley of Howard Hanna’s Cleveland City office invite home buyers to contact them for more information about these new construction opportunities:

W. 44TH ST., NORTH OF LORAIN AVE. – Each of the four townhomes, designed by architect redhouse studio llc, and built by Keystate Homes, features two bedrooms with en-suite baths. Private balconies, 10foot ceilings and wood floors add to the homes’ desirability.

“These are smaller units that start in the $400,000s, but they have efficient layouts,” says Theophylactos, whose listings frequently qualify for the City of Cleveland’s tax abatements. “Harbor Whitman brings a product to a market that has really been underserved.”

THE VANTAGE, 5217 HERMAN AVE. – Located in the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood, these five, larger contemporary residences feature three bedrooms and three full baths. Priced between $719,000 and $760,000, the units are currently under construction. The homes are minutes from Edgewater Beach and Gordon Square Arts District.

“The Vantage brought innovations to new townhome construction here, including three-car attached garages and side terraces,” says Theophylactos. “And the views of Lake Erie are great.”

STAND-ALONE SINGLE-FAMILY HOMES, CORNER OF MONROE AVE. AND W. 30ST ST. – These seven new single-family homes (two complete and five under construction) range in price from $600,000 to $678,000. All feature attached two-car garages. Bentley will also be showing several new single-family homes ($600,000 to $700,000) in Duck Island this year. These homes are being built by neighboorhood favorite custom home builders Berges Home Performance.

HARBOR WHITMAN OHIO CITY TOWNHOMES

Meet the Team

Lead by co-managing partners, Ted Theophylactos and Carolyn Bentley, Ted & Co. | The Bentley Group combines decades of real estate experience with a deep-rooted passion for Northeast Ohio. In collaboration with Ohio’s top real estate brokerage, Howard Hanna, we bring you an unparalleled commitment to personalized service, ensuring your journey is nothing short of exceptional.

When you choose to work with us, you’re not just hiring an individual agent — you gain access to the collective power of our entire team. This means unlocking a wealth of real estate knowledge, resources, and expertise that ensures your goals are met with precision and care. Whether you’re selling your home to start a new chapter, purchasing your dream property, or navigating a complex transition, we are here to guide you every step of the way.

Our seasoned professionals have exclusive access to top listings, cutting-edge technology, and powerful marketing strategies designed to make your real estate experience smooth, memorable, and enjoyable. From initial consultation to closing, we’re focused on delivering results and creating solutions that fit your unique needs.

Let us put our passion and experience to work for you — your journey to the perfect property starts with Ted & Co. | The Bentley Group

Summer

THERE IS AN INTRIGUING LINEUP OF MUSICAL ENTERTAINERS SET TO PERFORM AT WADE OVAL WEDNESDAYS! (WOW!) in University Circle this summer. But concert attendees, who often come with their own chairs or blankets to sit on the grassy area, will also be amazed and amused by roving performers. Think stilt walkers, aerialists, jugglers, magicians and a few surprises.

“These performers will be out among the crowd for people to experience and see along with the music,” says Heidi Hudak, chief marketing and experiences officer for University Circle Inc (UCI). “They will add something special. WOW! is already really a communal, fun, safe atmosphere where you see people from all walks of life enjoying what I believe is one of the fundamental needs of life — music.”

Now in its 20th year, WOW! begins June 18 and concludes August 20. Opening acts and headliners perform from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. This year’s musical schedule includes reggae, soul, hard rock,

rock and roll, Latin fusion, country rock jazz, funk and more. Popular local favorites include Carlos Jones, Apostle Jones and The Michael Weber Show.

WOW!’s themed nights include: June 25, LGBTQ+ Pride Celebration; July 16, Disability Pride Celebration; and August 6, International Night, in partnership with Cleveland Cultural Gardens. In addition, two evenings (check universitycircle.org for date updates) will feature free, indoor/ outdoor admission to the Cleveland Botanical Garden on Wade Oval. The Garden will open its Kohl Gate On-edge, a work by sculptor Albert Paley that was installed in 2004, to WOW! attendees.

“It’s believed to be the first time the gate will be open,” says Hudak, who along with UCI President Kate Borders and Experiences Manager Maya Cundiff, lead WOW! strategies.

Tourists, university students from around the globe, local residents and employees who work in University Circle (all groups that

NEW UC MASTER PLAN SEEKS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

enjoy WOW!) are welcome to bring a picnic to WOW!, but a variety of food trucks and vendor tents will be on hand. Your choice include carnival food, vegan offerings, BBQ, Jamaican chicken, seafood and more.

UCI encourages taking public transportation to WOW!, walking or riding a bike. But parking for a fee in nearby institutional lots and city meter parking on streets is available. There is no parking along Wade Oval during WOW! Also, CircleLink is University Circle’s free shuttle; it requires no pass or registration.

“WOW! is such a special event. We have so many attendees who have been coming for the entire 20 years,” says Hudak. “They come back no matter what genre of music is being played. We try not to cancel unless there is pouring rain, lightening or heavy winds. Dress for the weather and bring a hat or sunscreen on really sunny days. People come early on WOW! nights and get those limited shady spots early.”

— Jill Sell

Have you always loved University Circle, but felt it needed a few improvements? This is your chance to have your voice heard.

Now in its initial stages, Connecting the Circle is a master plan to be created by University Circle Inc. (UCI) and its partners. According to Heidi Hudak, the community service organization will spend this year collecting public comments through surveys and in-person opportunities.

“It’s been more than 20 years since the last comprehensive University Circle Public Realm Master Plan,” says Hudak. “This plan will serve for the next 15 to 20 years.”

The significant project is led by: Sasaki, an architectural, planning, landscape and design firm in Boston, whose Principal-in-Charge Michael Grove grew up in Cleveland; Toole Design Group (transportation and mobility); ThirdSpace Action Lab (community engagement); and Nelson/Nygaard (parking). To take the survey and learn more about Connecting the Circle, visit connectingthecircle.engage.sasaki.com

Wade Oval Wednesdays! adds roving performers in 2025.

Main Street

MidTown-Hough – IN –

A wave of development across these historic neighborhoods is reviving is reviving empty buildings, filling vacant lots and restoring community while preserving the past.

// By Kristen Hampshire

Abold, bright mural in Hough offers a promising visual of how collaboration and a community that comes together can change the trajectory in a neighborhood. “Unity and Community” is a banner of promise: Thrive. Renew. Respect. Grow.

Indeed, these words are in action throughout Hough and MidTown, which connects Downtown to University Circle and hosts a significant stretch of the RTA Health Line.

A wave of housing and retail is underway — an economic development current that has been brewing for some time and now coming to fruition with catalytic projects such as the MidTown Collaboration Center (MCC) and the E. 66th Street Complete Street Project. This began in 2012 with the Transportation for Livable Communities Initiative (TLCI) and is a work in progress.

It will transform the 1-mile corridor between Superior and Euclid Avenues with bike lanes, improved crosswalks, lighting, public art and amenities to encourage pedestrian traffic, says Sundavish Tan of MidTown

Cleveland. The project has already raised about $9.5 million.

Anchors along the corridor include the Cleveland Foundation headquarters, the Hough Library Campus, League Park and the Fatima Family Center.

“New development stemming from the MCC is a huge boost,” says Byron Solomon, business development manager at the Famicos Foundation. “You can’t have businesses without residents, and you can’t have residents without viable entertainment and businesses in the area. With this collaborative center, we are seeing spin-off development that will feed into new homes and retail for incoming residents.”

He points to University Hospitals’ February announcement to invest $3 million in multi-family, mixed-income housing in Hough at Gateway66 at League Park. Gordon Crossing has been called a “unicorn” because most of its housing will cater to residents below 70% of average median income. It will transform a vacant property on East 101st and Woodward Ave. A $47-million makeover of the long vacant 9410 Hough Ave. apartment complex is in the

“It’s a win-win with the whole community backing you.”

— Tiwanna Scott-Williams, Pearl’s Kitchen Owner

works with plans for a community center next door.

Famicos Foundation’s completed Henrietta Homes development of 40 single-family units are scattered on sites between East 65th and 71st.

The historic Warner & Swasey building that played a significant role in Cleveland’s manufacturing history is being reimagined as a modern mixed-use space.

Meanwhile, a Hough Cultural District initiative will reinvigorate, celebrate and preserve Black culture, honoring the neighborhood’s history as a center for music and theater. The master plan involves the corridor within East 55th, East 66th and East 75th.

PEARL’S KITCHEN

Great beer and elevated comfort food are a perfect pairing at

the MidTown Collaboration Center (MCC), where Tiwanna Scott-Williams’ fast-casual brand PearlFlower has expanded from its outposts at Rocket Arena and Case Western Reserve University. Pearl’s Kitchen is a sit-down affair — and it complements what Chris Harris offers at Black Frog Brewery.

“The Hough and MidTown communities are why Chris and I are both here,” says Williams, with Harris in the background as they trade ideas, both remarking on the potential the MCC brings to the neighborhood.

Longtime residents and new neighbors are invested in the concept, Williams adds. Managers at Pearl’s Kitchen were born and raised in the area. “It’s a winwin with the whole community backing you,” she relates.

Pearl’s family members are honored on the wall behind the counter.

midtown & hough

BLACK FROG BREWERY

When Chris Harris learned about the MidTown Community Center (MCC), opening a second Black Frog Brewery there was “a no brainer,” he says. The Cleveland Foundation and JumpStart pitched

the opportunity to Harris, who had launched the first Black-owned brewery in 2014 when he converted half of his Toledo-area garage into a brewing operation.

His beers quickly grew a following, and soon he earned space on local grocery store shelves and opened a brewery where community could gather.

The MCC’s collaborative focus and investment in bringing together neighbors aligns with Harris’s mission. “With it being located in a minority Black neighborhood, they wanted to serve the community and I love that,” he says.

The Baseball Heritage Museum

Baseball unites communities and traverses socio-economic and racial barriers. The Baseball Heritage Museum at League Park in Hough tells this story and is “inspiring on many levels,” says Ricardo Rodriguez, museum director.

“We are in a building where, regardless of age, race, socioeconomic background or political beliefs, everyone walked through the gates to see the same thing and that’s baseball,” he relates.

Housed in the restored 1909 ticket house, across the street from the Hough Library Campus, the museum’s focus is telling the untold stories of underserved populations and marginalized players. Not until 2020 did Major League Baseball (MBL) recognize statistics from the Negro Leagues. “We’ve been telling that story for over 30 years,” Rodriguez says.

“We’re having a powerful wave of economic resurgence throughout the entire area along East 66th Street and beyond, and this is an area where Mayor Bibb’s model for walkability and a 15-minute city is being sampled.”

Vitiman KANDIE

When Mary Johnson set out on a “serious” health journey 15 years ago to return to a vibrant version of herself her new fitness friends at the gym noticed the change. Glowing skin. Loads of energy. A contagious spirit.

At the time, she had no idea she’d also introduce a lifestyle change to hardworking professionals, neighbors, seniors at the Dave’s Market and now MidTown-Hough.

Today’s Vitiman Kandie Restaurant is more than a sitdown clean-eating destination serving Johnson’s branded VK wins and hosting wellness events. Johnson has created a movement, a multi-chapter story since launching the brand officially in 2015 and is now part of a growing repertoire of Black entrepreneurs in Cleveland’s city neighborhoods.

E veryone – INVITED

TO THE –

table

Inclusion, ecological amenities, culture and creating connective pathways are at the core of BroadwaySlavic Village.

// By Kristen Hampshire

Visit the loudest and proudest neighborhood,” is printed on a posterboard a local holds with an unmistakable expression of commitment.

“SV Wants Everyone!” reads another, heralding a real community win: EcoDistricts certification, thanks to a Broadway-Slavic Village team of residents and stakeholders who achieved the designation’s tenants of equity, resilience and climate protection.

“Inclusivity is a big deal for us,” says Krystal Sierra, neighborhood planning director at Slavic Village Development (SVD).

The national EcoDistricts certification is governed by Just Communities and designed to help the community, resident leaders and developers build a common vision to guide growth.

That’s exactly what’s going on in Broadway-Slavic Village, and Sierra says, “We’re making sure we fill in any gaps in representation at the table.”

The table setting: largely transportation and conduit-creating, along with thoughtful infill of the roughly 2,000 acres of land available from foreclosures and vacancies fueled by fraud-

ulent out-of-town and out-ofstate investors.

SVD is looking at a community consultants program to invite neighbors who are passionate about the future of the neighbor hood. “They will receive a sti pend for one year of service with our organization,” Sierra states.

The Slavic Village Green Team is also a strong entity and ties in with the neighborhood’s assets, such as storm basins and wildlife habitat that connect to Cleve land Metroparks' new trail network. The Slavic Village Downtown Connector and Morgana Run Extension will connect and improve access to the East Side in conjunction with a Fullerton Site Redevelopment Project in the Broadway-Slavic district that involves reinvestment in the overall neighborhood. It will address housing and community needs.

“We’re making sure we fill in any gaps in representation at the table.”

— Krystal Sierra, SVD Neighborhood Planning Director

65th Street, a center of the community during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. There’s the Slovenian National Hall (The Nash), the Polish American Cultural Center and the Bohemian National Hall.

And pioneering entrepreneurs who love the neighborhood are bringing everyday services and destination businesses to the neighborhood, Sierra points out.

“When the trail project is complete, the trail will connect Downtown all the way to the Erie Canal Towpath,” Sierra says.

Meanwhile, in today’s Slavic Village, its roots and charm are ever present. The neighborhood is home to seven Catholic parishes, including the Polish Shrine, St. Stanislaus on East

One is Neighborhood Pets Outreach and Resource Center that offers affordable necessities. The Red Chimney is an old standard for Eastern European dining. And the East 65th Street corridor, known as the Warszawa Historic District, is chock full of stakeholders, Sierra says. Those include institutions like Cleveland Central Catholic High School.

In the Broadway and East 55th Historic District — the core of Slavic Village — an urban main street is home to more than 50 businesses and institutions, including the Boys and Girls Club of America and Cleveland’s first Rails to Trails project.

Among the neighborhood’s longtime go-tos, Sierra calls out Philomena Bakery, R&K Sausage, Vic’s Floral, Daiys’ and the Southeast Cleveland Resource Center.

broadway slavic village

The Trail Project will connect Dowtown to the Erie Canal Towpath.

The Red Chimney’s "City Chicken"

rooms to LET

From blight to beauty has been an ongoing theme of Rooms to LET CLE since it started in 2013. The movement transforms readyto-demolish establishments into temporary art exhibits; activates vacant residences, storefronts and spaces; and presents opportunity.

“It has been a fully immersive experience including teams of artists for each house, storefront or site,” says Sierra.

Housing and business support services were involved, too.

The narrative to “reclaim the blight” in Slavic Village continues in 2025 with fundraising efforts and dates to be announced, Sierra says. This year, the event likely will focus on open spaces and combatting against litter and dumping junk.

Don't miss St. Clair-Superior

– KAFE LA –

Kafe LA, which opened in 2020, draws its influence from sunny Los Angeles, says owner Kayla Dial. Health and wellness influences also shine through at Kafe LA — with healthy, fresh ingredients incorporated into the food and beverages. The eatery offers wraps, ice cream, smoothies, treats, teas, granola, wheatgrass salad, tacos, ginger, multivitamins, sea moss and more.

Rooms to LET CLE provides lots for artists to display their work.

Past purpose

The Greater Buckeye neighborhood brings together culture and opportunity.

// By Jill Sell

The Greater Buckeye neighborhood is an amazing tapestry of passionate, former and current residents. These leaders and creative individuals have joined together to

knit a larger neighborhood with unique architecture, arts, entertainment, shopping and dining opportunities. The Cleveland neighborhood includes Buckeye, Larchmere, Shaker Square and

Woodland Hills. The area is adjacent to Luke Easter Park, the largest urban park in Ohio and originally part of Cleveland’s master park plan in the 1890s.

Separately named neighborhoods identified the area in the past. But civic and community leaders, including Cleveland Neighborhood Progress CEO Tania Menesse, say a new bond and outlook has been formed. Less economic competition and more cooperation. Less vying for new residents and better realization that an increase in population, revitalized housing, streets and businesses is good for everyone who calls this vibrant section of Cleveland home.

Menesse identifies Larchmere, one of the most fascinating areas in Ohio with one-of-a-kind galleries, shops and public art, as being “strong.” She also points to Buckeye for its increased re-in-

StrivingKeep

vestment. Currently, Shaker Square is taking center stage.

Shaker Square, the oldest planned shopping area in Ohio, was constructed in 1927. It has enjoyed incredible highs and prestige as well as sad lows throughout its history. Shaker Square went into foreclosure December 2020.

“In April 2022, Cleveland City Council approved financing for Cleveland Neighborhood Progress and Burten, Bell, Carr Development to purchase Shaker Square. Cleveland is our first mortgage holder; they are the bank. We took ownership that year,” says Menesse.

The new owners wasted no time stabilizing Shaker Square. Now comes the future, with plans dubbed “A New Era for a Cleveland Classic.” Menesse says exciting programming will be regularly scheduled so visitors

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CafE Indigo

Entrepreneur Melissa Garrett-Hirsch says significant names for her business ventures are imperative. Garrett-Hirsch opened her newest coffee shop/ice cream parlor on Shaker Square this past February and calls it Cafe Indigo.

“Indigo means harmony and peace,” explains Garrett-Hirsch, a Shaker Heights resident most of her life. “Sometimes Shaker Square has been the place to be, sometimes not. It’s gone through upheavals, a long journey. I have always valued the community’s history and diversity. I feel it’s on the right path now.”

The Greater Buckeye neighborhood is an amazing tapestry of passionate, former and current residents.

and residents will say, “Let’s walk to the Square to see what’s going on today.”

What Greater Buckeye residents don’t want, according to Menesse, is to destroy the historical architecture or overbuild the Square’s green spaces.

