Cleveland Magazine - February 2025 by greatlakespublishing

LOVE & FRIENDSHIP

A

Heart Transplant Saved Baby Bella — And Gave Her a Bright Future

In just 24 hours, Bella Jordan went from laughing with her sisters to fighting for her life. At two months old, her family rushed her to the hospital when they noticed her rapid breathing.

Doctors discovered Bella had dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition where the heart’s main pumping chamber becomes enlarged and weakened, struggling to meet the body’s needs. Her only chance of survival was a heart transplant.

Transferred to Cleveland Clinic Children’s, Bella was placed on the transplant waiting list and connected to a Berlin Heart, a mechanical assist device that supported her failing heart while strengthening her for surgery. For five months, Bella remained hospitalized, surrounded by her family and a dedicated care team. Her mother, Angie, spent countless hours at Bella’s bedside, reading and singing to her.

In September 2023, the call came—a perfect donor match. Pediatric and congenital heart surgeon

Hani Najm, MD, performed Bella’s life-saving transplant. Following surgery, Bella faced no rejection complications but needed rehabilitation to regain strength and developmental milestones after months in the hospital.

Through feeding therapy and physical rehab, Bella thrived. She grew stronger each day and was finally discharged in time to celebrate her first birthday at home with her family. Today, Bella is crawling, standing, and sharing joy with her sisters.

Her family remains deeply grateful to the donor’s family for their incredible gift, as well as the Cleveland Clinic Children’s care team for their unwavering support.

Bella’s journey shows the transformative power of organ donation. You can help give families like Bella’s a second chance. Learn how to support life-changing pediatric care at Cleveland Clinic Children’s.

Scan here to help make a difference >

CONNECTIONS Winter loneliness and anxiety can be isolating, but there are ways to meet new people in Cleveland. We explore stories of connection and relationship-building in this month's cover story. Edited by Ron Ledgard Photographed by Megann Galehouse Assisted by Kelly Bondra

Makeup by Riley Gable-Fleming Talent by Docherty Agency

Photographed at Thyme Table

OF LEGACY Doc's on Harvard, a new Lee-Harvard restaurant, is a signpost of energy and investment in the historic neighborhood. By Annie Nickoloff

Dani Venen leans into the weird and wild.

The BAND is a fuzzy, AIfueled interactive exhibit at the Cleveland Public Library.

HALL HOOPS The historic Cleveland Auditorium sees new life as the home of G-League team the Charge.

Michael D. Roberts, the pioneering Cleveland Magazine editor who died in January.

MARCH 1

MARCH 8 Independence / Midview / Western Reserve Academy

Copley / Gilmour Academy / St. Joseph Academy

MARCH 15

Magniﬁcat / N. Olmsted / Valley Forge

MARCH 22

Orange / Vermilion / W. Geauga

MARCH 29

57 GO RED FOR WOMEN

Learn ways to protect your mind, heart and body and why it especially matters for women.

THE GREAT BIG HOME + GARDEN SHOW

Explore hundreds of exhibits and connect with experts who can bring your home project ideas to life.

Solari’s Treasures of Florence & Tuscany Tour Sept. 27 - Oct. 4th, Amazing finds and one-of-a-kinds in Italian home décor, tableware & personal accessories!

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 editors Jala Forest, Julia Lombardo

editorial assistants Danny Cunningham, Christina Rufo

contributing writers Robin Goist, Vince Guerrieri, Kristen Hampshire, Kate Bigam Kaput, Lynne Thompson, Maura Zurick

editorial interns Lainey Novak, Jaden Stambolia

art director Erin Stinard

associate art director Abigail Archer

contributing artists Kelly Bondra, Matthew Chasney, Joeseph McDermott, Riley Gable, Megann Galehouse, Kaitlin Walsh