“You couldn’t create a neighborhood in a densely populated area like this today,” observes Menesse. “The magic of the Square is also what makes it challenging with a lot of different constituencies. But it can be all things to all people, just not all at the same time.”

La Pecora

Chances are if you order a pizza from La Pecora in Larchmere, it will be lovingly made by the owner. Juan Vergara calls his wood-fired, Napoletana piz-

za pies his “personal enjoyment.” Vergara wanted authenticity of his pizzas so he studied the art of pie making in Italy.

La Pecora, described as a pizzabar because patrons can sit at a counter and watch the pies be formed and baked, opened October 2024. The 50-seat dining room is accessed through another of Vergara’s restaurants, Barroco, on Larchmere Blvd.

“We have a set menu with pies that are all popular, like our pear and pistachio or white anchovy with pomegranates. But we do things backwards here. Many places won’t let you substitute toppings. But we encourage you to decide for yourself and if we have an ingredient you want, we will use it,” says Vergara. “We have had requests for pork rinds and also sweet plantains.”

Cafe Indigo is really two enterprises with an open floor plan. One half is the ice cream shop with 24 Hershey ice cream flavors and treats that include banana splits and sundaes. Top sellers include butter pecan, Bourbon salted caramel and cookies and cream.

“I remember walking to an ice cream shop when I was growing up. I wanted one that was walkable for the neighborhood here, too,” says Garrett-Hirsch.

Atlas Cinemas at Shaker Square

Cleveland continues to grow its reputation for supporting and cultivating innovative and cutting-edge films. Atlas Cinemas at Shaker Square is a significant venue for showing those creations.

Rental opportunities are available for “a couple or a couple hundred people,” according to Director of Operations Christopher Baxter, who welcomes birthday and anniversary celebrations and other events. And with six screens, the theater always has something on its marquee to entice you away from your tablet and into a “real” theater. Atlas Cinemas’ classic movies are meant to be larger than life.

“A movie is a shared event. We get scared together, we laugh together,” says Baxter, whose favorite movie is the original Godzilla with Japanese subtitles.

Don't miss Westown

– ASSAD’S MEDITERRANEAN CUISINE –Assad’s Mediterranean Cuisine is much more than a restaurant — it’s also an imported food store with a deli and a bakery — according to Mike Assad, who co-owns the establishment with his brother Fred Assad.

Fresh cuisine includes spinach pies, homemade hummus, beef and chicken shawarma, sweets, falafel, kababs, tabbouleh, house-made pita bread and more.

La Pecora allows patrons to sit at the counter and watch the pies being formed.

Clark uncovered

Brimming with small businesses, rich culture and undeniable joy, Clark-Fulton is a must-visit Cleveland neighborhood.

// By Sarah Webb

Clark-Fulton boasts about 7,300 residents. Many of them hail from Puerto Rico, but the neighborhood represents numerous cultures from around the world.

The neighborhood is also part of the mayor’s Neighborhood Transformation Initiative, which aims to provide healthy, equitable and sustainable opportunities to build wealth and stabilize neighborhoods.

“Cleveland needed a little color.”

— Jenice Contreras, President & CEO, Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic Development

“There have been some changes in the last years, and there are more people trying to get houses here, and the city has provided more resources for small businesses to establish in the area,” says Maria Anaya, small business coordinator at Metro West Community Development Organization. “There’s more to offer than there has been in recent years.”

CentroVilla25

In a city where many buildings match the color of the wintertime sky, the eye will immediately be drawn to the vibrant colors that splash the walls of a warehouse building — a new space called CentroVilla25 — that is part food hall, marketplace, event center and commercial kitchen.

“Cleveland needed a little color,” says Jenice Contreras, who leads the vision for CentroVilla25 and is also President & CEO of the Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic Development Eco-

nomic Development. “We wanted to be big and bold and colorful and happy and create this feeling of joy when people drove past.”

In the green food hall, eight vendors represent cuisine from Venezuela, Mexico, Cuba, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. The pink market has retail and service kiosks featuring clothing, jewelry, massage and more. A 3,000-square-foot kitchen is intended for food producers outside of the market to rent. The space also features a rum bar and Elder Plaza, an outdoor area where visitors can enjoy the community’s ambiance.

pawsh cle

“CentroVilla is now a destination place, just like the West Side Market or the Rock Hall,” Contreras says.

old san juan Jewelers

Old San Juan Jewelers carries traditional Latino items such as azabaches (bracelets for babies with a black charm in the form of a fist and red and black beads), rosaries and quinceañera jewelry.

“There are a lot of special life moments that certain Latino backgrounds celebrate,” says Alexandra Pagan, who co-owns the shop with her father, founder Ramon Pagan. “We take pride in our business and it being family based and prioritizing our people.”

Old San Juan Jewelers also features 10 and 14 karat gold, silver stainless steel and gold-plated collections, watch batteries and name jewelry and provides in-house watch and jewelry repair services.

Explore

Discover Cleveland’s AsiaTown—a vibrant cultural hub featuring over 35 Asian-owned restaurants, shops, and grocery stores offering authentic flavors and unique finds, spanning Saint Clair Avenue to Payne Avenue.

AsiaTown is more than a destination—it’s a neighborhood built on rich history and the strength of long-time residents, who’ve shaped its story. Through initiatives like the AsiaTown Learning Circle, small business support, and community clean-ups, neighbors and entrepreneurs come together to create a welcoming, sustainable, and empowered community for all.

Visit Pawsh CLE for Self-serve Sundays.

Pawsh Cle, a pet grooming boutique founded by Chelci Edmonds in 2022, opened its Clark-Fulton location in 2024.

Offering haircuts, baths, nail trimming and more, Pawsh Cle provides its customers a peaceful experience, Edmonds says.

New this year, Pawsh Cle will open on Sundays for people who simply need a place to wash their pets themselves. During Self-serve Sundays, customers can use the amenities for their allotted time and rent shampoo treatments for a small fee. Also new, a $40 membership will allow pet owners to come in anytime to take advantage of these services.

Guanaquitas

A woman-owned restaurant founded five years ago by Blanca Hernandez, Guanaquitas offers fresh Salvadorian cuisine including mini pupusas, sweet plantains and more.

“We are trying to bring our culture to this community, and I’m very happy with what we have done,” says Hernandez.

Guanaquita’s pupusas are made with corn flour and water and then filled with ingredients like beans, pork, chicken, pastor and asada. On weekends, the restaurant offers a special dish called Siete Mares, a fresh seafood soup.

“I think what makes Guanaquitas unique is that I focus on homemade food, using original recipes from El Salvador,” Hernandez says. “I buy fresh ingredients daily and don’t use freezers.”

Celebrate culture year-round with events that bring thousands together, including: Celebrate Lunar New Year with vibrant lion dances, music, and community activities

The Cleveland Asian Festival brings thousands together with live performances, cultural experiences, and dozens of Asian food vendors

Take a Hike CLE Summer Series walking tours, which bring AsiaTown’s rich history, art, and culture to life

Children’s Day offers fun, hands-on cultural experiences for kids and families

The Mid Autumn Festival is an enchanted day filled with mooncakes and magical stories the whole family will love.

Don't forget to take in the vibrant murals that turn city walls into storytelling canvases—celebrating heritage, resilience, and the diverse voices of AsiaTown.

Don't miss

West Park

– CLEVELAND PICKLEBALL CENTER –

It’s not just a sport. Pickleball is also about unity. People of all skill levels come together to play and simply have fun. “The only thing you need is comfortable clothing and tennis shoes,” says Rob Euerle, who opened Cleveland Pickleball Center in February.

From 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, the 10 indoor courts (three outdoor) are bopping with players — including those who don’t know the rules. The center offers clinics, private lessons and open play for groups or singles who show up and rotate into games. There are numerous ping-pong tables, a full bar and a private party room.

Lee Harvard

A time –

COMEBACK –

Lee-Harvard economic development investments are restoring long-held neighborhood standards, introducing in-demand amenities and attracting young entrepreneurs.

// By Kristen Hampshire

Pride runs deep and a sense of ownership is tradition in Lee-Harvard, known as “the suburb in the city.” Most of its post-World War II single-fam-

ily homes are family nests for African Americans who embraced an opportunity to raise their families in a community where neighbors look after neighbors.

“The community is built on legacy and culture,” says Elaine Gohlstin, president and CEO of Harvard Community Services Center. “We’re a community with high standards, and many people have lived here since the 1950s and 1960s.”

Given Mayor Justin Bibb’s focus on the southeast side and middle neighborhoods in Cleveland, economic development investments are infusing Lee-Harvard and neighboring wards with small business and housing development incentives.

Gohlstin, who raised her kids in Lee-Harvard and has served the Harvard Community Services Center since 2007, says more than 25 years had passed before a renewed interest in securing and bolstering the neighborhood.

“Our mayor has been very diligent about making sure that small businesses have dollars to help

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them sustain and grow,” Gohlstin says. "The study area focuses on the Lee Road corridor from Invermere Avenue to Miles Avenue, Harvard Avenue from East 142nd Street to Cleveland city limits, and Miles Avenue from East 131st to Cleveland city limits.

Projects align with a master plan developed by the Harvard Community Services Center and stakeholders that have this vision: “to create a vibrant, welcoming and safe walkable environment for residents of all generations, with attractive commercial corridors that enhance the community’s unique character and foster economic growth.”

DOC’S ON HARVARD

Kolnita Riggins-Walker entered the Harvard dental practice her father-in-law ran for 65 years, never turning his back on patients for lack of funds. He made

Chef Kolnita serves her signature pan-seared walleye.

house calls and was often a go-to source of wisdom.

Kolnita went to the dental office for a rote task: to gather the mail.

But what unfolded before her eyes was not an empty practice, but instead a lively, soulful scene with music, aromas from a kitchen, guests gathering and her husband’s dad smiling from a table. “

Her husband Bill’s dad soon turned over his practice facility so the Walkers could transform the space into what is now Doc’s on Harvard.

It’s the community’s only upscale sit-down restaurant, and now it has a generous patio for summer dining. “We are bringing back the Black excellence Lee-Harvard is known for,” Kolnita says of a fine-dining menu built on fresh ingredients, high-quality meat and seafood, and the type of “cooking with love” she knew from her grandmother, who always served meals on china.

The same is true at Doc’s, where its Signature Whitefish includes pan-seared walleye, Israeli couscous with blistered tomatoes and spinach served with lemon beurre blanc. The Berkshire pork chop in 10-, 12- or 14-ounce servings also garners rave reviews, she ways.

Word is spreading and Doc’s has become a catalyst for transformation in Lee-Harvard.

Kolnita is always surprised to learn a patron from out-ofstate found Doc’s from a Google search. “We are just a little gem, tucked away,” she says.

Mayor Bibb told Cleveland magazine, “We know that one restaurant, one art gallery, one amazing small business could change the trajectory of a community.”

Doc’s opened in June 2024 and has since created 15 new jobs. Most team members live in the neighborhood, Kolnita says. A new apprenticeship program is supported by the Greater Cleveland Partnership and National Restaurant Association. Doc’s also linked up with The Westin Cleveland Downtown to be included on its digital concierge board.

© Nathan Migal

THE LAND for Foodies

FOODIE TOURISM IS REAL. Visitors to the City of Cleveland come knowing that the culinary scene here is impressive and respected — and it’s getting better every day. So why not venture thoughout the city yourself and see what the buzz is all about? You can visit some of the best ethnic eateries the region has to offer. While numerous ethnicities, cultures and cuisines are available across our city, five distinct areas stick out for hosting noteworthy collections of culturally-themed dining options that are authentic and delicious!

Start eating and start exploring! #EatExploreCLE

VISIT KAMM’S CORNERS IN WEST PARK FOR A TASTE OF IRELAND

Located near the southwest corner of the city, Kamm’s Corners in West Park is home to a cluster of Irish establishments. Irish Catholics were among the early settlers of the neighborhood and many of their traditions and favorite foods have lingered here for more than a century. The Hooley is a popular Irish-themed neighborhood festival that captures this spirit and draws people from across the region.

NEIGHBORHOOD IRISH RESTAURANTS

P.J. McIntyre’s, Public House, 5 Points Coffee & Tea, West Park Station

The Hooley is a popular Irish-themed neighborhood festival. The Corned Beef Boxty (inset) at P.J. McIntyre’s in Kamm’s Corners is a favorite — and hearty — Irish meal option (Black & Tan optional).

CLARK FULTON IS HOME TO CENTROVILLA25 AND IS THE HUB OF LATIN AMERICAN CUISINE

The city’s West Side is filled with Latin restaurants, but the epicenter is in Clark Fulton, which is bordered by Ohio City to the north and Tremont to the east. The brand new CentroVilla25, located on West 25th Street, is a vibrant hub that celebrates rich Latino heritage. It supports Latino merchants and is home to a growing number of Latin American-themed restaurants and small businesses.

NEIGHBORHOOD LATIN RESTAURANTS

Flying Pig Tacos, Half Moon Bakery, Caribe Bake Shop, Las Dos Fronteras, Cafe Roig, Panaderia Las Villas & Deli, Tumbao58, Sazon Latino

Consider a visit to Clark Fulton’s new CentroVilla25 market on West 25th Street and stop at Flying Pig Tacos for a variety of authentic Mexican street foods.

@TRATTORIALITTLEITALY

LITTLE ITALY SERVES UP ALL THINGS ITALIAN

Cleveland’s Little Italy neighborhood is on the city’s East Side and is nestled next to University Circle. Settled by Italian immigrants in the late 1880s, the neighborhood retains a strong Italian feel. It is filled with restaurants, galleries, boutique shops and more. In August, Holy Rosary Church welcomes over 100,000 visitors at the annual Feast of the Assumption, where the entire neighborhood is showcased.

NEIGHBORHOOD ITALIAN RESTAURANTS

Mama Santas, Trattoria Roman Gardens, Guarino’s, Maxi’s, Presti’s, Corbo’s, Mount Granita, Murray Hill Market, La Dolce Vita, Tutto Carni, Mia Bella, Rosso Gelato, Michaelangelo’s

Trattoria Roman Gardens is located near the intersection of Mayfield and Murray Hill. Pizza and pasta (inset) at Mama Santas in Little Italy is always a good choice, but more than a dozen additional options exist in this quaint, walkable neighborhood.

ASIATOWN IN ST. CLAIR SUPERIOR PROVIDES A LOOK INTO AUTHENTIC ASIAN CULTURES

AsiaTown, on Cleveland’s near East Side, is home to many Asian cultures, including residents of Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and Japanese heritage. Naturally, a diverse assortment of local restaurants also populate the neighborhood. The Cleveland Asian Festival, which celebrates Asian culture, is tremendously popular and is hosted in the neighborhood each May.

NEIGHBORHOOD ASIAN RESTAURANTS

Koko Bakery, YY Time, Bo Loong, Siam Cafe, Li Wah, Ice or Rice Cafe, Superior Pho, #1 Pho, Map of Thailand, LJ Shanghai, Szechuan Gourmet, Ball Ball Waffle, Pho Sunshine

You’ll see the famous Lion Dance and many other cultural performances at the Cleveland Asian Festival. Whether it’s for a morning wake-me-up, a midday boost or a fun end to your evening, bubble tea and pastries (inset) from Koko Bakery in St. Clair Superior’s AsiaTown neighborhood will certainly hit the spot.

A GROWING MIDDLE EASTERN POPULATION IS INFLUENCING THE DINING LANDSCAPE IN WESTOWN

Straddling Lorain Avenue east of West Park, the Westown neighborhood is home to a growing Middle Eastern population along with a related collection of restaurants and markets. These Middle Eastern establishments provide an authentic dining experience and join a host of other international dining options within this diverse neighborhood.

NEIGHBORHOOD MIDDLE EASTERN RESTAURANTS

Reef Al Yemen, Yemen Gate, Little Garden, Levant Shawarma, Hawana’s Sweet & Kitchen, Holyland International Market, Saffron Restaurant

Your meal is sliced and served up fresh at Levant Shawarma on Lorain Avenue. Shakshouka (inset), a popular Yemeni breakfast dish at Reef al Yemen in Westown, pairs well with hummus and is available all day for you to try.

@LEVANT_SHAWARMA

Time to Play

Discover 12 ways to enjoy the great outdoors in the city.

EDGEWATER PARK

CUYAHOGA COUNTY

EDGEWATER BEACH

EUCLID BEACH PARK

The 147-acre Edgewater Park is the westernmost park in Cleveland Metroparks Lakefront Reservation. Edgewater Park features 9,000 feet of shoreline, dog and swim beaches, boat ramps, fishing pier, picnic areas and grills and a rentable pavilion. Visit lower Edgewater Park for immense greenspace, trails and access to Edgewater Beach. Visit upper Edgewater to snap a photo by the iconic Cleveland script sign or take the kids to explore the Lindsey Family Play Space. 1 2 3 4

CLEVELAND-CLIFFS

Stroll along the beach while taking in panoramic views of Downtown Cleveland from the shore and experience a beautiful sunset. Edgewater Beach is accessible from both the lower section of Edgewater Park as well as the upper section. The 2,400-foot beach features 1,000 feet of swimming access. The westernmost portion of the beach is dog friendly. Rent a cabana along the shoreline or join a pick-up game of beach volleyball. Grab a bite from the Edgewater Beach House or enjoy the seasonal bar on the second level, featuring breathtaking views of the sunset over Lake Erie.

Euclid Beach Park boasts a 650-foot beach with shaded picnic areas, a scenic observation pier and a reservable pavilion. The 315-foot-long pier extends 150 feet over Lake Erie, offering stunning views of the Downtown skyline and historic shoreline. Designed for accessibility, the pier features permanent benches and Adirondack chairs, as well as three custom archways that pay tribute to the park’s history. Local artist Brinsley Tyrrell’s ironwork silhouettes include images of iconic park attractions like dancers, carousel horses and Laughing Sal. Nearby, Villa Angela Beach is a popular spot for swimming and wildlife watching, while Wildwood Park offers boat access to Lake Erie.

BIKE PARK

A public-use pump track featuring a circuit of small hills and banked turns designed for bicycle motocross and mountain bike riders. The bike playground offers beginners and youth an opportunity to practice their riding skills and build confidence. The competition course features multiple rollers, berms and a wood wrapped tunnel, while the paved jump line challenges more advanced riders.

WASHINGTON GOLF COURSE

Book a tee time at Washington Golf Course. Washington Golf Course is the highlight of Cleveland Metroparks’ Washington Reservation in the cities of Newburgh Heights and Cleveland. The beautiful 9-hole, par 29 golf course, featuring a 26-station driving range, is less than 10 minutes from Downtown.

9

MERWIN’S WHARF

Nestled in the post-industrial site of Cleveland’s Flats neighborhood, Merwin’s Wharf connects guests to urban greenspace while enjoying fresh, seasonal and locally sourced menu items. Guests can also enjoy reservable day-use boat slips on a first-come, first-served basis in nearby Heritage and Rivergate parks. 5 6 11 12 7 8

CLEVELAND METROPARKS ZOO

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is home to over 2,000 animals. Open year-round, the Zoo offers unique attractions such as the African Savanna, Asian Highlands, Australian Adventure, Daniel Maltz Rhino Reserve and Wilderness Trek. Visitors can handfeed giraffes, soar through the sky on the Eagle Zip Adventure and enjoy a variety of other experiences. Throughout the year, the Zoo hosts special events, limited-time exhibits and several races as part of the annual Cleveland Metroparks Race Series, presented by CrossCountry Mortgage.

WENDY PARK AND WHISKEY ISLAND

One of Ohio’s top birding sites, Wendy Park’s 22 acres of green space on the edge of Downtown Cleveland makes it a vital haven for wildlife. Boasting a remarkable 260 species of birds recorded on site, birders, photographers and nature lovers are drawn to this dynamic landscape. Wendy Park offers a crucial habitat for nesting and migratory animals including extraordinary monarch butterflies in the fall. Wendy Park features a natural surface kayak launch.

CLEVELAND METROPARKS BROOKSIDE RESERVATION

A recreation hub, Brookside Reservation boasts baseball and soccer/football fields. The 132-acre reservation serves as a refuge for diverse wildlife in an urban setting. Each spring Brookside is a popular destination to experience the annual cherry blossom blooms. This reservation connects to Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.

RED LINE GREENWAY

The Red Line Greenway is a nearly twomile paved all-purpose trail that links the Cleveland Foundation Centennial Lake Link Trail to two RTA Red Line Rapid Transit stations and provides a primary active transportation corridor from West 65th Street to Downtown. The trail connects the Michael Zone Recreation Center at W. 53rd Street with the Cleveland Foundation Centennial Lake Link Trail at Columbus Road and Franklin Avenue.

GORDON PARK

Located along the Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway, the E. 72nd Fishing area within Gordon Park offers picnic areas and a fishing wall. The Gordon Park Boat Launch includes a six-lane boat launch, which has docks available for launching and retrieving watercraft from the beginning of April through the end of November.

OHIO AND ERIE CANAL RESERVATION

The Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation stretches through the villages of Cuyahoga Heights, Valley View and other surrounding communities and can be easily accessed from many city neighborhoods.. The reservation follows the historic 309-mile Ohio and Erie Canal. Together with the Cuyahoga River, the northernmost remaining 4.4 miles of watered canal provides wildlife management areas, fishing opportunities and scenic beauty. Enjoy hiking trails, a 7.2-mile all-purpose trail and connections to the Towpath Trail. Check out guided programming and free activities for all ages at CanalWay Center.

Our Mission: Our mission is to improve the quality of life in greater Cleveland through neighborhood revitalization, affordable housing and integrated social services. Our Committment: We provide conventional, affordable, supportive houses, commercial new construction & historic homes mix-use & mixed-income buildings.

How we do it: We provide access to social services resources such as: food, clothing, home repair, free legal aid, and health & wellness programs for those in need. OFFICE LOCATION 1325 Ansel Road Cleveland, Ohio 44106 (216) 791-6476

FACES of CARE

We can’t have a healthier community without a healthier you.

That’s why, at MetroHealth, we’re devoted to making sure each person is seen and heard—for who they are and what they need. When we listen to you, we’re able to customize your care. And what we see and hear inspires us to bring healthcare to you, making sure every person has the resources they need to live a healthier life.

Because when you’re seen and heard, that’s when you have the power to be well. Be seen. Be heard. Be well. connect @metrohealthcle

Caring for Our Nurses

The Ohio League for Nursing promotes excellence in quality care.

The OLN is a proud partner for Cleveland magazine’s Faces of Care, which provides an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the achievements of our excellent, compassionate nurses, nurse educators and nursing students.

The Ohio League for Nursing (OLN) is committed to carrying out the mission of

advancing excellence in nursing education that prepares a strong and diverse nursing workforce to promote the health of Ohio and the Nation. The OLN supports initiatives that maximize existing nursing resources to ensure that patients have access to quality care, provide nursing education programs with the necessary

faculty and resources to educate the next generation of nurses and nurse scholars, and promote effective workforce planning through timely and evidence-based nurse workforce data collection and analysis.

The OLN has four regions throughout the state including the Northeast (NE) Region, which covers greater Cleveland and is very active in promoting the mission of the OLN. The Northeast Region of the Ohio League for Nursing is led by Dr. Kimberly Dillon-Bleich from Ursuline College, The Breen School of Nursing. Dillon-Bleich and the board members of the NE Region of OLN have worked diligently to recognize those within the region who are making a difference in nursing education, practice and leadership, as well as our next generation of nurses. The NE-OLN sponsors the Annual Nurse Week Luncheon held at Windows on the River in May. It also hosts several educational programs throughout the year, including the DNP/PhD Showcase, which highlights the research efforts of doctoral prepared nurses.

Caring for Each Other

Meet nurses who have made caring for others their mission.

By Chrissy Kadleck

Kristen Hrabak

From her early days in her first career as child life specialist explaining the hospital and medical procedures to young patients and their parents, Kristen Hrabak has always had a natural way of explaining things and a love for expanding her knowledge.

After working alongside nurses and seeing their impact on patients and families, Hrabak was inspired to earn her associate’s degree in nursing through Tri-C and started practicing in 2010.

“I always have this passion and this drive to do more,” says Hrabak, who would later earn her master’s degree in nursing in 2022 from Kent State University with a concentration in nursing education.

She worked at the Cleveland Clinic’s main campus and went directly into pediatrics. After she started having kids (Bentley, 11, and Carson, 8), she moved to outpatient in the ambulatory setting. Then, in 2023, Hrabak joined Baldwin Wallace University’s adjunct faculty in the clinical and a laboratory setting.

Highly respected as a nurse clinician and educator among faculty and students, Hrabak always knew she wanted to teach and gravitated to mentoring and precepting new nurses at the Clinic.

“I try to develop the students that I’m teaching and share all my successes, but

CAREER INSIGHTS

then all my failures, too,” she says. “We all make mistakes, but you always strive to be better tomorrow than you were today. I always tell my students, no one expects you to know every single thing, but you should know how to find the answer. So I try to give them the tools to find those answers.”

Hrabak actively participates in professional development opportunities, attending conferences and engaging in research to stay at the forefront of emerging practices and technologies in health care. Her passion and aptitude for translating new knowledge into improved care practices has made a significant impact.

Recently, Hrabak disseminated an evidence-based pediatric intervention demonstrating and evaluating the importance of

Pediatric Therapeutic Holds or comfort holding to nursing students.

“It’s the concept that you can position a child in a parent’s arms to help restrain them during a vaccine or procedure, but to the child, it feels like a hug or an embrace from their loved one,” she says. “We started adding that into our curriculum and actually made it into a poster project that was presented last year at the education summit for Ohio League for Nursing.”

Hrabak truly feels that each of her students’ successes are her successes. “If it’s a successful procedure or intervention or providing a lending ear and supporting a patient, I take pride in having the opportunity to guide students,” she says. “I try to mentor them and always lead by example.”

In December 2012 when Hrabak was pregnant with her first child, she saved her neighbor’s life who was having a massive heart attack in the middle of the night. “I was the first responder and started CPR. And because of that, he is a normal functioning human being today. I just went in and did what I was trained to do. But that’s always been a big moment in my life.”

“Touching patients and putting your hands on patients, that’s a very special thing and it’s very powerful,” she says. “Making an impact on someone’s life in that way … it's a gift that I can't even describe.”

Francesca “Maggie” Logterman

Through her 37 years at University Hospital, Francesca “Maggie” Logterman’s incredible nursing career has spanned multiple clinical departments including as a nursing professional development specialist and the Periop Education Team Lead. Her best days were still when she was scrubbed in in the OR.

“My favorite case was always a brain aneurysm because my specialty was neuro surgery,” says Logterman, passionate about nursing, education and leadership. “My best day is with a high functioning surgical team working together without saying a word to each other. It's like when an orchestra comes together and everybody is on the same page.”

Even now that she is far from the bedside, Logterman says there’s one core belief she has instilled in her team of 11 perioperative nurse educators: They must focus on and be able to relate to the nurse they are delivering education to and they have to be current in the practice so they know firsthand the challenges that the staff face on a daily basis.

“I believe they deliver better education because of that,” says Logterman, who has been actively involved in system-wide nursing workforce development for decades. “The patient is always the center, so we never move away from that. But the focus shifts more to the nurse when you become an educator. You are developing new nurses and you're showing them how to become the best OR/PACU nurse and you're giving them the skills to do that.”

She collaborated with Ursuline College to launch a unique perioperative immersion experience for undergraduate BSN students. This immersion allotted students an opportunity to explore the unique environment of perioperative nursing but while doing so, also strengthen their skills in infection control, safety and patient advocacy.

“One of the early goals that I take pride in was breaking down the closed doors of the ORs to students to get them in here early in nursing schools to recruit and to build a pipeline,” she says. “You have to create an environment that's open and supportive to students and new learners.

CAREER INSIGHTS

Nurses have the answers, you just have to ask them. “I've said this through my whole career, nurses always have the answers on what to do,” Logterman says. “They're problem solvers. They're scientists. You just have to get them to the table to find solutions, especially in big hospital systems, and then you have to listen to them.”

On nurse advocacy: “It’s always a question of ‘What can you do to help that nurse?’ It's a very challenging health care setting and one of the best ways you can advocate for a nurse is to help them develop the skills they need in the environment.”

Logterman is known for pushing her educators to have interactive classes and fine tune their teaching skills by embracing feedback. “One of the things where I felt like I made one of the biggest impacts with my team is by using feedback,” she says. “You have to mentor people on how to give it and receive it, challenge if the feedback is true and take only what you need from it to become better.”

We do that through partnerships with schools such as Ursuline, Kent and Cleveland State. And we have a Periop program for new grad nurses or a nurse coming from another floor.”

Logterman was instrumental in the revamping of onboarding for OR nursing in 2024. She initiated and promoted change on the unit, and she seeks best practices and refuses to lean into historical norms.

A mother of two grown children, Logterman’s daughter is an emergency room nurse at UH’s main campus.

“Having her here, it's a joy,” she says. “Watching her orientation and her growth, with support of the nurses in the ER, the leadership team and the educators, it has been a true gift. She's had this fantastic experience as a new grad nurse in a very chaotic, difficult environment. It has sort of renewed my faith in nursing.”

Barbara Yoost

Ten years into “retirement” after a more than 40-year career that included clinical nursing, being a nurse educator and co-authoring textbooks, Barbara Yoost easily says she could not have asked for a better profession.

“For me, it was always about responding to the needs of others. And knowing that all of us have the responsibility to find ways of caring for other people,” she says. With a desire to pursue missionary nursing, Yoost was able to serve within the United States as a camp nurse or camp staff volunteer, and globally on short-term mission trips and international teaching opportunities. She currently volunteers as a member of the Medical Reserve Corps for Ohio.

CAREER INSIGHTS

Nursing is a calling, Yoost says. “It requires lifelong learning and education that includes unbelievable amounts of research and evidencebased practice. That’s what changes lives and saves patients.”

Endless possibilities: When talking to undergraduate students, Yoost starts by saying “please do not limit how you see your professional life going forward, because I never would have dreamed of the opportunities that I've had when I was sitting where you are.”

One of her nursing educator career highlights: Developing and teaching a study abroad course for nursing and public health students in Geneva, Switzerland. Yoost secured entry for her 20 students to attend the World Health Assembly at the United Nations (with credentials provided by the World Council of Churches), tour the World Health Organization and attend presentations at the International Council of Nurses, Doctors without Borders, and other Geneva-based non-governmental organizations.

She began her nursing practice at Akron General Medical Center in the Medical Intensive Care Unit. While there, the founding Dean of the Kent State University College of Nursing asked Yoost to teach part-time courses.

“I truly loved practice and never saw myself teaching nursing,” she says. “However, being able to practice and teach undergraduate students became my passion and life’s work.”

She practiced critical care nursing in the Western Reserve Care System and later practiced and taught at North Central State College and Huron School of Nursing within the Cleveland Clinic Hospital System. While teaching full time at Kent State University and serving as the Fundamentals Program Coordinator, she was a clinical instructor at University Hospitals and the KSUCON Honors Program Coordinator and faculty member.

“While an assistant professor at Notre Dame College, I had the privilege of participating with students in the Guatemala Immersion Experience teaching elementary school students about handwashing and assessing the needs of patients in the community health clinic,” says Yoost, who

has been married for 50 years with a family that includes “two incredible sons, two equally incredible daughters in law, and six beautiful grandchildren.”

“My passion has always been to engage students in active learning and encourage them to be open to opportunities to make a difference and advocate on behalf of others,” she says.

Case in point: Yoost was asked to provide continuing education to nurses in Turkey because of her early research in handheld technology and its use to increase patient safety. Following that experience, she was asked to conduct a needs assessment and teach continuing nursing education courses in the United Arab Emirates.

“I have many colleagues and nurse leaders to thank for supporting me to do far more in my nursing career than I ever dreamed possible,” says Yoost, who was inducted as a Fellow into the National League of Nursing (NLN) Academy of Nursing Education in 2011 and currently serves on the NLN Centers of Excellence Review Panel. “I want to encourage students to pursue a commitment to serving others and be open to unlikely opportunities along the way.”

DAVID SCHWARTZ

Jennifer Johnson

Before she could even read, Jennifer Johnson knew she wanted to be a nurse. This declaration would come to fruition some 20 years later.

“I had the grades, and I had the opportunity,” says Johnson, now as an assistant professor at Ursuline College. She attended Marshall University in her hometown in West Virgina where she graduated with honors.

After taking her first job in a cardiac step-down unit, she began working on her graduate degree. “And then I met my husband who moved to Michigan.’”

She transferred to Michigan State University and found a job working in a hospital in rural western Michigan.

CAREER INSIGHTS

“That was a really pivotal learning experience because you are it, and if you can't do what you need to do, you need to fly these patients to the metropolitan areas,” she says. “I developed critical thinking and became a better communicator. I was able to assist in many different medical situation including C-sections and heart attacks. It was enlightening.”

After starting a family she moved to Northeast Ohio in 2006. Dedicated to raising her young sons, she worked every weekend for six years so she could be “mom Monday through Friday.”

Johnson, who started teaching full time in 2014 and completed her doctorate in

2018, earns praise by both students and peers for her fun and interactive teaching style and her ability to break down complex concepts into comprehensible and engaging lessons. She even carries around large dice in her backpack.

“When I pull that die out, my students know it means we’re going to play a learning game. I break them into groups and then we run through exam questions or practice questions to apply knowledge covered in the course,” she says. “My colleague, Erin Schroeder, helped me a build a digital chutes and ladders, that uses the material and takes players through the game board.”

Actively dedicated to collaborative research, Johnson’s work on numerous projects has not only advanced understanding of key topics such as AI but has resulted in presentations at local and national conventions.

“I've had the opportunity to do research and to look for ways to improve in the classroom and then to showcase that,” she says. “Erin and I have worked together on different aspects of AI and how to harness that to use that in a classroom. We used AI to generate scenarios for students to play out communication or ethics. We have presented locally and at the state level, and we will present in DC in the fall. We are also presenting a workshop where we’re teaching professionals how to use AI as a tool.”

Through her dynamic teaching methods and dedication, she strives to equip her students with the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in their careers.

“I love those light bulb moments when you can see or experience with them the aha that they understand,” she says. “It’s pretty amazing when you think ‘I helped shape that. I helped that person become who they are.’ So now instead of impacting the individual patients I cared for in a clinical setting, I can impact a student who then impacts more patients, and on and on. That’s an incredible ripple effect.”

As an educator, Johnson strives to be approachable, first and foremost. “I try to make my classroom a safe space. It’s okay to be wrong. It's okay to error in the classroom because we can learn from that. When we make an error, we own it. This is how we look professional.”

Reflecting on her career in clinical practice and as a nurse educator: “I hope I provided excellent bedside care and taught new nurses and students how to do things properly and for the right reasons.”

The Next Generation

Meet the incoming generation of nurses stepping in to provide top-notch patient care.

By Sarah Webb

Ready to hit the ground running, these incoming nurses exhibit confidence, competence and, most importantly, quality care. Here are their stories.

Experience Excellence in Nursing at Every Level

Join a community of faculty and students advancing the nursing discipline.

• #10 Bachelor of Science in Nursing*

• Master of Nursing

• #17 Master of Science in Nursing*

• #17 Doctor of Nursing Practice* (DNP)

• DNP Nurse Anesthesia

• Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD)

*U.S. News & World Report, 2024

JAHNE MAVERICK PABLEO

Cleveland State University

Consistency, time management and discipline are all attributes required for strength and fitness training, but Jahne Maverick Pableo, student at Cleveland State University, adheres to them in his nursing career, too.