graphic design intern Eleni Pamboukis

photography intern Maya Holtzman editorial@clevelandmagazine.com

advertising

vice president Paul Klein

senior account managers Sarah Desmond, Tiffany Myroniak

account managers Julie Bialowas, Shayne Rose, Jessica Thomas

event manager Jennifer Roberts

audience manager Kristen Brickner

traffic coordinator Paige Schuller adsales@clevelandmagazine.com

content marketing

managing editor Jennifer Bowen Sima senior editor Ann-Marie Vazzano

managing art director Jenny Perdue art director Megan Rosta

production

production manager Alyson Moutz production@clevelandmagazine.com

digital media

director of digital strategy Jacquie Chakirelis

development manager Daniel Klinzing operations associate Camille Ross

Lute Harmon Sr. founder

Lute Harmon Jr. president & ceo

Cleveland Magazine | Cleveland Scene | Ohio Magazine Lake Erie Living | Content Marketing | Quest Digital

chief financial officer George Sedlak

finance director Perry Zohos

operations manager Corey Galloway

accounts payable coordinator Geli Valli accounting@glpublishing.com

1422 Euclid Ave., Suite 730, Cleveland, OH 44115 www.glpublishing.com

Subscription services clevelandmagazine@emailcustomerservice.com or 1-800-453-1009

Better Together

Michael D. Roberts needed people.

And so did I, when, in January, I was tasked with eulogizing the man who created our pioneering editorial voice as the founding editor of Cleveland Magazine (page 16).

When I spoke to the people who knew him, a man I never had the chance to meet, these friends and former colleagues described Roberts as a nucleus around which others’ talents could thrive and expand. When he took over the magazine in 1973, Roberts’s first task wasn’t to ideate stories or fight for subscribers but to put together a crack team. Despite each serving a specific role, they operated as a single cell working toward a common goal.

To perform and feel our best, we need other people on which to lean. Unfortunately, too many people don’t feel like they have that support system. One in two adults report feeling lonely, according to The New York Times. In 2024, 17% of people told the American Survey Center they don’t have a single friend, while a majority have less than four. Technology is exacerbating this issue by replacing the phone call with text messaging and going out with binge-watching. Modern social norms — often for the better — have recontextualized the acceptability of traditional outlets for finding companionship, such as the pick-up line or the office crush.

In 2023, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declared loneliness an epidemic. In January, during his final days as surgeon general, Murthy’s parting words were a warning that America faces “a deeper spiritual crisis that threatens our fundamental well-being.”

“Through my work over two terms as surgeon general, I saw that the answer to ‘What’s missing?’ is simple, yet profound: community,” Murthy wrote in a 32-page document titled Parting Prescription for America. “The loss of community has become one of the defining challenges of our time. In response, we need a fundamental shift in how we build and prioritize community.”

Luckily, event organizers and social groups are offering an alienation antidote, a trend that we explore this month on page 34. Speed dating is back in a big way, an alternative for those burned out by the apps. But running clubs, arranged dinner dates, sober meetups, LGBTQ+ groups, fan clubs and pen pal networks are being specifically designed to offer opportunities for platonic partnership. Companionship that goes beyond romance is so important. Even with a threeyear marriage, family nearby, a strong group of friends and a fun team of coworkers, I’ve had my bouts with loneliness or just cravings for new spice in my social interactions.

In 2018, a study found that more than 60% of songs are about love. Why? Music is the most primal expression of who we are and what we need. Perhaps it’s true that all we need is love. Whether you’re looking for a new beer buddy or a lifelong partner, we hope to help you find it.

Dillon Stewart, editor

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Most Interesting Mentions

In January, we launched our 2025 class of Most Interesting People. The local stars, leaders and unknown gems are our annual reminder of what makes this city interesting. Readers loved them as much as we do.

@kierracotton_ on Instagram: “Look at my girl @_stephaniehaney!! What a boss way to close out the year”

@HuckKurinsky on X: “Congratulations to the Class of 2025! #CLE”

ERC on LinkedIn: “Thanks for highlighting some of the standout individuals from our region! ��”

SOUP SEASON

Nothing warms us up like soup on a cold Cleveland day. Finding a favorite cup isn’t hard, even if you’re not sure where to start.

“Where is the best French onion [soup] in Cle?” @bolincurns11 via Instagram

Instagram user @ccedenz weighed in with L’Albatros Brasserie (Cleveland). Our editors also suggest Heck’s Cafe (Avon, Beachwood, Cleveland), Paris Room (Chagrin Falls) and Le Petit Triangle Cafe (Cleveland) for cheesy, golden goodness.