“I apply that same mindset to everything I do, whether it is developing clinical skills, improving communication or becoming a better leader,” Pableo says.

In addition to classes and clinicals, Pableo has been working in The Cleveland Clinic Main Campus cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU) as a nursing aide for the past two years.

“The most rewarding part has been making a real difference in people’s lives, especially seeing patients go from critical and unstable to walking, smiling and talking again,” Pableo says. “It is incredibly fulfilling to be part of their healing journey and to watch their strength return day by day.”

Pableo recently accepted a CVICU RN position at the Cleveland Clinic after graduation, with a long-term goal to become a certified registered nurse anesthetist.

JENNA SCHIFANO Baldwin Wallace College

Jenna Schifano understands that when people find themselves in the hospital, most often, it is among the scariest days of their lives. This is where the Baldwin Wallace nursing graduate is eager to step in.

“It is an immense honor to partner with them in these moments — giving a warm smile and assuring them you are with them,” Schifano says.

To serve as a pillar of support for patients, Schifano plans to attain a career in an emergency room and would also like to elevate the nursing profession as a whole.

“There are many things that I love about nursing, but there are also a lot of areas where nursing still needs growth and advocacy,” Schifano says. “There have been many nurses who have helped me, and I can’t wait to help other nursing students the same way.”

RIANNE REILLY

Lorain County Community College

As an undocumented child immigrant, Rianne Reilly didn’t have access to health care.

“We couldn’t afford to go to the doctor for preventive care because we feared deportation,” says Reilly, noting that this inspired her to become a nurse.

While her undocumented status initially prevented her from entering nursing school, she didn’t let that stop her.

After earning a bachelor’s degree from UC Irvine, completing a stint at Facebook HQ and attaining U.S. citizenship, Reilly eventually found her way back to nursing by enrolling in the program at Lorain County Community College (LCCC).

Upon graduation, Reilly will pursue a job in California and ultimately would like to join a medical mission in the U.S. or abroad.

“When I was undocumented, I dreamt of getting a college degree, and now I am working on my third,” Reilly says. “I dreamt of becoming a nurse, and now I am making it a reality. What seems impossible will fall into place if you really want it.”

ELIZABETH GATTIE Ursuline College

Elizabeth Gattie, Ursuline College nursing student, previously worked as a controller at a local company, but during COVID, she felt called to serve a greater purpose.

“I was watching all of these people sacrifice to help other people, and I didn’t participate in that and felt like I should be doing more,” Gattie says.

Throughout her time at Ursuline, Gattie took the “doing more” mentality to heart, participating in the Student Nurses of Ursuline College organization. The group assists with volunteer efforts on campus such as participating in health fairs and supporting the Go Red for Women campaign.

Moving forward, Gattie has accepted an RN position in the ICU at University Hospitals St. John Medical Center

“I’m excited to be on my own — I’ve gone through the program and am competent and know how to do all these things,” Gattie says. “It’s cool that this is not the path I originally thought I’d be on.”

Pathways to Becoming a Registered Nurse

KAYLA HAINES

Stark State College

Stark State nursing student Kayla Haines felt drawn to nursing because it blended her love for science with her desire to be actively involved with patients.

“I wanted a career in which I would be able to form meaningful relationships with my patients,” Haines says.

Throughout her time at Stark State, Haines has enjoyed exploring various specialties and, upon graduation, plans to pursue a career in the intensive care unit of a local hospital.

“I look forward to providing care and support to patients and their families during some of their toughest times and celebrating with them at their most hopeful,” Haines says.

Her goals don’t stop there, however, as she also plans to attain her master’s degree in nursing and become a teacher in a nursing school.

“I would love to give back to the field and help future nursing students find success in their careers,” Haines says.

CATHERINE SVOBODA

Cuyahoga Community College

Catherine Svoboda has wanted to be a nurse since she was a little girl, and her decision became solidified after experiencing the care provided to her preemie twin daughters by the Cleveland Clinic NICU nurses.

“I remember thinking, these nurses are angels. I want to be an angel, too,” says Svoboda, a first-generation college student and mother of four. “I am looking forward to being the light in someone’s darkness and the opportunity to constantly expand my knowledge throughout my career.”

Following graduation, Svoboda will begin her dream job in the ICU at Cleveland Clinic Hillcrest Hospital and enroll in a bachelor’s program at Ohio University by the end of this year.

“Throughout nursing school, everyone would ask what kind of nurse I wanted to be, and my response was ‘a good one,’” Svoboda says. “I have a drive to learn everything I possibly can so I can best advocate for my patients and their families.”

ETHAN SLOCUM

Case Western Reserve University

FPB SON

While Ethan Slocum knew he wanted to work in health care, the Case Western Reserve University graduate originally thought he’d try his hand at medical bioengineering. However, he switched course after realizing he wanted to form strong connections with patients.

“My mom’s a nurse, so I grew up with that type of conversation around the dinner table, and I thought, ‘what’s the risk of trying it?’” Slocum says.

During rotations, Slocum fell in love with the pediatrics segment.

“If not for that rotation, I probably would not have discovered that interest,” says Slocum, who recently accepted a job in the University Hospital Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital pediatric cardiac intensive care unit.

Additionally, Slocum also serves as the immediate past president of the National Student Nurses Association.

“It has allowed me to do the advocacy I’m really passionate about with nursing and speak to the things I’m learning about, but also have an impact further than what I can achieve at my own school,” Slocum says.

Rocky River Destination

YOUR DAY

Spend a morning — or the whole day — discovering the flavors and charm of Rocky River.

Donut

From the City of Rocky River

Pamela Bobst Mayor

Michelle Root Executive Assistant

to the Mayor For advertising information, call 216.377.3693

Come and Spend the Day with Us

If you’re not a morning person, Rocky River’s breakfast, sweets and coffee scene might just change that. Our city is filled with unique restaurants, bakeries and cafes serving up everything from delectable donuts and veggiepacked breakfast sandwiches to artisan coffees and much more. Stop by on your way to work and pick up a treat — whether for yourself or the whole office. (Check out our feature story on page 5 for what to try). Or, come on the weekend when you have a little more time and stay a while. Bring the kids to explore our scenic parks and fun playgrounds. You’ll also find plenty of shopping opportunities perfect for little ones, with boutique items and toys you won’t find anywhere else. Learn more about these local gems on page 12.

And, don’t forget to check out our summer events — Taste of River, outdoor concerts, pool parties and more. There’s something for everyone. For a full rundown of events, visit rockyriverohio.gov/rocky-river-events.

We look forward to seeing you in Rocky River this summer.

With kindest regards,

Mayor Pamela Bobst

Copyright 2025 by Great Lakes Publishing. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without permission of Great Lakes Publishing. All rights reserved. The City of Rocky River and the publisher are not responsible for errors or omissions. All information is subject to change.

JUNE 22

Funky Family Fitness

In honor of the National Recreation & Park Association’s Family Health and Fitness Day, visitors are invited to lace up their shoes and head to the Hillard Hustle 5K Race, which also includes a Kids Fun Run. Go on a musical journey with Funkology as the band covers the 1950s to today.

Taste of River

Serving Up Summer Fun

Don’t miss these events in River this summer. By Christine Schaffran

Summer Nights

The Rocky River Summer Nights series returns to City Hall Park for three actionpacked events filled with fun and excitement for visitors of any age. Each date features a daytime pool party with a kid-centric DJ, CLE Market vendors, inflatables for the kids and an evening concert to round out the day. Check out rockyriverohio.gov for more details. Here are some highlights:

JULY 13

Red, River and Blue

Admire the muscle cars and cruisers of the past at the car show where winners will be crowned for bragging rights. The ever-favorite Pie in the Park event promises plenty of fruit-filled delights as the Beatles tribute band Revolution Pie takes the stage.

AUGUST 3

Carnival-Like Atmosphere

Send summer out with a bang with this kid-focused celebration that is sure to bring ear-to-ear smiles. Encourage your kids to join the bike parade or get up close with city vehicles at the Touch-aTruck event. Dance the night away with Perfect Choice on stage.

Taste of River will return to Linda Street June 14 from 4 to 9 p.m. for an epic family-friendly food event. Presented By Peak and Valley Roofing and Tri-C Westshore Campus, the Rocky River Chamber of Commerce event is free and promises a feast from local restaurants as well as live music and family fun. Parking is available at Rocky River Middle School with a free shuttle provided by the Normandy Senior Living.

Seasoned Experience, Solid Reputation.

We would like to extend a big “Thank You” to Rocky River and surrounding communities. We are grateful for your continued business and look forward to meeting and welcoming residents to our wonderful community.

Elizabeth Gleim (216) 926-5352

elizabethgleim@howardhanna.com

Aileen FitzGerald (440) 227-5878

aileenfitzgerald@howardhanna.com

Ensuring personalized service for each and every client.

Rocky River Office | 19204 Detroit Road, Rocky River, OH 44116 | (440) 333-6500

25years of communitiesenergizing

Helping Rocky River Save on Energy Costs.

NOPEC is dedicated to securing affordable energy rates for residents and small businesses in 243 member communities across Ohio. Since 2001, we’ve helped our customers save hundreds of millions of dollars on their electricity and natural gas costs. Plus, our online energy-savings center provides valuable energy-saving tips to help you save even more. Together, we’re building stronger communities through smarter energy choices. Learn more at NOPEC.org or call 855-667-3201.

Library Goes Art Deco

A Cowan-inspired art exhibit explores the influence of Art Deco with pieces from artists from across the U.S.

By Christine Schaffran

As Cleveland’s only major pottery producer and one of the nation’s leading potteries, R. Guy Cowan continues to inspire artists with his inventive use of glazes, which he became known for during his reign at the Cowan Pottery Studio until 1927.

In an exhibit that runs through Dec. 7, visitors to the Rocky River Public Library can admire a collection of Art Deco-inspired pieces showcased throughout the first floor of the Hampton Road library.

Greg Hatch, curator and historian, explains the Cowan Pottery Museum and library put out a call for contemporary ceramic works inspired by the age of Art Deco. The call for the exhibit, “A New Century: Ceramics Inspired by the Legacy of Art Deco,” was answered by 17 artists from across the country.

“I was really excited to see the variety of different perspectives of the prompt,” Hatch says. “It was a wide interpretation of the influence of Art Deco over the last century.”

Guests can also peruse the Cowan Pottery Museum housed in the library, where select sculptural and functional items are displayed. For a complete list of the museum’s 1,200 items, visit rrpl.org/cowan.

Cowan Pottery's famous Jazz Bowl

START YOURDAYYour Way

River’s coffee-breakfast-sweets scene will turn the most stubborn alarm clock sleep button-pusher into a morning person.

By Kristen Hampshire

Morning Main Event

Just like Home at Joe’s

This Rocky River institution is a morning tradition for patrons who sip on small batch-brewed coffee daily and order their favorite standbys — Joe’s Breakfast Special with two hand-cracked eggs, meat and home fries, or a slice of the quiche served with a fresh-baked muffin. If you like to mix up your first meal of the day, Joe’s keeps you on your toes with different daily breakfast wraps, croissants and bagels.

Joe’s knows corned beef, its delicatessen roots and legacy. Naturally, the corned beef hash topped with two eggs flies out of the kitchen. Fresh fruit is a favorite side, and so is the Naples Cocktail of yogurt parfait with fruit, granola and pecans.

Sipping on her coffee, Jeanette Kanaan reflects on the 47-year-old business she and her husband Joe have nurtured into a West Side gathering place where customers are like family. “We love that people start their day with us,” she says of the many tables of familiar faces and the joy of greeting new guests. “The community of Rocky River has been so amazingly supportive.”

19215 Hilliard Blvd., 440-333-7890, myjoesdeli.com

Smash Hit

The restaurant’s latest addition is smashed avocado toast — all fresh ingredients, including sundried and grape tomatoes, basil, shallots, pine nuts and a sweet balsamic glaze topping on cracked wheat.

Tavern Time

Established in 1963, the tavern Kim Berry’s parents started is a local legacy and part of Rocky River history. Berry remembers living upstairs in the “inn” until she was eight, the way authentic taverns like Herb’s worked.

“What we have here is very special — I have people who are in their fourth generation of coming to Herb’s,” Berry relates.

The cozy, horseshoe-shaped bar and charming dining room offer a welcoming spot for Saturday and Sunday brunch from 9 a.m. to noon. “We are farm-to-seed-totable,” says Berry of aiming to source as many local ingredients as possible and working with Midwest family farms. A baker produces specialty bread for Herb’s with no preservatives.

“Our sausage is a must,” Berry raves, adding that the maple syrup is the real deal.

Eggs Benedict is dressed with Canadian bacon and either Maine lobster or avocado, served with hash browns. A Croque Monsieur nestled on thick buttered-andgrilled French bread is a haute way to nosh on a breakfast sandwich.

From the bar, fresh-made juices are mixers for bellinis and a classic Bloody Mary served with a skewered grilled cheese wedge. There’s a running list of draft beers

Joe's, A Fine Deli & Restaurant

and bottles, and curated wines suit every taste. Berry seeks out family vineyards rather than volume producers.

19925 Detroit Road, 440-331-9870, herbstavernrockyriver.com

A Toast to Herb and Bobbie

Two omelets are a nod to the founders. Bobbie’s Favorite includes spinach, fresh mozzarella and avocado with a side of picante. Herb’s Favorite is “everything — all the meat, all the veggies, all the cheese,” Berry says of a fan favorite.

Sunday Funday

Sunday funday kicks off at Market, where a lively weekend brunch usually includes games on the screens, music piping throughout the bar and restaurant, breezes flowing in from the open garage doors and guests chilling on the patio.

Assistant Manager Haley Rudiger calls the environment “social and high-energy,” as a go-to for watching sporting events or gathering with large groups.

Seasonal menu changes offer a mashup of brunch options, along with standards guests gravitate toward such as the Market Stack of goat cheese and chorizo sausage pancakes. Classic omelets are paired with cinnamon rolls from local Bigmouth Donut Company. Produce and garnishes are plucked from purveyors at the West Side Market. Market keeps a steady core menu, adding seasonal flair throughout the year.

1137 Linda St., 440-799-4292, marketbeer.com

Celebrate your city in the sweetest way with our exclusive Cleveland print from beloved brand Angel Dear, available only at Babycakes Children’s Boutique in Rocky River!

Crafted from luxuriously soft bamboo fabric, this adorable collection features iconic Clevelandinspired illustrations for the littlest Clevelanders! Visit us in Rocky River or shop online!

Check out the build-yourown Bloody Mary cart with a few dozen ingredients to dress up your cocktail, from olives to garlic and bacon.

19315 Detroit Road | Rocky River, Ohio 44116 www.babycakeschildrensboutique.com

Bloody Mary, As You Like It

Market

A Good, Hearty Start

Move over, small plates, and prepare for a morning meal with leftovers to spare. Scramblers Rocky River opened in February, introducing its bistro-style dining room with a bar, counter service and tables to accommodate brunch-going crews. A generous patio offers sunny-side

dining no matter the style of fresh-cracked eggs you choose.

“Our goal is to make sure by the time you leave, you realized the value and quality of your experience,” says Michael Barr, district manager.

Fluffy four-egg omelets are made to order, and pancakes from scratch-made

Pare Down Portions

If volume isn’t what you’re after, choose a shareable like the biscuit flight or fruit pancake sampler.

batter “are the size of your plate,” Barr says. Bennys (eggs Benedict) come in a crab cake or traditional preparation, two per plate with fresh fruit or tomato. A select kids’ menu offers a smiley-face pancake with a bacon grin.

“We have several mimosa offerings, as well as traditional breakfast beverages,” Barr says.

And don’t forget the Caruso’s coffee blend produced specifically for Scramblers with seasonal flavors, a go-to vanilla bean, cold brews and iced coffees.

21810 Center Ridge Road, 440-238-4143, scramblersrestaurants.com

Scramblers

Kelsey Elizabeth Cakes

Sweet Starts

Classy Confections, Nostalgic Taste

Trademark macarons in flavors ranging from classic raspberry and vanilla to nostalgic Fruity Pebbles and s’mores are colorfully displayed at Kelsey Elizabeth Cakes, which offers up to 20 types daily along with cupcakes, cookies, brownies and more.

“From the beginning, our focus has been creating treats that taste as beautiful as they look, introducing some of the flavors and treats I grew up with, but giving them a makeover,” says Kelsey Shepard, owner.

Stop in Tuesday through Saturday for something sweet, and celebrate a special occasion with a decadent, creatively decorated party cake — some adorned with macarons. (Book your cake two to three weeks in advance.)

20033 Detroit Road, 216-767-5633, kelseyelizabethcakes.com

Best-Selling Picks

You’ll always find these goto goodies: birthday cake macaron, jumbo salted chocolate chip cookie, white almond cupcake, cake batter blondie and the oatmeal cream pie “with a cult following,” Shepard says.

Wild for Cake

Cake for breakfast? Why not? A cookie to dunk in your coffee? But of course.

Wild Flour Bakery’s Sue Johansen gives you permission. A giant sign in her home reads, “Eat cake for breakfast!”

Pint-sized party cakes available in the case tempt you to find reasons to celebrate. The smallest 5-inch rounds serve four to six people. “It’s something people grab in the morning on the way to work to celebrate a colleague’s birthday or pick up on the way home ‘just because,’” Johansen says. The bakery also stocks larger cakes.

A revolving selection of seasonal cookies are assorted with everyday favorites like chocolate chip, peanut butter and double chocolate. The snickerdoodle recipe is a childhood favorite from Johansen’s mom.

“So many customers have become friends,” Johansen says, noting how the walkable neighborhood encourages passersby to drop in and nearby businesses offer a network of support.

20111 Lake Road, 440-331-2950, wildflourbakery.com

Cinnamon Roll, Cookie-Style

Wild Flour teaches a couple of sweet roll classes each year and sells sweet rolls during holidays. Get your fix daily with a cinnamon roll sugar cookie.