See our guide to the 19 best soup shops at clevelandmagazine.com/soup-dining

New Year, New You

Ahead of the new year, we checked in with our readers on Instagram to see how long they plan on holding themselves to resolutions in 2025. Ironically, most of you seem resolved in no resolutions at all.

Scan the QR code below or go to clevelandmagazine.com/subscribe

Have a question or comment about what you’re reading? Got a good story to tell? Reach out, and let us know at conversation@clevelandmagazine.com

HBA’s 80th Awards & Installation Banquet |

The Home Builders Association of Greater Cleveland recently hosted its 80th Annual Awards and Installation Banquet to celebrate the year's accomplishments and welcome a new class of association leaders. Ed “Flash” Ferenc emceed the event, introducing former president Debra Branske, who shared a heartfelt reflection on her time in office. Her torch was passed to president Andrew Gotlieb, who was installed by his father, Avner Gotlieb, founder of Keystate Homes. The rest of the incoming officers for 2025 were also installed — Dan Smoulder (vice president), Jason Rodgers (treasurer) and Dennis Reber (secretary). Other association members were recognized for their continued dedication to the organization. With a fun photo booth, lively cocktail hour, dinner and awards ceremony, the evening was a perfect blend of celebration and camaraderie, leaving everyone excited for what’s to come in the new year.

1. Josh Edgell, Andrew Gotlieb, Jason Rodgers, Dennis Reber

2. Avner Gotlieb and Andrew Gotlieb

3. Debra Branske and Brenda Callaghan

4. Loretta Jones, Debbie Ferenc, Ed “Flash” Ferenc

Cleveland Museum of Natural History Grand Opening Weekend |

On Dec. 12, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History celebrated its Grand Opening ceremony — marking the start of an extraordinary new era. The ceremony was emceed by WKYC Chief Meteorologist Betsy Kling and attended by a number of special guests, including Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. In the days that followed, the Museum welcomed nearly 5,000 visitors to experience the $150 million transformation for the first time, revealing an innovative model that redefines the museum experience. The museum now invites the public to embark on a journey through the wonders of science and nature, from the origins of the universe to the awe-inspiring story of life on Earth. Spanning over 375,000 square feet, with entirely reimagined exhibits and more than 2 acres of outdoor spaces, the museum’s new design connects cutting-edge science with the natural wonders of Northeast Ohio and beyond.

Dec. 13, 2024

Truss Event Venue

Dec. 12–15, 2024

Cleveland Museum of Natural History

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23 11am - 2pm

THE MADISON

On Sundays, We Brunch...

There’s no better way to chase away a hangover than brunch with friends. Cleveland Magazine and Cleveland Scene are joining forces to bring together the best restaurants in town with one mission: unite to cure Cleveland’s hangover. Brunch tastings, Bloody Marys and mimosas — all at The Madison. It’s the ultimate cure for a Saturday night party — and a great start to another night on the town!

BEING UNCONVENTIONAL

With viral shoots, a huge social media following and a deep love for her hometown, Dani Venen proves that staying weird — and staying local — can be a winning formula. CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

PHOTO

DANI VENEN

Dani Venen wants to keep getting weirder. The 30-yearold photographer has more than 38,000 followers on Instagram and 380,000 on TikTok, where she shares her distinct and unconventional style of photography with the world. Venen, who was born and raised in Cleveland, traces her love for photography back to her grandparents who recorded her childhood on VHS tapes. “My grandpa always had a camera in his hand,” Venen says.

Dani Venen’s unique photography style adapts to both studio setups and city sites.

For the past four years, Venen has focused on photography full time. She first started taking photos as a hobby 13 years ago, learning the craft from YouTube videos and books.

Her style evolved from basic portraits to her signature daring and eccentric photo shoots. For instance, one shoot features a pearl-clad and silk-gloved model slurping live worms with chopsticks. Another sees a model drenched in milk that was dyed neon shades of pink, blue and green.

“I find inspiration everywhere,” Venen says. “Sometimes I’ll even see a color and think, How can I incorporate that color into my work?”

Along with her splashy approach to photography, Venen has mastered the social media game. Her work has garnered millions of views on her @theeditorialstyle pages.