Call Her Kolacke Kathy Croissant or muffin? Why not both with a cruffin from Kathy’s Kolackes and Pastry Shop, available on Saturdays in a variety of flavors, including the most popular raspberry with cream cheese frosting.

You’ll always find kolackes — the pastry that started it all in 1991, when Kathy Schriner embarked on a creative departure. She left a longtime airline role to bake fulltime, inspired by a growing following for her homemade treats.

Schriner’s kolackes are inventively filled with ingredients beyond apricot, cherry and apple. Try a hot-dog kolacke, a play on pigsin-a-blanket. Other picks include chocolate, strawberry cream cheese and blueberry.

“We have an open kitchen, and people are mesmerized when they see us rolling dough,” Schriner says.

Fill a box full with signature butter cookies, scones, cinnamon rolls, brownies and beyond. The coffee is always on, and pups are welcome for a house-made biscuit.

19032 Old Detroit Road, 440-835-6570, kathyspastryshop.com

Send Some Sweets

“One guy brought in a duffel bag to fill up with poppy seed rolls,” Schriner says. “He was traveling back to Florida and wanted to take them back home.” An easier way to introduce Kathy’s Kolackes to far-away friends is to shop online and send them some love. Kathy’s ships goodies all over the U.S.

Kathy’s Kolackes and Pastry Shop

Wild Flour Bakery

Who’s the Bigmouth?

No mixes, fillers or preservatives — no fake sugar, candy-aisle toppings like gummy bears or food coloring.

“Our process is unprocessed,” says Kelly Brewer, who, in 2018, opened Bigmouth Donut Co. with his wife, Diana. “We started the donut business because we got tired of eating donuts that make you feel like junk.”

Glazes and fillings contain fresh fruit, brioche dough for raised donuts is prepared in-house and frycake batter is mixed by staff who are equally passionate about producing a “real” donut. “Everything is fresh-made and perfectly imperfect,” says Brewer.

Bigmouth Donut offers about 15 options daily, including the awardwinning vanilla-bean glazed and the sour cream old-fashioned frycake. You’ll find a weekly “dossant” special — a cross between a donut and croissant. Donutegg sandwiches and a variety of vegan and gluten-free choices are available, too.

19265 Detroit Road, 216-282-8228, bigmouthdonut.com

PartyDonutsWith

Think big and cater a wedding or event with Bigmouth Donut. Or, stop in any day for a fix, Wednesday through Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Fuel Up — Dine In, Take-Out, Drive-Thru

Swing by for a quick bite, healthy bowl, savory sandwich and coffee to start your day.

Panera Bread

Arrive before 10:30 for a Panera Bread Steak & Wake breakfast ciabatta specialty sandwich, treat yourself to Spinach & Bacon Souffle or start the day on a light note with Garden Avo Toast. Treat your office to a “feast of baked goods” with pastry indulgences like chocolate croissants and orange scones.

19705 Center Ridge Road, 440-331-0555, panerabread.com

Vitality Bowls

Acai, anyone? Vitality Bowls specializes in whipping up a thick blend of these superfood berries for its smoothies, fresh juices, soups, salads and paninis. If you’re concerned about

Bigmouth Donut Co.

prevent cross contamination of the Big 9.

19511 Center Ridge Road, 216-712-6999, vitalitybowls.com

Erie Island Coffee

At first sight, the intricate latte art that Erie Island Coffee’s baristas craft may leave you with a pang of guilt for sipping — or prompt another order. But to just admire the caffeinated concoction would be unfair to the skilled team and expert roasters who deliver what they promise is “perfection in every cup.”

“We don’t settle for less,” Erie Island says, explaining how every crop of beans has a slightly different profile, offering a unique experience in every blend. Favorites include the light roast, Jamaican Me Crazy, medium Signature Blend, bold Morning Launch and lively Craftsman Blend that promises to “keep your motor fueled all day.” Drive through or park at a table in the café and settle into a cuppa something special.

19300 Detroit Road, 440-333-1510, erieislandcoffee.com

Starbucks

It’s the world’s largest coffeehouse chain, and your local barista will remember your name. Likely, you’ll get a personalized message and doodle on your to-go cup. The Starbucks Rocky River location is a community staple in the walkable downtown district with two floors of seating for gathering, working or simply taking a break. People Google to find egg bite recipes like the ones you’ll nosh on daylong here. Favorites are the

It isn’t Summer without the Sunflower! Plan a fun evening out at our famous Sunflower Wine Festival! Enjoy wine and craft beer gardens, live music and fabulous food.

The best part - all proceeds go to the Prayers From Maria Foundation and the fight to end childhood cancer!

START YOURDAY Your Way

Saturday, July 12th, 2025 | Depot Street, Rocky River

WHY ROCKY RIVER FOR KIDS ROCKS

From award-winning schools and top-notch playgrounds to shops that cater to kids, there are endless reasons why Rocky River is a great place for children to learn and play.

By Christine Schaffran

CITY SERVICES

Top-rated schools

Rocky River City Schools is one of only 18 school districts in the state with an overall five-star Ohio School Report Card rating, says the district’s Communication Specialist, Greg Murphy. Three of the district’s schools have also been recognized as National Blue Ribbon Schools in recent years. But that’s merely the icing on the proverbial cake. With more than 2,600 students sprinkled throughout five schools, Murphy says the focus on academics, activities, arts and athletics makes for a collaborative effort that helps each child achieve at the highest level.

“It starts with strong leadership at the top, all the way down to great teachers in the classroom and students and

families who care about education,” he notes. “There’s something for everyone to do here in the district, and that’s what makes it so great.”

Epic parks and playgrounds

Among the eight parks in Rocky River with playgrounds, Director of Recreation Bob Holub points to Linden Park as having the “ultimate amenities.” There you’ll find playgrounds; pickleball, tennis and basketball courts; softball and soccer fields; sand volleyball; a walking path; a storybook trail; and a gazebo. Holub notes the ever-growing list of features makes it his top choice for variety in park amenities.

“A lot of people would expect me to say Rocky River Park or Bradstreet’s Landing,” Holub admits. “Those are crown jewels for the city, but Linden Park has some of the most amenities across the board for everyone to enjoy the space.”

He notes a close second for kids is Martin Park due to a recent renovation that includes separate play spaces for children ages 2 to 5 and 5 to 12, where kids can climb, slide, swing, swivel and spin their way through the multi-colored maze of obstacles on Kings Mill Run.

But with five playgrounds receiving facelifts in the past five years, Holub points out, there’s not a bad facility in the bunch. From the daredevils to the timid tots — to the parents who welcome the opportunity to play alongside their children — these kid magnets are waiting to entertain everyone.

The security of safety town

Visit Safety Town Park next to the city pool to teach your tike all about traffic signals, railroad crossings, bicycle safety and more. The miniature village was created in conjunction with the Safety Town program, which has been offered in Rocky River to children entering kindergarten since 2021, says Officer Neil Czaplicki, one of the Rocky River police officers who oversees the weeklong courses offered in August.

Approximately 160 kids pass through the curriculum every summer, which includes topics such as pedestrian and bicycle safety and riding a school bus for the first time. Tours of the fire and police stations as well as daily visits to Safety Town park reinforce the lessons that are designed to help children prepare to “take on the big world.”

“It really helps them learn the things to keep them safe,” says Czaplicki, who is also a school resource officer in the district. “It starts building trust and a relationship [with police officers] so that they can build off it as they get older.”

SHOPS

Once Upon a Time Toys

This cornerstone of Rocky River for more than 40 years allows children to sit down and play with baby dolls, building blocks, games and puzzles at tables while caregivers shop the magical aisles that bring brands like Fisher Price, Playmobil and Melissa & Doug to life.

Manager Mary Monroe says the screen-free shop invites children to leave electronics behind and immerse themselves in books, stuffed animals, trains, dinosaurs, science kits, Legos, crafts, cars and trucks that have been delighting children for generations.

As a timeless toy store where kids can actually touch and play with items, is there anything that isn’t unique about this hometown treasure? 19285 Detroit Road, 440-333-2327, onceuponatimetoys.com

Why The Weist Team?

ROCKY RIVER FOR KIDS

belle: a shop for girls

This Old Detroit Road boutique beckons 5- to 14-year-olds to see what’s on the other side of its Barbie-pink door. Once inside, clothing, jewelry, accessories, hair and beauty products, home décor, school supplies and gifts invite visitors to enjoy the art of accessorizing colorfully — and charismatically.

19142 Old Detroit Road, 216-767-5277, belleshopforgirls.com

Babycakes

This Detroit Road boutique offers everything soft and cuddly for baby boys and girls. From clothing and shoes to shower gifts and seasonal favorites, Babycakes caters to trendy cuties for casual and special occasions. With sizes up to 6 for boys and girls, Babycakes also helps shoppers round the corner from toddler to trendsetter, with premier apparel and accessories.

19315 Detroit Road, 216-767-5209, babycakeschildrensboutique.com

CHILL OUT

Kids and ice cream go together like cookies ‘n’ cream. Here are some spots to indulge that sweet tooth after a day at the park.

Mitchell’s Ice Cream 19700 Detroit Road 440-333-4563

mitchellshomemade.com

TRY IT: Wildberry Crumble

Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream 19935 Center Ridge Road 216-712-4069

handelsicecream.com

TRY IT: Monkey Business

Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard 21960 Center Ridge Road 216-712-4139

ritasice.com

TRY IT: Cotton Candy

Dairy Queen 21665 Center Ridge Road 440-333-7763

dairyqueen.com

TRY IT: Cookie Crumble Crunch Dip Parfait

Elle’s

Forest

Helping our Residents Return Home

The mission of the Welsh Home is a “Legacy of the Heart” following the traditions of the Women’s Welsh Clubs of America to respect the spirit of each resident.

After a hospital stay, our number one goal at the Welsh House is for you to return home safely.

Recover in our Private Rehab Suites with:

· Physical Therapy

· Speech Therapy

· Occupational Therapy

· Skilled Nursing

Top Real Estate Agents

Summary. To create the list, the magazine contracted nationally recognized DataJoe research to facilitate a multifaceted research campaign that included (a) firm roster requests, (b) an online survey delivered directly to real estate professionals and consumers and (c) a media analysis.

DataJoe started with information obtained from primary government sources and then expanded on this information using the firm rosters, survey submissions and data collected from the media analysis. In the firm roster requests, DataJoe reached out to a high percentage of the firms in the region, requesting rosters and sales performance information from its firm contacts. In the online survey, real estate professionals were asked to nominate their peers who excel. DataJoe also invited readers to nominate agents who exemplified excellent service. Finally, in the media analysis, DataJoe conducted internet research to isolate criteria associated with top performing agents. This algorithm factored in individual agent listings and sales as available to the public, awards and other criteria to establish indicators of high performance.

DataJoe then compiled the above components to create an aggregate score, with confirmed sales performance as the most heavily weighted metric. Winning agents were those with the highest composite scores.

Agents do not and cannot pay to be included as part of this list. DataJoe acknowledges that not every top performer in the region made the list. However, DataJoe's research yielded a high volume of data that enabled it to pinpoint a large number of top performers.

DataJoe checked for license and disciplinary action as available to the public. If it found any disciplinary action against an agent by the state regulatory board, that agent was excluded from the list. Finally, DataJoe presented the tallied result to the magazine for its final review and adjustments.

Final note. DataJoe recognizes that there are many good real estate agents who are not shown in this representative list. This is only a sampling of the huge array of talented professionals within the region. Inclusion in the list is based on its research campaign and the opinions of responding professionals in the region. DataJoe certainly does not discount the fact that many, many good and effective real estate agents may not appear on the list.

Chris Bergin

Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Lucien Realty Lakewood 440-331-8500

Eric Lowrey

Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Lucien Realty Lakewood 440-331-8500

Donna Trunko

Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Lucien Realty Lakewood 440-331-8500

Kimberley Guelker

Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Lucien Realty Amherst 440-985-7653

Brian Miller Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Professional Realty Chardon 440-487-5566

David J. Reimer

Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Professional Realty Shaker Heights 216-970-1515

Paul Blumberg

Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Professional Realty Shaker Heights 216-633-5338

Diane Armington

Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Professional Realty Chagrin Falls 440-781-2455

Annalie Glazen

Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Professional Realty Chagrin Falls 440-781-2455

Susan Metallo Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Professional Realty Chagrin Falls 440-781-2455

Steph Snavely Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Professional Realty Chagrin Falls 440-781-2455

Sharon Friedman Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Professional Realty Moreland Hills 440-893-9190

Judy Makaryk Rosen Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Professional Realty Moreland Hills 216-533-7850

Allie Carr

Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Professional Realty Cleveland 216-970-0164

Angela Griffiths Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Professional Realty Cleveland 513-755-4400

Chris Schlenkerman

Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Professional Realty Cleveland 216-798-4100

Julie Marous Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Professional Realty Cleveland 440-479-4681

Eric Lakia

Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Professional Realty Mentor 440-255-1111

Joseph A. Zingales

Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Professional Realty Concord Township 440-296-5006

Alison Baranek

Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Stouffer Realty Fairlawn 330-289-5444

Kimberly Mowers Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Stouffer Realty Fairlawn 800-715-3695

Heather Young CENTURY 21 Asa Cox Homes Painesville 440-639-0002

Asa Cox CENTURY 21 Asa Cox Homes Painesville 440-639-0002

Ryan Corrao CENTURY 21 DePiero & Associates Inc. Parma 440-842-7010

Chris DePiero CENTURY 21 DePiero & Associates Inc. Parma 440-842-7010

Patricia Gouker

CENTURY 21 DePiero & Associates Inc. Parma 440-842-7010

Mark Vittardi

Disclaimers. DataJoe uses best practices and exercises great care in assembling content for this list. DataJoe does not warrant that the data contained within the list are complete or accurate. DataJoe does not assume, and hereby disclaims, any liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions herein whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident or any other cause. All rights reserved. No commercial use of the information in this list may be made without written permission from DataJoe.

Questions? For research/methodology questions, contact the research team at nominations@datajoe.com.

David Sarver Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Professional Realty Moreland Hills 440-893-9190

Seth Task Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Professional Realty Moreland Hills 216-970-0035

Kyle B. Oberlin

Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Professional Realty Canton 513-755-4400

Katherine Anne WhiteRidley

Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Professional Realty Highland Heights 440-241-4624

CENTURY 21 DePiero & Associates Inc. Parma 440-842-7010

Mike Ferrante CENTURY 21 Homestar Solon 216-373-7727

David Gurary

CENTURY 21 Homestar Solon 440-449-9100

Linas Muliolis

CENTURY 21 Homestar Solon 440-449-9100

Christine Pratt CENTURY 21 Homestar Solon 440-449-9100

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Harvey Lewis

CENTURY 21 Premiere Properties Pepper Pike 216-253-6497

Katerine

Michalopoulos

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Larry Steinbacher CENTURY 21 Transcendent Realty Medina 440-503-5820

Craig Cantrall Chestnut Hill Realty Inc. Beachwood 216-249-2021

Jon Mavrakis Citiroc Real Estate Company Lakewood 216-245-3343

JoAnn Kenyon Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty Strongsville 440-572-0220

Ashley Moses Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty Strongsville 440-572-0220

Traci Maurer

Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty Westlake 440-892-7040

Brian Moran

Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty Westlake 440-892-7040

Patricia Frederick Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty North Ridgeville 440-777-8500

Christopher Frederick Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty North Ridgeville 440-777-8500

Beverly Bess Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty New Franklin

330-645-2960

Shelly Booth

Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty New Franklin

330-645-2960

Eric Cooper

Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty

New Franklin

330-645-2960

James Irwin Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty

New Franklin

330-645-2960

Logan McGregor

Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty

New Franklin

330-645-2960

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Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty

New Franklin

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Todd Bosley

Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty Canton

330-497-3115

Beth Dibell

Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty Canton

330-497-3115

Cynthia Foster

Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty Canton

330-497-3115

Amee Henderson

Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty Canton 330-497-3115

Amanda Talkington

Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty Canton 330-497-3115

Leilani Bowersock

Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty Mentor 440-951-1410

Marcy Capadona

Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty Mentor 440-951-1410

Andrea Dorfmeyer Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty Mentor 440-951-1410

Susan Hodali

Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty Mentor 440-951-1410

Morgan McClain

Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty Mentor 440-951-1410

Scott McMillen

Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty Mentor 440-951-1410

Amy Whipple

Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty Mentor 440-951-1410

Oluwakemi Alege

Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty Brecksville 440-526-0500

Mary Alice Buckley

Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty Brecksville 440-526-0500

Jennifer Burke Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty Brecksville 440-526-0500

Lois Byrne

Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty Brecksville 440-526-0500

Patrick Fogarty

Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty Brecksville 440-526-0500

Erik Fredmonsky Sr. Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty Brecksville 440-526-0500

Laura Lyons

Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty Brecksville 440-526-0500

Bambi Brown

Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty Streetsboro 330-422-1663

Amanda Hall

Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty Streetsboro 330-422-1663

James Horovitz

Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty Streetsboro 330-422-1663

Leslie Huffman

Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty Streetsboro 330-422-1663

Kathleen Jaczo

Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty Streetsboro 330-422-1663

Chloe Ralston

Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty Streetsboro 330-422-1663

Cynthia Toth

Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty Streetsboro 330-422-1663

James Arnos Cutler Real Estate Cleveland 216-407-5347

Gladimir Lobo Dwelling Network Solon 440-232-9111

Jane Evans

Elite Sotheby’s International Realty Pepper Pike 440-290-4800

Ross Lauria

Elite Sotheby’s International Realty Pepper Pike 440-290-4800

Rebecca Donatelli

Elite Sotheby’s International Realty Pepper Pike 440-290-4800

Karen Eagle

Elite Sotheby’s International Realty Chagrin Falls 216-352-4700

Kristin Baum

Engel & Völkers Distinct Real Estate Pepper Pike 440-568-0400

Lisa Cole

Engel & Völkers Distinct Real Estate Pepper Pike 440-568-0400

Inna Muravin

Engel & Völkers Distinct Real Estate Pepper Pike 440-568-0400

Adam Zimmerman

Engel & Völkers Distinct Real Estate Pepper Pike 440-568-0400

Valeriia Ivanchenko

Engel & Völkers Distinct Real Estate Pepper Pike 330-692-1652

Tabatha Whewell

Epique Realty Northfield 216-978-7933

Jeff Rath ERA Real Solutions Realty Rocky River 440-331-0900

Michael Rath

ERA Real Solutions Realty Rocky River 440-331-0900

Dustin Purtan eXp Realty Wadsworth 216-626-3740

Sam Livingston eXp Realty Medina 216-659-1540

Brady Secre eXp Realty Cleveland 866-212-4991

Patricia Bourne eXp Realty Chagrin Falls 216-403-5321

Jennifer Campanella eXp Realty Westlake 330-636-6438

Caprina Gates eXp Realty Westlake 440-465-0074

Art Obleton Jr. eXp Realty Westlake 216-482-9035

Michael Henry eXp Realty Westlake 216-973-1402

Amy Hoes eXp Realty Westlake 330-416-1597

Susan Sasseville eXp Realty Lakewood 440-317-0422

Ashley Saxe eXp Realty Lakewood 440-862-2568

Lenny Vaccaro eXp Realty Lakewood 216-731-9500

Joe Vaccaro eXp Realty Lakewood 216-731-9500

Danielle Kilbane eXp Realty Strongsville 216-258-8884

Zachery Rollins eXp Realty Wadsworth 330-591-1289

Ryan Shaffer eXp Realty Fairlawn 330-329-6904

Catherine Haller eXp Realty Akron 330-472-3261

Brian Salem eXp Realty Avon 440-385-4069

Will Penney eXp Realty Stow 330-689-0700

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Nicole Guizzotti eXp Realty Broadview Heights 216-304-3495