“If you really want to get that following, you have to do things people have never seen before,” she says. “I feel like doing that is what is really paying off for me.”

One of her most viral photoshoots titled “GLUTTONY,” part of a “Seven Deadly Sins” themed series, has 4.8 million views on TikTok. A model sits behind a lavish feast while Venen captures stills of her viscerally shoveling food into her mouth.

Venen’s shoots often center on a distinct theme, and the story grows from there. She offers “photoshoot roulettes” where models can be assigned themes at random. They range from shoots inspired by singers like Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey to elements of nature and colors of the rainbow.

“I like seeing something that already exists and twisting it into my own vision,” the photographer says.

Venen works out of Pop Shell Studio in Cleveland’s Asiatown neighborhood. When she’s not taking photos in the studio, she takes inspiration from the natural beauty of the Cleveland area. These shoots include iconic landmarks such as the Malley’s Chocolate silos and the enormous whale mural at the Cleveland Public Power Plant.

In the future, Venen hopes to photograph models at The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame or inside one of Playhouse Square’s historic theaters. She notes that staying in Cleveland helped her flourish as an artist, as opposed to a city oversaturated with creatives like New York City or Los Angeles.

“Cleveland is getting a lot more traction when it comes to people wanting to move here and find places to create,” Venen says. “I feel like living in Cleveland has allowed me to reach my full potential.”

Dani Venen

Stroll through the Doorway to Spring for front porch design inspiration and explore this year’s Garden Showcase featuring outdoor living spaces.

Meet The BAND

Experience a free, interactive exhibit where art and technology come together through dancing, musical robots.

STEP INTO THE Cleveland Public Library, and you’ll find more than just books. You’ll encounter a world where art, technology and playful wonder collide. The BAND, an interactive robot art installation by artist duo FriendsWithYou, has been lighting up the library with joyful movement, sound and color since October — and it’s only gaining momentum.

Created by Sam Borkson and Tury Sandoval, The BAND transforms the library into a buzzing hub of friendly energy. Each robot — known as a Biodigital Autonomous Neuro Dancer — uses artificial intelligence technology and sensors designed to dance, emit healing frequencies and create an immersive soundscape. Approachable and engaging, the fluffy robots invite visitors to join in the fun, turning a typical art experience into a hands-on celebration.

“We want to create an optimistic view of technology and AI,” says Borkson. “AI can help us heal and find solutions, while teaching us to love and share moments together.”

Borkson and Sandoval met in South Florida in 2001, uniting their diverse backgrounds to create FriendsWithYou, an art project spreading joy and compassion. Now based in Los Angeles, they’ve spent over 20 years transforming their uplifting vision into a global art experience.

The robots each have unique personalities: ROC emits grounding sounds, FUR darts around, LIX sings and dances, PMJ lights up with solos and ETZ exudes calming energy. Together, they create a playful,

multi-sensory experience for all ages.

“We’ve worked with LAND, the Cleveland Library and Deeplocal — these amazing engineers and coders that helped us create this experience to be as beautiful and as powerful as we possibly could get it — and it really is delightful and feels really good,” says Borkson. By situating The BAND in the library, the exhibit remains free and open to everyone, breaking down barriers to contemporary art and technology.

“One of the key things is to demystify this idea that artificial intelligence, or just robotics, is something to be afraid of,” Sandoval says. “This serves as a little bit of a showcasing of how technology could feel right, and is something here to aid us.”

With each hum, spin and groove, these dancing robots invite people of all ages to join in on a shared moment of joy. It’s a chance to step away from screens, books and daily routines — and step into a colorful world where art, technology and humanity come together in harmony.

Tury Sandoval (left) and Sam Borkson’s (right) BAND can be seen through spring.

Historic Hoops

The building that has hosted legendary acts such as Elvis Presley and The Beatles is now the home of the Cleveland Charge.

When Cleveland Public Auditorium opened its doors in 1922, there were assuredly big plans for the building. Throughout more than a century, it hosted political conventions, some of the most famous musical acts in history and several Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. In December, the Cleveland Charge began their turn as the main occupants of this iconic landmark.

“It’s awesome. I love that it’s the new with the old,” Charge General Manager Liron Fanan says.

The Charge, formerly of Canton, are part of the NBA’s minor league as the NBA G League affiliate of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Since 2021, the team has called Wolstein Center on Cleveland State University’s campus its home. With an annual attendance of just under 3,000, the 13,610seat venue felt cavernous. Now, the team fills one of the more unique venues in professional basketball — and attendance is up.

Walking into the basketball setup at Public Hall gives the feel of a historic palace with modern amenities. The Charge’s move has catapulted upgrades for certain parts of the building, including a new LED board, home and visiting locker rooms, a weight room and coaches’ offices underneath the main level. Games have a capacity of 5,100 fans, with the opportunity to expand to nearly 7,000 if demand meets it. There is courtside seating along the sidelines and the baselines, plus mezzanine-level seating throughout.

“I loved that it’s already somewhat our colors. Everything up there is already fit for us,” Fanan says. “And I love how it’s got the hanging seats and sections. I think it gives you a lot of feel to the game, as well.”

The team uses the Cavs’ City Edition floor from 2023-24 as the court. That hardwood was created as a nod to Cleveland’s Playhouse Square district and matches the nostalgic, retro vibe at Public Hall.

a unique setting.

“I love this place,” Charge head coach Chris Darnell says. “I think it’s obviously the aesthetic, being in this older building, that they’ve done a great job of renovating and just making it feel like a very intimate setting for the fans.”

Public Hall is a perfect fit to push the G League experience forward. While the minor league is pretty different from NBA games, the residency proves that it can also go beyond the court thanks to games for kids, autograph sessions after the buzzer and a stunning venue.

“The growth that we’ve experienced going from our previous home to this one was a necessary piece. Because of the demand, the fans have found out that the G league is fun,” Charge CEO Rocco Maragas says. “That three-letter word, fun, is something that’s at the core of everything we do.”

Public Hall offers fans the opportunity to experience the Charge in

The Impact of Cleveland Magazine’s Founding Editor

Michael D. Roberts, former The Plain Dealer reporter and founding editor of Cleveland Magazine, left a legacy as a trailblazing editor and mentor to a generation of journalists.

Great magazines aren’t written — they’re edited.

Michael D. Roberts, the founding editor of Cleveland Magazine and a hotshot reporter for The Plain Dealer before that, never let Steve Gleydura forget it. Long after Roberts’s 17 years with the magazine, which began in the early ’70s, he frequently met the young Gleydura, the only editor to serve at the top of the masthead about as long as Roberts, for hours-long lunches. Roberts, however, craved not a sandwich but a story. He’d pepper Gleydura with questions: “What are you hearing? What are people talking about? What are you working on? What’s the big story?”

His hunger was insatiable.

“He never stopped being an editor,” Gleydura says. “I don’t know of someone who knew the city, cared about the city as much as Mike did.”

Roberts died in January after a long health battle. His leadership at Cleveland Magazine served as a nationwide model of what a city magazine could be and, as a reporter, witnessed firsthand some of the biggest moments of the turbulent ’60s. His loss is one of a pioneering storyteller, a sharp critical voice and wealth of knowledge about the moments and movers who shaped Cleveland. He was 85 years old.

Bold and unafraid, Roberts embodied the archetype of an old-school newsman, drinking beer in the reporter bars and swearing like a, well, journalist. He relished the days when his front page stories earned him the right to “f—--- smirk and be a real asshole” to the rival reporters who gathered each night at the Headliner Cafe on Superior Avenue and East 17th Street — and they came often. But those who worked under his editorship call him an indispensable mentor, always pushing for more and shaping some of the greatest writing and reporting in the golden era of Cleveland journalism.

Roberts suffered from polio as a kid and filled his time reading The Cleveland Press. He dreamt of becoming a journalist for the daily. Instead, in 1963, he started as a cub reporter at rival The Plain Dealer, which sent him to cover the Vietnam War. He arrived in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive and was on the ground in Saigon when the national police chief of South Vietnam executed a Vietcong fighter in 1968, the iconic photo of which changed public sentiment toward the war.