Ashton Hixenbaugh eXp Realty Medina 330-461-2514

Joseph Rutkowski Homesmart Real Estate Momentum Westlake 440-578-8058

Krista Viola Homesmart Real Estate Momentum Westlake 440-578-8058

Mary Weidner Homesmart Real Estate Momentum Westlake 440-578-8058

Barbara Levine Homesmart Real Estate Momentum Beachwood 440-578-8058

Latonya Oliver Homesmart Real Estate Momentum Beachwood 440-578-8058

Michael Coleman Homesmart Real Estate Momentum Mentor 440-578-8058

Yvonne Leduc Homesmart Real Estate Momentum Mentor 440-578-8058

Michael Monaco Homesmart Real Estate Momentum Mentor 440-578-8058

Greg Pernus Homesmart Real Estate Momentum Mentor 440-578-8058

Emily Kerwood Homesmart Real Estate Momentum Mentor 440-578-8058

Amy Price House To Home Real Estate Professionals LLC Sheffield 440-937-8004

Karyl Morrison Howard Hanna Hudson 330-650-0101

Carlyn Goudas Howard Hanna Hudson 330-650-0101

Jill Bardy Howard Hanna Strongsville 440-238-1400

Lennie Barta

Howard Hanna Strongsville 440-238-1400

Margaret Bosela

Howard Hanna Strongsville 440-238-1400

Melanie Bowen

Howard Hanna Strongsville 440-238-1400

John Caristo Howard Hanna Strongsville 440-238-1400

Niharika Chokshi

Howard Hanna Strongsville 440-238-1400

Mary Kay Dykes Howard Hanna Strongsville 440-238-1400

Erica Elswick Howard Hanna Strongsville 440-238-1400

John Gepperth Howard Hanna Strongsville 440-238-1400

Jennifer HerronUnderwood Howard Hanna Strongsville 440-238-1400

Irene I. Iammarino Howard Hanna Strongsville 440-238-1400

Jason Ivory Howard Hanna Strongsville 216-402-0386

Kim Kramer Howard Hanna Strongsville 440-238-1400

Tatyana Krilova

Howard Hanna Strongsville 440-238-1400

Stacy Little Howard Hanna Strongsville 440-238-1400

Jennifer Malone Howard Hanna Strongsville 440-238-1400

Anthony May Howard Hanna Strongsville 440-238-1400

Kristie Ohlin Howard Hanna Strongsville 440-238-1400

Ann Paydock Howard Hanna Strongsville 440-238-1400

Inna Prudinnik

Howard Hanna Strongsville 440-238-1400

Kathleen Sopko

Howard Hanna Strongsville 440-238-1400

Vacation At Home

With Increased Living Space

PEOPLE SERVING PEOPLE TO ENHANCE EVERYDAY LIVING

Tammy Koleski

Howard Hanna Elyria 440-365-8392

Helen Barnett

Howard Hanna

Cleveland Heights 216-721-1210

Ernie Cahoon

Howard Hanna Cleveland Heights 216-721-1210

Geoffrey Hoffman

Howard Hanna Cleveland Heights 216-721-1210

Chris Jurcisin

Howard Hanna Cleveland Heights 216-721-1210

Eileen Clegg McKeon

Howard Hanna Cleveland Heights 216-721-1210

David Sturgeon

Howard Hanna Cleveland Heights 216-721-1210

Jeffrey Curtis

Howard Hanna Lakewood 216-221-6585

Aaron Powers

Howard Hanna Lakewood 216-221-6585

Haley Turner

Howard Hanna Lakewood 216-221-6585

Jennifer Hite

Howard Hanna Amherst

440-282-8002

Heidi Huffman

Howard Hanna Amherst

440-282-8002

Colleen Milner

Howard Hanna Amherst

440-282-8002

Leslie Pavlich

Howard Hanna Amherst

440-282-8002

Douglas George

Howard Hanna Amherst

440-282-8002

John Craighead

Howard Hanna

Rocky River

440-333-6500

Kimberly Crane

Howard Hanna

Rocky River

440-333-6500

Mary Beth DeClerck

Howard Hanna Rocky River

440-333-6500

Aileen FitzGerald

Howard Hanna

Rocky River

440-333-6500

Meredith Hardington

Howard Hanna Rocky River

440-333-6500

Carly Horner

Howard Hanna Rocky River 440-333-6500

Amy McMahon

Howard Hanna Rocky River 440-333-6500

Kelley Meyer

Howard Hanna Rocky River 440-333-6500

Judy Nupp

Howard Hanna Rocky River 440-333-6500

Thomas O’Dougherty

Howard Hanna Rocky River 440-333-6500

Dolores Pescatrice

Howard Hanna Rocky River 440-333-6500

Todd Reinart

Howard Hanna Rocky River 440-333-6500

Gregg Wasilko

Howard Hanna Rocky River 440-333-6500

Marikate Wazevich

Howard Hanna Rocky River 440-333-6500

Julie Weist

Howard Hanna Rocky River 440-333-6500

Dan Weist

Howard Hanna Rocky River 440-333-6500

Hope Yantek

Howard Hanna Rocky River 440-333-6500

Michael Balog

Howard Hanna Aurora 330-562-6188

Lori DiCesare

Howard Hanna Aurora 330-562-6188

Sherry Hornak

Howard Hanna Aurora 330-562-6188

Kathleen Novak

Howard Hanna Aurora 330-562-6188

Mary Strimple

Howard Hanna Aurora 330-562-6188

Michael Della Vella

Howard Hanna Westlake 440-793-0100

Pat Graham

Howard Hanna Westlake 440-793-0100

Ronda Jedrzejek

Howard Hanna Westlake 440-793-0100

Bev Montgomery

Howard Hanna Westlake

440-793-0100

Michelle Ramirez

Howard Hanna Westlake 440-793-0100

Brian Victor

Howard Hanna Westlake

440-728-7535

Mike Vonderau

Howard Hanna Westlake 440-793-0100

Danielle Voytek

Howard Hanna Westlake 440-793-0100

Greg Willis

Howard Hanna Westlake 440-793-0100

Diane Podway

Howard Hanna Westlake 440-793-0100

Jamie Samaha

Howard Hanna Westlake 440-793-0100

Jackie Collesi

Howard Hanna Shaker Heights 216-751-8550

Marilyn Kahn

Howard Hanna Shaker Heights 216-751-8550

Cathy LeSueur

Howard Hanna Shaker Heights 216-751-8550

Kristen Eiermann

Howard Hanna Avon

440-934-0966

Scott Kennedy

Howard Hanna Avon

440-934-0966

James Miller

Howard Hanna Avon

440-934-0966

James Patti

Howard Hanna Avon

440-934-0966

Annette Pisco

Howard Hanna Avon

440-934-0966

Wendy Rounds

Howard Hanna Avon

440-934-0966

Lisa Kinsner Scheer

Howard Hanna Avon

440-934-0966

Arlene Smith

Howard Hanna Avon

440-934-0966

Donna Templeton

Howard Hanna Avon

440-934-0966

Christina Higgins

Howard Hanna Avon

440-934-0966

Carolyn Bentley

Howard Hanna Cleveland 216-696-4800

Heike Daigle

Howard Hanna Cleveland 216-696-4800

Patricia Knight Gary

Howard Hanna Cleveland 216-696-4800

Lindsay Kronk

Howard Hanna Cleveland 216-696-4800

Sean Payton

Howard Hanna Cleveland 216-696-4800

Sharon Gay Phelps

Howard Hanna Cleveland 216-696-4800

Michael Rastatter

Howard Hanna Cleveland 216-696-4800

Kristin Rogers

Howard Hanna Cleveland 216-696-4800

N Ann Schleckman

Howard Hanna Cleveland 216-696-4800

Sean Szczepinski

Howard Hanna Cleveland 216-696-4800

Theodore Theophylactos

Howard Hanna Cleveland 216-696-4800

Jill Hensel

Howard Hanna Bay Village 440-835-2800

Katie Manos

Howard Hanna Bay Village 440-835-2800

Amy Margiotti

Howard Hanna Bay Village 440-835-2800

Kathryn Taylor

Howard Hanna Bay Village 440-835-2800

Sarah Urbancic

Howard Hanna Bay Village 440-835-2800

Carolyn Wilson

Howard Hanna Bay Village 440-835-2800

Michael Warren

Howard Hanna Madison 440-428-1818

Bobbie Burey

Howard Hanna North Olmsted 440-777-2000

Misti Mancuso

Howard Hanna North Olmsted 440-777-2000

Marie Nader

Howard Hanna North Olmsted 440-777-2000

Michael Ross

Howard Hanna Willoughby 440-944-9600

Paul Paratto

Howard Hanna Willoughby 440-953-5697

Janice Carson

Howard Hanna Pepper Pike 216-831-9310

Jenny Chin

Howard Hanna Pepper Pike 216-831-9310

Suzanne Deering

Howard Hanna Pepper Pike 216-831-9310

Susan Hennenberg

Howard Hanna Pepper Pike 216-831-9310

Adam Kaufman

Howard Hanna Pepper Pike 216-831-9310

Sally Messinger

Howard Hanna Pepper Pike 216-831-9310

Cici Riley

Howard Hanna Pepper Pike 216-831-9310

Susan Smith

Howard Hanna Pepper Pike 216-831-9310

Marysue Murray

Howard Hanna Pepper Pike 216-831-9310

Linda Febus

Howard Hanna Medina 330-725-4137

Janet Gommel

Howard Hanna Medina 330-725-4137

Jamie Powers

Howard Hanna Medina 330-725-4137

David Rudolph

Howard Hanna Medina 330-725-4137

John Stevens

Howard Hanna Medina 330-725-4137

Jason Parsons

Howard Hanna Medina 330-725-4137

Jodi Hodson

Howard Hanna Stow 330-686-1166

Anne Harmody

Howard Hanna Chagrin Falls 440-247-8900

Laurel Worley Heater

Howard Hanna Chagrin Falls 440-247-8900

Michelle McQuade

Howard Hanna Chagrin Falls 440-247-8900

Terry Mitchell

Howard Hanna Chagrin Falls 440-247-8900

Heather Price

Howard Hanna Chagrin Falls 440-247-8900

Mary Beth Wolfe Howard Hanna Chagrin Falls 440-247-8900

Rachel Liberati

Howard Hanna Chagrin Falls 440-247-8900

Barbara Wilson Howard Hanna Medina 330-721-7355

Lee Freeman Howard Hanna Solon 440-248-3000

Rhonda Ashby

Howard Hanna Solon 440-248-3000

Karine Garfield Howard Hanna Solon 440-248-3000

Stan Gudalevich Howard Hanna Solon 440-248-3000

Meredith Kronenberg Howard Hanna Solon 440-248-3000

Sheritha Miller

Howard Hanna Solon 440-248-3000

Debra Moore Howard Hanna Solon 440-248-3000

Michele Sues Howard Hanna Solon 440-248-3000

Teresa Slowey Whitham

Howard Hanna Solon

440-248-3000

David Crockett

Howard Hanna Mentor 440-336-0662

Judie Crockett

Howard Hanna Mentor 440-974-9999

Margie DeMastry

Howard Hanna Mentor 440-974-9999

John DeSantis

Howard Hanna Mentor

440-974-9999

Denise Kovatch

Howard Hanna Mentor

440-974-9999

Angelo Marrali

Howard Hanna Mentor

440-974-9999

Mary Sams

Howard Hanna Mentor

440-974-9999

Chris Davidson

Howard Hanna

Brecksville

440-526-1800

John Lambert

Howard Hanna Brecksville

440-526-1800

Suzanne Lambert

Howard Hanna Brecksville

440-526-1800

Heather Srodek

Howard Hanna Brecksville

440-526-1800

Susan Turner

Howard Hanna Brecksville

440-526-1800

Diana Mague

Howard Hanna

Macedonia

330-468-6833

Stephanie McFearin

Howard Hanna

Macedonia

330-468-6833

Julia Mellon

Howard Hanna

Macedonia

330-468-6833

Karen Samonte

Howard Hanna

Macedonia

330-468-6833

Jennifer Schneider

Howard Hanna

Macedonia

330-468-6833

Philbert Shy

Howard Hanna

Macedonia

330-468-6833

Andrea R. Gould

Howard Hanna

Macedonia

330-468-6833

Sharon LaBuda

Howard Hanna

Macedonia

330-468-6833

Valarie Fendrick

Howard Hanna

North Royalton

440-971-5600

Joseph Keller

Howard Hanna

North Royalton

440-971-5600

Tracy Marx

Howard Hanna North Royalton

440-971-5600

Maureen Miner

Howard Hanna North Royalton 440-971-5600

Debbie Mottl

Howard Hanna North Royalton 440-971-5600

Katherine Rothman

Howard Hanna North Royalton 440-971-5600

Sandy Chrisant

Keller Williams Chervenic Realty Fairlawn 330-836-4300

Jerry Kayser

Keller Williams Chervenic Realty Stow 330-686-1644

Brad Miklovich

Keller Williams Chervenic Realty Stow 440-941-3641

Sammie Brown

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-892-2211

Julee Alexy

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-892-2211

Jason Alge

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-892-2211

Jessica Allgood

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-892-2211

Lori Baker

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-892-2211

Douglas Baker

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-892-2211

Mark Colucci

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-892-2211

Popi Coutris

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-503-6100

Gregory Erlanger

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 216-916-7778

Mark Gepperth

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-892-2211

Suzanne Herron

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-892-2211

Christopher Higgins

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-892-2211

Megan Hornsby

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-892-2211

Charles Jaite

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-892-2211

Chuck Kelley

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-892-2211

Thomas Kelly

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-892-2211

Sheila Korek

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-892-2211

Kevin Krol

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-892-2211

Kyle Lawrence

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-892-2211

Virginia Lindsay

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-892-2211

Pradnya Martz

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-892-2211

James Matheos

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-892-2211

Katie Foxx Middaugh

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-892-2211

Christy Morek

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-892-2211

Renee Musat

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-892-2211

Hannah Pannetti

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-892-2211

Maria Pettet

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-892-2211

Brandy Phillips

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-892-2211

David Reddy

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-892-2211

Leanne Saffer

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-321-5602

Sabrina Semidey

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-892-2211

Gavi Septon

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-892-2211

Jessica Smith

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-892-2211

Jeff Strauch

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-892-2211

440-941-5765

Betty Higgins

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-452-5098

Aubrey Hornsby

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 850-384-7276

Michael Thies

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-821-4429

Ed Huck

Keller Williams Citywide Westlake 440-617-2500

Amanda Bialecki

Keller Williams Citywide Maumee 419-346-7522

Nicole Hicks

Keller Williams Citywide Maumee 440-892-2211

Tracy Jones

Keller Williams Elevate Ashland 567-309-0567

Christina Roberto Keller Williams Elevate Ashland 419-908-3330

Ryan Jones

Keller Williams Elevate Ashland 419-632-0561

Antonio Biasiotta

Keller Williams Elevate Strongsville 440-572-1200

Troy Bratz

Keller Williams Elevate Strongsville 440-572-1200

440-572-1200

Sonja Halstead

Keller Williams Elevate Strongsville 440-572-1200

Beth Hedtke

Keller Williams Elevate Strongsville 440-572-1200

Sergio Helou

Keller Williams Elevate Strongsville 440-572-1200

Jason Hoag

Keller Williams Elevate Strongsville 440-572-1200

Pamela Holley

Keller Williams Elevate Strongsville 440-572-1200

Andrew Jenkins

Keller Williams Elevate Strongsville 440-572-1200

Morganne Kaster

Keller Williams Elevate Strongsville 440-572-1200

Mara Kaulins

Keller Williams Elevate Strongsville 440-572-1200

Tresa Klein

Keller Williams Elevate Strongsville 440-572-1200

Joy Larson

Keller Williams Elevate Strongsville 440-572-1200

Daniela Maragos

Keller Williams Elevate Strongsville 440-572-1200

440-572-1200

Jennifer Starinsky

Keller Williams Elevate Strongsville 440-572-1200

Christine Stowell

Keller Williams Elevate Strongsville 440-572-1200

Napoleon Titschinger

Keller Williams Elevate Strongsville 440-572-1200

Nick Virzi

Keller Williams Elevate Strongsville 440-572-1200

Pamela Vogel

Keller Williams Elevate Strongsville 440-572-1200

Laura Ross

Keller Williams Elevate Wadsworth 440-572-1200

Heather Dimitrov

Keller Williams Elevate Wadsworth 440-572-1200

Kathy Joy

Keller Williams Elevate Lakeside 440-572-1200

Maureen Davis

Keller Williams Elevate Medina 330-239-8688

Dan Mitchen

Keller Williams Elevate

Medina 330-239-8688

Roger Nair

Keller Williams Elevate Medina 440-572-1200

Robert Blaise Rosser

Keller Williams Elevate Medina 330-419-0420

Frank Ruma

Keller Williams Elevate Medina 330-871-6699

Lori Schwarz

Keller Williams Elevate Medina

440-572-1200

Sajag Patel

Keller Williams Elevate Brunswick 440-263-0553

Diane Weseloh

Keller Williams Elevate Brecksville

216-440-0432

Katrina Spencer

Keller Williams Greater Cleveland Northeast Mentor

440-255-5500

Jennifer L. Allen

Keller Williams Greater Cleveland Northeast Mentor

440-255-5500

Tim Ambrose

Keller Williams Greater Cleveland Northeast Mentor

440-255-5500

Darren W. Burke

Keller Williams Greater Cleveland Northeast Mentor

440-255-5500

Ben Drenik

Keller Williams Greater Cleveland Northeast Mentor

440-255-5500

Marcy Whitcomb

Feather

Keller Williams Greater Cleveland Northeast Mentor

440-255-5500

Joseph Gentile

Keller Williams Greater Cleveland Northeast Mentor

440-255-5500

Shannon Gerome

Keller Williams Greater Cleveland Northeast Mentor

440-255-5500

Claire Jazbec

Keller Williams Greater Cleveland Northeast Mentor

440-255-5500

Kathleen Kelly

Keller Williams Greater Cleveland Northeast Mentor

440-255-5500

Rachel Ketring

Keller Williams Greater Cleveland Northeast Mentor

440-255-5500

Paul Koerwitz

Keller Williams Greater Cleveland Northeast Mentor

440-255-5500

Greg Marlowe

Keller Williams Greater Cleveland Northeast Mentor

440-255-5500

Marianne Prentice

Keller Williams Greater Cleveland Northeast Mentor

440-255-5500

Sean Stewart

Keller Williams Greater Cleveland Northeast Mentor

440-299-5100

Nicholas Zerinsky

Keller Williams Greater Cleveland Northeast Mentor

440-255-5500

Sharon Zunkley

Keller Williams Greater Cleveland Northeast Mentor 440-255-5500

Scott Carpenter

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Lakewood 216-262-1723

Christopher Burns

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Lakewood 216-839-5500

Tika Khatiwada

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Lakewood 216-839-5500

Elizabeth Kozminski

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Lakewood 216-839-5500

Alexandra Spino

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Lakewood 216-322-7655

Mathew Chase

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Rocky River 440-452-2000

Andrew Ginter

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Rocky River 440-781-8737

Daniel Malloy

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Rocky River 216-839-5500

Robert Rogers

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Rocky River 440-341-9800

Jeffrey Wang

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Rocky River 216-839-5500

Margarita Hubert

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Rocky River 440-503-1693

Michael Arko

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 440-520-4270

Jason Baran

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Patrick Barmann

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Evanne Barone

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-532-3310

Jermaine Brooks

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-224-4326

Jermaine Burge

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Teri Chmielewski

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Joseph M. Cicero Jr.

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Kim Coverdale

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Lori Dague

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Lanz Dela Roca

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 440-823-4690

Ryan DeLuca

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Maria Eder

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Martin Emerman

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Debbie Garson

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Edward Golden

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Rochelle Golenberg

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-401-9076

Jamie Iannetta

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 440-759-2222

Jessica Ivans

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 440-679-9009

Carol Joiner

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Alexys Jones

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-645-2842

Jake Lohser

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Jeffrey Longo

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Polly Lorenzo

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 330-354-7014

Clifford Louis

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Marian Lukach

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Michael McCandless

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-287-0877

Rosemarie Mercurio

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Colleen Miklus

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Wendy Milligan

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Jeremy Ols

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Uday Patel

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Tamara Pophal

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Linzie Potoczak

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-650-0407

Rosemarie Ryan

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 440-478-7079

Jennifer Salvaggio

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Davida Schultz

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Thomas Seaman

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Lisa Sisko

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 440-276-5057

Shoshana Socher

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Melanie Sweeney Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Darian Thomas

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Jenna Tomaro

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Sara Troyer

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Eric Uchbar

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Larry Wanke Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Jennifer Wrubel Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Setrena Young

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Joshua Young Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Robert Zimmer

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Samuel Zimmer

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Jade Kim Zivko

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-839-5500

Alison Benoit

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood 216-215-1155

James Gable

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan Beachwood

Jose Medina

Keller Williams Legacy Group Realty North Canton 330-605-9185

Michael Magno

Keller Williams Living Medina 330-239-8688

Dennis Bergansky

Keller Williams Living Solon 216-316-0788

Feliz Colon

Keller Williams Living Solon 216-355-1585

Lauren Baker

Keller Williams Living Solon 440-318-1620

Sandy Braun

Keller Williams Living Solon 440-318-1620

Melinda Chamberlin

Keller Williams Living Solon 440-318-1641

Bob Cugini

Keller Williams Living Solon 440-318-1620

Andrey Godes

Keller Williams Living Solon 440-318-1620

Stacey L. Jones

Keller Williams Living Solon 440-318-1620

Lea Jones

Keller Williams Living Solon 440-318-1620

Mary Jo Kormushoff

Keller Williams Living Solon 440-318-1620

Danielle McCandless

Keller Williams Living Solon 216-201-0611

Julie E. Miller

Keller Williams Living Solon 440-318-1650

Amanda Pohlman

Keller Williams Living Solon 216-378-4814

Carly Sablotny

Keller Williams Living Solon 440-318-1620

Ryan Shirley

Keller Williams Living Solon 440-318-1620

Tera Somogyi

Keller Williams Living Solon 216-916-7778

Rick Tannenbaum

Keller Williams Living Solon

440-318-1620

Journey Toole

Keller Williams Living Solon

440-318-1620

Donna Toth

Keller Williams Living Solon

440-318-1620

CJ Trivisonno

Keller Williams Living Solon

440-892-2211

Keisha Wagner

Keller Williams Living Solon

440-230-8465

Maureen Wlodarczyk

Keller Williams Living Solon

440-318-1620

Ronald Dugas

Keller Williams Living Solon

440-318-1620

Diana Magno

Keller Williams Living Solon

330-676-5250

Scott Stewart

Keller Williams Living Solon

440-476-3427

Anastasiya Strugatsky

Keller Williams Living Solon 216-856-3498

Robert Paul

Keller Williams Living Solon 440-463-5263

Brian Jackson

Keller Williams Living Solon 330-322-4553

Jessica Chodaczek LoFaso Real Estate Services Brunswick 216-407-8896

Sam LoFaso LoFaso Real Estate Services Brunswick 330-220-4780

Jill Mader Mader Realty Olmsted Falls 216-770-7653

Amanda Ondrey

MC Real Estate Medina 330-723-9911

Renee Beech

McDowell Real Estate Mentor 440-205-2000

Shelly Blankenship

McDowell Real Estate Mentor 440-205-2000

Rick Bocchieri

McDowell Real Estate Mentor

440-205-2000

Stephanie Bosworth

McDowell Real Estate Mentor

440-205-2000

John Butala

McDowell Real Estate Mentor

440-205-2000

Jeffrey Carducci

McDowell Real Estate Mentor

440-205-2000

Jean Carney

McDowell Real Estate Mentor

440-205-2000

Lori Cerutti

McDowell Real Estate Mentor

440-205-2000

Jodi Consolo

McDowell Real Estate Mentor

440-205-2000

Ashley Cook

McDowell Real Estate Mentor

440-205-2000

Scott Davis

McDowell Real Estate Mentor 440-205-2000

Clorice Dlugos

McDowell Real Estate Mentor

440-205-2000

Kathy Fawcett

McDowell Real Estate Mentor

440-205-2000

Sue Grazia

McDowell Real Estate Mentor

440-205-2000

Theresa Hadad

McDowell Real Estate Mentor

440-205-2000

Jim Haffey

McDowell Real Estate Mentor 440-205-2000

Melissa Harford

McDowell Real Estate Mentor 440-205-2000

Courtney Hatfield

McDowell Real Estate Mentor 440-205-2000

Kathy Hosler McDowell Real Estate Mentor 440-205-2000

Randy Hull

McDowell Real Estate Mentor 440-205-2000

Stacey Jewell

McDowell Real Estate Mentor

440-205-2000

Melissa Kaufman

McDowell Real Estate Mentor 440-205-2000

Amanda Kritzer

McDowell Real Estate Mentor 440-205-2000

Melissa Lendvay McDowell Real Estate Mentor 440-205-2000

Jerry Lesak

McDowell Real Estate Mentor

440-205-2000

Gina Meyer McDowell Real Estate Mentor 440-205-2000

Mimi Osbourne

McDowell Real Estate Mentor 440-205-2000

Nicole Peterson

McDowell Real Estate Mentor

440-205-2000

Denise Quiggle

McDowell Real Estate Mentor 440-205-2000

Jeff Resnick

McDowell Real Estate Mentor

440-205-2000

Nicole Rodriguez

McDowell Real Estate Mentor

440-205-2000

Candace Roufail

McDowell Real Estate Mentor

440-205-2000

Theresa Seese

McDowell Real Estate Mentor

440-205-2000

Shawne Tagliarina

McDowell Real Estate Mentor

440-205-2000

Shannon Velotta

McDowell Real Estate Mentor

440-205-2000

Kay Zabivnik

McDowell Real Estate Mentor

440-205-2000

Joyce Molnar MSL Realty Wadsworth

330-334-2100

Chris Olsen

Olsen Ziegler Realty Brecksville

216-702-0537

&

Ericka Bazzo

On Target Realty Inc.

Rocky River

440-356-2000

John Vrsansky Jr.

Rocky River 440-356-2000

Gregg Boehlefeld

Platinum

888-974-7253

Tim Cline

888-974-7253

Jody Finucan

440-221-6383

Anne Krauss

Platinum

888-974-7253

Shawni Marich

888-974-7253

Sophie Boehlen

Premier Heights Realty LLC

Cleveland Heights

216-860-0005

David Sharkey Progressive Urban Real Estate Cleveland 216-619-9696

Timothy M. McMahon Jr. PWG Real Estate LLC Mentor

440-305-8090

Deborah Clark

RE/MAX Above & Beyond Hudson 330-653-5152

James Duncan

RE/MAX Above & Beyond Hudson 330-653-5152

Dawn Maloney RE/MAX Above & Beyond Hudson 330-653-5152

Kimberly Rutherford

RE/MAX Above & Beyond Hudson 330-653-5152

Shannon Burrelli

RE/MAX Above & Beyond Middleburg Heights 440-842-7200

Michelle Carson

RE/MAX Above & Beyond Middleburg Heights 440-842-7200

Robert Cole Sr.

RE/MAX Above & Beyond Middleburg Heights 440-842-7200

Chris Crawford

RE/MAX Above & Beyond Middleburg Heights 440-842-7200

Michael Delmore

RE/MAX Above & Beyond Middleburg Heights 440-842-7200

Thomas DiDonato

RE/MAX Above & Beyond Middleburg Heights 440-842-7200

Ceanne Kerwin

RE/MAX Above & Beyond Middleburg Heights 440-842-7200

Luba Kohut

RE/MAX Above & Beyond Middleburg Heights 440-842-7200

Patti Law

RE/MAX Above & Beyond Middleburg Heights 440-842-7200

Ben Parojcic

RE/MAX Above & Beyond Middleburg Heights 440-842-7200

Ivan Santacruz

RE/MAX Above & Beyond Middleburg Heights 440-842-7200

Malachai Smith

RE/MAX Above & Beyond Middleburg Heights 440-842-7200

Christopher Barthol RE/MAX Above & Beyond Westlake 440-342-6458

Jenna Bartone RE/MAX Above & Beyond Westlake 440-835-7200

Katy Brahler RE/MAX Above & Beyond Westlake 440-835-7200

Christina Carpadis RE/MAX Above & Beyond Westlake 440-835-7200

Danielle Farai RE/MAX Above & Beyond Westlake 440-835-7200

Jessica Felty RE/MAX Above & Beyond Westlake 440-476-2788

Armando Galvez RE/MAX Above & Beyond Westlake 440-476-2788

Steve Junker RE/MAX Above & Beyond Westlake 440-835-7200

Mike Kackloudis RE/MAX Above & Beyond Westlake 440-476-2788

Zachary Nicolay RE/MAX Above & Beyond Westlake 440-476-2788

Vanessa Schiavi RE/MAX Above & Beyond Westlake 440-476-2788

Tasha Sherman RE/MAX Above & Beyond Westlake 440-835-7200

Jason Smith RE/MAX Above & Beyond Westlake 440-835-7200

Pamela Hakaim RE/MAX Above & Beyond Lorain 440-842-7200

Jacqueline A. Jakacki RE/MAX Above & Beyond Lorain 440-842-7200

Anthony Colantuono RE/MAX Above & Beyond Broadview Heights 440-546-1400

Silvana DiBiase RE/MAX Above & Beyond Broadview Heights 440-546-1400

Beverly Gates RE/MAX Above & Beyond Broadview Heights 216-554-7200

Angela Giarikos RE/MAX Above & Beyond Broadview Heights 216-554-7200

Sharon Hajek RE/MAX Above & Beyond Broadview Heights 440-546-1400

Ashley McTaggart RE/MAX Above & Beyond Broadview Heights 216-554-7200

Jennifer Porter RE/MAX Above & Beyond Broadview Heights 216-554-7200

Cheryl Wiegand Schroer RE/MAX Above & Beyond Broadview Heights 440-546-1400

Richard Ward RE/MAX Above & Beyond Broadview Heights 440-546-1400

Charles Costanzo RE/MAX Above & Beyond Brecksville 440-546-1313

Sally Crist RE/MAX Above & Beyond Brecksville 440-546-1313

Kathleen DaFonseca

RE/MAX Above & Beyond

Brecksville 440-546-1313

Jack Krusinski

RE/MAX Above & Beyond Brecksville 440-546-1313

Ann Laudato

RE/MAX Above & Beyond Brecksville 440-546-1313

Paula McQueen

RE/MAX Above & Beyond

Brecksville 440-546-1313

Michelle MehaffeyTaylor

RE/MAX Above & Beyond

Brecksville 440-546-1313

Mark Piscitelli

RE/MAX Above & Beyond Brecksville 440-546-1313

Shellie Rockwell

RE/MAX Above & Beyond Brecksville 440-546-1313

Luke Schimpf

RE/MAX Above & Beyond Brecksville 440-546-1313

Sheila Stupka

RE/MAX Above & Beyond Brecksville 440-546-1313

Lisa Szaraz

RE/MAX Above & Beyond Brecksville 440-546-1313

Joseph Dirk

RE/Max Crossroads Properties Rocky River 216-702-7247

Anthony Latina

RE/Max Crossroads Properties Rocky River 440-331-2870

Katherine Bartlett

RE/Max Crossroads Properties Medina 330-858-0257

David Fox

RE/Max Crossroads Properties Strongsville 216-789-6890

Lisa Humenik

RE/Max Crossroads Properties Strongsville 440-846-0077

Holly Pratt RE/Max Crossroads Properties Strongsville 440-846-0077

Gary Post RE/Max Crossroads Properties Avon 440-517-1560

Artnetta Vines

RE/Max Crossroads Properties Avon 440-517-1560

Sherri G. Costanzo

RE/Max Crossroads Properties Cuyahoga Falls 330-807-2722

Angie Molitoris

RE/Max Crossroads Properties Cleveland Heights 216-299-9503

Jose Rodriguez

RE/Max Crossroads Properties Cleveland Heights 216-310-7609

John Corral

RE/Max Edge Realty Cleveland 330-705-5518

Debbie Ferrante RE/Max Edge Realty Canton 330-834-9241

Jamie Claxon

RE/Max Haven Realty Solon 440-519-3100

Michael Azzam RE/Max Haven Realty Solon 440-519-3100

Frank Costanzo RE/Max Haven Realty Solon 440-519-3100

Wendy LaForce

Steve Flores RE/Max Haven Realty Solon

440-519-3100

Robert Gallmann RE/Max Haven Realty Solon 440-248-2548

Xinyun Jiang RE/Max Haven Realty Solon 440-519-3100

Augustine Kazek RE/Max Haven Realty Solon 440-519-3100

Steven Morris RE/Max Haven Realty Solon 440-519-3100

Tyler Powell RE/Max Haven Realty Solon 440-519-3100

Lynn Simon RE/Max Haven Realty Solon 440-519-3100

Gretchen Spacek RE/Max Haven Realty Solon 440-519-3100

Heather Spirko RE/Max Haven Realty Solon 440-519-3100

Jovon Stewart RE/Max Haven Realty Solon 440-519-3100

Christopher Szabo RE/Max Haven Realty Solon 440-519-3100

Nicolette Maksim RE/Max Haven Realty Solon 440-519-3100

Michelle Tyszka RE/Max Haven Realty Solon 440-519-3100

Elizabeth Sill RE/Max Innovations Madison 440-428-8803

Michael Atkinson RE/Max Real Estate Group Avon Lake 440-899-8626

Lou Barbee RE/Max Real Estate Group Avon Lake 440-899-8626

Kathleen Chisar RE/Max Real Estate Group Avon Lake 440-899-8626

Charlotte Baldwin RE/Max Results Ashtabula 440-812-3834

Promotion

Dennis M. Falvey RE/Max Results Concord Township 440-477-4310

Bettie Schmikla RE/Max Results Concord Township 440-354-3334

Ann Blair RE/Max Rising Burton 440-682-0155

Dan McCaskey RE/Max Traditions Chardon 440-221-3114

Dan O’Reilly RE/Max Traditions Chardon 440-285-8005

Susan Loparo RE/Max Traditions Cleveland Heights 216-390-8500

Nancy Frederico RE/Max Traditions Cleveland Heights 216-299-3599

Lucien Pruszynski RE/Max Traditions Chagrin Falls 440-247-3707

Mark Schecter RE/Max Traditions Chagrin Falls 440-487-3448

Wendy LaForce Zambo

Mega Million Dollar Producer, Wendy LaForce Zambo has over 45 years of experience in real estate. She has become a top professional who specializes in the luxury/waterfront market. She listens and has the insight to strategize a winning path to success for her clients’ dreams, while at the same time, being able to adapt to the current market challenges. Her joy has always come from her “very special clients,” thousands of which have become her dear friends. She says she loves seeing “Happy” in their future. Her motto says it best, “Always Moving You Forward.” Wendy is in the top 1% nationally, with over 16 million sold in 2022, as part of the National Sales Excellence Team.

Zambo*

Majdey Taye

RE/Max Traditions

North Ridgeville 440-644-2601

Nancy Bartlebaugh

RE/Max Trends Realty Uniontown 330-564-5632

Nikki Fanizzi

RE/Max Trends Realty Uniontown 330-807-7005

Christine Revay

Real Broker LLC Westlake 440-376-4181

Autumn M. Enovitch

Real Broker LLC Westlake 216-973-8694

Tom Garuccio

Real Broker LLC Westlake 440-382-0630

Taylor Helmink

Real Broker LLC Westlake 216-219-1954

Michael F. Kaim

Real Broker LLC Mentor 440-578-7898

Julie Kline

Real Broker LLC North Canton 216-789-0112

Roger Peters Regal Realty Inc. Parma 440-888-2727

Kevin Russell

Russell Real Estate Services Strongsville 440-268-9491

Michelle Green

Russell Real Estate Services Strongsville 440-572-3100

Chris Kilbane

Russell Real Estate Services Strongsville 440-915-8257

Kathy Montgomery

Russell Real Estate Services Strongsville 440-572-3100

Michelle Stanifer

Russell Real Estate Services Strongsville 440-572-3100

Michael Terrigno

Russell Real Estate Services Strongsville 440-572-3100

Jesse Kracht

Russell Real Estate Services Strongsville 440-526-9400

Trista E. Tharp

Russell Real Estate Services Amherst 440-452-9117

Pat Pellerite

Russell Real Estate Services Amherst 440-282-4444

David Breslin

Russell Real Estate Services Westlake 440-835-8300

Mary K. Kerlin

Russell Real Estate Services Westlake 440-336-8442

Jodi Kidd

Russell Real Estate Services Westlake 440-835-8300

David Axford

Russell Real Estate Services Westlake 440-835-8300

Robert Bodossian

Russell Real Estate Services Brecksville 440-526-9400

Alex Carney

Russell Real Estate Services Brecksville 440-526-9400

Libbie Tenaglia

Russell Real Estate Services Brecksville 440-526-9400

Jonathan Wright

Russell Real Estate Services North Ridgeville 440-327-6511

Chad Schneider

Russell Real Estate Services North Ridgeville 440-327-6511

Emily Simkovich

Russell Real Estate Services North Ridgeville 440-327-6511

Jodi Stevens

Russell Real Estate Services North Ridgeville 440-327-6511

Steve Lawson

Russell Real Estate Services North Ridgeville 440-327-6511

Mary Shoemaker

Russell Real Estate Services North Ridgeville 440-452-9156

Adam Bellinski

Russell Real Estate Services Medina 330-723-2777

Aaron Dolata

Russell Real Estate Services Medina 330-723-2777

Tammy Frazier

Russell Real Estate Services Medina 330-723-2777

Kathleen Cislo

Russell Real Estate Services Sandusky 419-625-5555

GET READY!

William Bambrick

Smartland Realty Eastlake 216-410-5899

Joshua Anton The Agency Chagrin Falls 216-415-7080

Jaclyn Drager The Agency Chagrin Falls 216-415-7080

Joann Musbach The Agency Rocky River 440-225-7506

Drew Vaneck Westway Realty Cleveland 216-941-7600

Leslie Worsech

Worsech Real Estate Services Lakewood 216-513-7497

Lou Barbee

The real estate market has been transforming more rapidly than ever before. Low inventory. High interest rates. Buyer agency. Seller concessions. Escalation clauses.

Navigating the industry’s twists and turns can be treacherous without the right guide.

Lou Barbee understands that your home is one of your life’s biggest (and best) investments. Knowledge counts. Experience counts.

With more than $500 million in property transfers in 25+ years, she understands real estate is not just about houses.

Caring counts.

“Results” are her guarantee — but caring about her clients and understanding their goals remains her highest priority — and has given her a host of people who have become friends and even “family.”

Grateful for the opportunity, Lou Barbee sees Real Estate from a different perspective — YOURS.

Lou Barbee*

Tera Somogyi

As a dedicated and passionate real estate professional and investor, Tera Somogyi is committed to empowering others to achieve their goals — whether it’s finding the perfect home, securing a prime business location or building a strong and diverse investment portfolio. She delivers personalized, resultsdriven service with integrity, care and a deep understanding of her clients’ unique needs.

Real estate is more than just a career for Tera — it’s a calling rooted in her desire to create meaningful impact. Backed by a trusted team of professionals, she ensures every aspect of the buying or selling experience is smooth, streamlined and stress free. From negotiations to closing, her team works behind the scenes to coordinate each step, creating a more enjoyable experience, relieving anxiety and instilling confidence.

Tera also serves as director of abundance for the You Can You Will Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering personal growth, resilience and purpose through mentorship and transformational programs. If you happen to meet Tera, irrespective of the hat she is wearing that day, you can rest assured that you’re making a positive and inspired move toward a bright future.

terasomogyi@gmail.com terasomogyi.com

Tera Somogyi*

CONTACT

Troy Bratz

When the real estate market feels overwhelming, Troy Bratz steps in wearing many “hats” — drawing on over 23 years of experience to guide you with confidence. A proud Lakewood resident, Troy is more than just a REALTOR®; he’s an educator, advocate and trusted partner throughout your real estate journey. With deep expertise in residential home sales, property management, HUD inspections and more, Troy ensures you’re informed and prepared every step of the way. Regularly recognized as a top producer and actively serving in leadership roles on multiple community boards, let The Community REALTOR® help you find not just a house, but the community to call home.

Keller Williams Elevate Serving all of Northeast Ohio 216-702-2196

CONTACT

troybratz@kw.com troybratz.kw.com

Kathryn Taylor

Experience, integrity and enthusiasm define Kathryn Taylor’s approach to real estate. As a top listing and sales producer in the Bay Village office, she takes great pride in helping clients achieve their goals. Her commitment to personalized service and satisfaction has consistently earned her the distinguished Quality Service Award. Kathryn ranks in the top 1% companywide and top 5% nationally — an achievement that reflects her unwavering dedication to excellence.

Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 27115 Knickerbocker Road, Bay Village 440-668-2249

kathryntaylor@howardhanna.com

kathytaylor.realtor kathryntaylor.realtor

Troy Bratz*

Kathryn Taylor*

to their

Anne Marie Rath

Sharon Friedman

216-272-9770

Ashton Hixenbaugh

CONTACT

facebook.com/rathhomes instagram.com/rath.homes linkedin.com/in/annemarierath rathhomes.com make and #ResultsThatMoveYou.

Lake, years to get their strategic true.

Ranked in the top tier of agents nationwide with a master’s degree, Anne Marie Rath* is a valuable and irreplaceable asset to her clients, helping them make educated and informed decisions in all matters of real estate. Contact her today.

melissalendvay@mcdhomes.com

Alexandra Spino

Serving the Eastern Suburbs, Sharon Friedman caters to clients from first-time buyers, to seniors making the transition to retirement. Her 40-year plus career gives her an expert’s insight into the area’s neighborhoods. Sharon says, “My clients have brought me to where I am today, and I am very grateful for that.”

20525 Center Ridge Road, Rocky River, OH 44116 216-322-7655

alexandra.spino@kw.com

34555 Chagrin Blvd. #200, Moreland Hills, OH 44022 216-338-3233

Alexandra Spino* recognizes and values the trust her clients place in her and strives to exceed their expectations. Offering the highest level of local expertise, service and integrity, forging personal relationships with each client is the cornerstone of her business.

sfriedman@bhhspro.com sharonfriedmanhomes.com

Susan Turner

David Breslin

8949 Brecksville Road Brecksville, OH 44141 440-724-2321

27121 Center Ridge Road, Westlake, OH 44145 216-407-8696

susanturner@howardhanna.com

davidbreslin.russellrealty.com

susanturner.howardhanna.com

CONTACT

“Selling Homes FASTER and for MORE!”A member of the eXp Luxury Division, and chosen as an “All Star Under 40” by Real Producers Magazine, Ashton Hixenbaugh excels in the home buying and selling arena. His responsiveness, thoroughness, and composure under pressure lead to smooth transactions, delighted customers and five-star reviews.

Medina, Ohio 330-461-2514

ashton@askashton.com askashton.com

Christina Higgins

2100 Center Road, Avon 440-227-3636 christinahigginshomes.com

David Breslin* consistently ranks in the top 5% of REALTORS nationwide. His most important goal is to provide excellent service to buyers and sellers to earn their trust, referrals and repeat business.

Energy, experience and integrity are essential in any transaction. Susan Turner* thanks her many clients who depend on her for those qualities. Top 5% REALTORS — nationwide.

Aileen FitzGerald Team

Christy Morek

Howard Hanna Rocky River Office 19204 Detroit Road, Rocky River, OH 44116 216-926-5352

2001 Crocker Road, Suite 200, Westlake, OH 44145 440-341-3225

aileenfitzgerald@howardhanna.com

A winning combination of experience and compassion gets you to the finish line with Christina: marketing, negotiating, communication, explanation, strategy advice, pointing out defects and more!

christy@nextmoveclevelandohio.com

elizabethgleim@howardhanna.com

Aileen FitzGerald* and Elizabeth Gleim bring over 40 years of full-time real estate experience to each and every transaction. They pride themselves on knowledge and personal service from first meeting right through the entire transaction.

Ranked in the top 5% of REALTORS nationwide, Christy Morek* is dedicated to helping her clients make educated real estate decisions for both their present and future needs, while also providing #ResultsThatMoveYou.

Melissa Lendvay

Clifford Louis

Alexandra Spino

20525 Center Ridge Road, Rocky River, OH 44116 216-322-7655

29225 Chagrin Blvd, Pepper Pike 203-554-9020

CliffLouis@kw.com listsellandbuyteam.com

alexandra.spino@kw.com

Clifford Louis, M.Ed., brings a wealth of diverse experiences and a deep commitment to community service to the real estate industry. His multifaceted career spans professional athletics, military service, emergency response and more, reflecting his dedication to leadership and service.

Alexandra Spino* recognizes and values the trust her clients place in her and strives to exceed their expectations. Offering the highest level of local expertise, service and integrity, forging personal relationships with each client is the cornerstone of her business.

Susan Turner

Ashton Hixenbaugh*

Sharon Friedman*

Small acts of kindness can have a big impact in making people feel welcome. When we reach out and connect with others, we can build a stronger community where everyone – regardless of their background – feels like they belong.

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06.25

Inspiring spaces of character and revival

GOING SWIMMINGLY

An existing pool and spa are focal points of a Shaker Heights backyard redesign. CONTINUED ON PAGE 160

The red-brick Georgian colonial was exactly what the couple had been searching for: a Shaker Heights home on a half-acre lot with an inground swimming pool, along with a whirlpool spa.

But it wasn’t dive-right-in ready for fun in the sun.

Brian Shirk of Genesis Landscaping in Chardon describes a chain-link-fenced backyard with landscaping so overgrown that it obscured views of the pool from the house. More importantly, the property lacked the features that turn a pool into a centerpiece of outdoor living.

Dawn Cook of Shaker Heights-based BLDC Design says the new owners envisioned hosting gatherings ranging from impromptu cocktails with friends to sit-down dinners and fundraisers.

“It needed a whole new plan for how to live [in] and use the space,” she says.

Shirk responded by laying out and installing the necessary amenities, including black aluminum fencing and “less-is-more” landscaping that left as much lawn as possible for the couple’s two younger children to play. Cook then treated each space just as she would an interior room, selecting everything from furniture to planters to maximize form and function.

“[The wife] wanted it to feel finished,” she says.

Shirk removed a stamped concrete sidewalk and landscaping beds to make way for a sandstone living area featuring an 18-by18-foot open pavilion purchased from Berlin Gardens in Millersburg. The white structure’s columns were anchored in cinder block posts. Shirk’s team then added a back half-wall that rises in the middle to accommodate a TV, then wraps around one side to form a bar with a refrigerator and pullout trash bin under a black leathered granite counter. The design did not include a sink.

“The biggest issue was the wastewater, of where to tie that into the drains,” Shirk explains.

Cook notes that a wet bar, let alone a fully plumbed pool house, wasn’t a necessary element in the project. A renovated kitchen and half bath are located just inside the house’s back door, along with a mudroom and laundry addition where guests can stash street clothes The sunroom overlooking the pool, she adds, provides an all-weather escape from cold and wind.

Shirk’s team veneered the posts, wall and bar in the same cultured fieldstone used

A swivel chair with an overstuffed sockweave frame is a comfortable addition. An end barstool bears a unique plaque labeling it as a favorite seat of the wife’s late father.

to face the gas firepit built just outside the pavilion and grill island next to the back door; electricians wired the pavilion for Bromicbrand heaters and a ceiling fan. Cook then began furnishing the space by laying a textured charcoal-gray rug on the floor and hanging drapery panels stitched in a white performance fabric at the pavilion’s right angle of open sides.

“The sun at 5 o’clock is hot, and it streams into the space,” the designer explains.

The furnishings are hospitality-rated aluminum-core pieces heavy enough to withstand a stiff wind. The sectional, with its frame of a mushroom synthetic woven to resemble wicker, is anchored by a chaise; the Bernhardt-brand swivel chair catches the eye with a

RENOVATIONS

frame wrapped in a soft knit overstuffed sock weave. A half-dozen bar-height chairs with weathered teak frames and two polyethylene stools that look like giant white beads complete the arrangement.

“Those things could end up in the pool, and they’d be fine,” Cook says of the latter, Janus et Cie-brand finds.

An expandable white aluminum table surrounded by chairs with light-gray woven synthetic seats and backs dominates the dining area outside the pavilion. Cook assisted the homeowners in selecting tableware and linens in shades of white and blue, along with slender cordless table lamps.

“There is so much more cordless lighting available now for outdoor,” she notes. “So we like to use lamps a lot, even by the pool. It’s just so much easier. Before, you were like, ‘Where am I going to plug this thing in?’”

The homeowners surrounded the firepit with Adirondack chairs shielded from the sun by an adjustable cantilever umbrella. Additional furniture and pool inflatables are stored in a light-gray Amish-built shed that Shirk ordered. The utilitarian structure looks like a storybook cottage with its white pergola, shuttered windows and flower-filled window boxes.

After the pavilion was finished, the husband asked Cook to replace the aforementioned ceiling fan with a mirrored disco ball illuminated by multicolored lights. The unusual request came with a reasonable explanation.

“[His wife] loves to have little dance parties,” she explains. “He wanted to surprise her for her birthday.”

TASTE!

IT’S THE REASON WE GET SO CARRIED AWAY...

32 YEARS OF AWARD WINNING CHINESE AND THAI

THE COVER-UP

Dawn Cook always insists that her clients order covers for their outdoor furniture. The co-owner of Shaker Heightsbased bldc design points out that covers do more than protect what is often a major investment — they can unify the view of patios, terraces and pavilions when the spaces aren’t in use. She suggests purchasing a matching set in a tasteful neutral and clearly labeling each cover to eliminate the hassle of repeatedly determining which ones go over sofas, chaises, club chairs, etc.

“Otherwise, they look like a big bunch of sheets or tablecloths,” she says.

Elegant yet

NORTH OLMSTED

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Women won the right to vote with the passage of the 19th Amendment.

Four years later, in 1923, the Equal Rights Amendment was proposed, stating simply, “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.”

It took 49 years for it to be passed by Congress. As a proposed amendment to the Constitution, it was sent to the states for ratification. In the first year, 30 of the necessary 38 states ratified it. But the ratification process slowed, due in no small part to organized resistance, and by 1977, 35 states had approved it. President Jimmy Carter, a supporter of the ERA, extended the 1978 deadline to 1982. His oppo-

nent in the 1980 election, Ronald Reagan, had supported the amendment as the California governor, calling it “morally unassailable.”

But by 1980, he’d changed his tune. That June, he called it divisive and suggested it be withdrawn from the Republican Party platform at that year’s convention. The move was met with protests in Chicago and in other cities, including Cleveland, where a group of about 50 people protested in front of Reagan’s campaign office on Euclid Avenue, also taking their concerns to the Cuyahoga County Republican headquarters next door. (Protesters made it a point to say they weren’t protesting the party, and then-County GOP chairman Robert Hughes said in the next day’s Plain Dealer that he supported the ERA.)

Reagan went on to defeat Carter in the 1980 election. The 1982 deadline passed without enough states ratifying the ERA. Though Virginia became the 38th state to ratify it in 2020, the ERA’s legality remains in dispute, and it has not been added to the constitution.