“He could walk across the street and stumble across a story,” says Ed Walsh, who served as associate editor for Cleveland Magazine and was a confidant of Roberts’ in his later years. “He was really quite a force.”

Back in Cleveland, where he’d eventually serve as the paper’s city editor, he covered Carl Stokes’s mayoral campaign, Art Modell, the second Sam Sheppard trial and the Kent State University shooting. During the Hough Riots, he wrote with his signature poignant pen, that “even the shock of the Hough Riots failed to awaken the town’s slumbering political and civic leaders, who had trouble fathoming what had gone wrong. The business community was in denial and the politicos were casting seeds of blame.” Readers today can see the events of the ’60s through the young reporter’s eyes in his books Hot Type, Cold Beer and Bad News and Thirteen Seconds, which follows the Kent State Shootings.

“I was lucky to come at a time when The Plain Dealer was trying to change, trying to get its sh– together. For a while, it did,” he said. “I was overwhelmed by being there. We had about 50 to 60 reporters, a number of editors. You’re [all] talking about how the city works.”

In April 1972, 32-year-old advertising copywriter Lute Harmon Sr. published the first issue of Cleveland Magazine with Dennis Kucinich, then running for the U.S. House of Representatives. A few months later, the magazine’s editor Gary Griffith quit.

“For some reason he did not like the seven-day work week,” says Lute Harmon Sr., founder and former publisher of Cleveland Magazine and chairman of parent company Great Lakes Studios. “As publisher, I had to find an editor, and it became apparent no established journalist wanted to work for a startup.”

Logic would put Roberts in that camp. City editor was a prestigious title for a man still in his 20s. Plus, Roberts didn’t give the magazine much of a chance to survive. Still, when Harmon reached out, he agreed to dinner (and some drinks, it seems).

“He spent three hours telling me what was wrong with the publication before the restaurant manager told us he was closing,” says Harmon. “The next morning when Mike called to ask what had transpired at dinner I congratulated him on accepting the position of editor of Cleveland Magazine.”

Within months, he put together a “team of journalists that were writing stories about people and issues that Cleveland had never seen before,” says Harmon Sr. That list of writers and editors included or grew to include Ned Whelan, Don Robertson, Jim Wood, Terry Sheridan, Brent Larkin, Frank Kuznik, Greg Stricharchuk, Tom R. Halfhill, Joe Eszterhas, Dick Feagler and many more. Roberts continued to write, too, albeit selectively, when he just couldn’t pass up the story. In July 1975, for example, he wrote the cover story “Why They Blew Shondor Burns Away.”

“Mike was relentless as an editor, and working for him was not for the faint of heart, but damn did we have fun,” says Richard Osborne, who served as managing editor from 1979-1982. “We learned from Mike more than any journalism course could ever teach you.”

The small-but-mighty team couldn’t keep up with the volume of the local newspapers, and they didn’t try. Instead, rooted in the muckraking era that preceded them and inspired by the literary new journalism movement of Tom Wolfe that was en vogue at the time, the staff worked to tell stories that no one was telling in ways that no one had told them before. At staff editorial meetings, Roberts would ask, “What’s the hardest story we could do this week?”

Michael D. Roberts (left) and Lute Harmon Sr. (middle) celebrate 10 years with sheet cakes and friend Al Gentry.

“He was a bit of a pugilist when it came to journalism,” Walsh says. “He wanted to fight with the best of them.”

The coverage examined power, art, money, gossip, dining, culture, drugs, health and the Best of Cleveland. It pissed off local leaders like Akronite and Cleveland Indians owner Dick Jacobs and Bay Village native George Steinbrenner, and the city was better for it. Mobsters, too. Ray Ferritto, the hit man for the Mayfield Road Mob who killed Danny Greene in 1977, reportedly identified the gangster from a photo in Cleveland Magazine

A wordsmith in his own right, the editor meticulously helped writers shape and massage their copy, poking holes in sentences that were unclear and pushing them to get to the point. Often, stories became a team effort, with staffers pitching in on extra phone calls or even staking out a subject’s workplace.

“That’s the kind of stuff we regularly did,” says Osborne. “You certainly felt a tremendous sense of satisfaction when you had the whole town talking. We were extremely proud of what we accomplished.”

“The magazine of that time left an important legacy for what the city was like, what the people were like, what the powerful were like, what the weak were like.” — Ed Walsh, former associate editor

The publication — along with a few others, including New York in 1968, Boston in 1971, Texas Monthly in 1973 and Philadelphia, founded in 1908 but reenergized in this time — became a nationwide model. In 1980, Nieman Reports called it “a gritty magazine in a town widely known for its gritty reality” and one of the country’s best.

“Mike helped invent the genre of city magazines,” says Osborne. “I don’t think there is any question that the best journalism in Cleveland of that era was put out by Cleveland Magazine.”

Fifty years since the first issue of Cleveland Magazine, the writing, reporting, photography and design in those early issues remain just as sharp and hilarious, sometimes questionable but always groundbreaking — essential to the history and understanding of this city.

“We’d attained a sense of legitimacy as a publication that was respected in the city,” Roberts told Cleveland Magazine in 2022. “It was joyful.”

Physical archives spanning 50 years remain in the Cleveland Magazine offices in

Playhouse Square’s Hanna Building, our third home after Emerson Press on Chester Avenue and then the Keith Building. One of the great privileges of working there is getting to dig through those early issues. Feeling and smelling the musty, 50-year-old pages offers a brief portal to a world, both in Cleveland and in media, that no longer exists but shapes who we are today.

These stories, designs, illustrations and photos remind us daily of the gravity and weight that comes with producing a nearly 53-year-old publication.

“The magazine of that time left an important legacy for what the city was like, what the people were like, what the powerful were like, what the weak were like,” says Walsh. “Mike’s loss really is a loss, and something is lost with him, and that was an era of journalism where you really went after the tough stories, and you took on the tough challenges, and you came up with some really great stuff. I think the contribution of the magazine to the city, it’s really a terrific legacy.”

The magazine has evolved over the years,

and each editor has put their own stamp on it. Roberts’ gritty news features gave way to celebrity profiles, then service journalism and, now, a digital-first ethos. Certainly, some of these approaches dismayed him. Ask Gleydura, who says he always heard from Roberts when he liked something the magazine did — but Gleydura got even more of an earful when he didn’t.

Yet, all of these iterations existed within the framework he created. Plus, he didn’t seem like the type of guy who would let someone else define his vision. Why should any of us be different?

Still, in each of those eras, Michael D. Roberts’s 17 years at Cleveland Magazine, his dedication to creative nonfiction, smart journalism and deep reporting offer a blueprint of how best we can serve the people of Northeast Ohio. Gleydura even hung a photo of Roberts, Harmon Sr. and the rest of their staff above his desk as a reminder of the magazine’s roots.

“Whenever I thought, What should we do?, it was always like the spirit of them were

watching over me,” he says Roberts showed loved for this city in every stroke of his pen and punch of his typewriter, but he did not believe in blind boosterism.

“It is important that the city have an honest view of itself and not the Downtown bullsh-- guys,” he said. “We’ve got to be more thoughtful about who we are, where we’re going and not live in a silly world.”

In 2018, Roberts told Cleveland Magazine that he worried about the future of media and journalism.

“It doesn’t appear to me as if, financially, there’s enough support here for decent journalism,” he said. “People are trying. But you can’t do it without money. But that doesn’t mean you give up. Sharpen your skills, deal with the issues.”

Fifty-three years ago, he joined what he saw as a doomed publication, yet his talent and tenacity overcame those long odds. So, Mike might be gone, but thanks to him, Cleveland Magazine is still here, sharpening our skills, dealing with the issues and never giving up on his city.

EXPERIENCE NATURAL HISTORY LIKE NEVER BEFORE

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• 62 engaging, hands-on, and media-enhanced experiences

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ALL NEW & COMPLETELY REIMAGINED

The transformed Cleveland Museum of Natural History invites you to explore reimagined spaces and all-new exhibits that foster a deeper connection to science and nature. Discover yourself at the center of natural history

bites and the people who make them

The Lakewood steakhouse with a globally influenced menu is the talk of the town. Does it live up to its reputation? CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

Sandoval’s Favorite Snacks PG 24

Cleveland’s Best Boba PG 25

PHOTO BY KAITLIN WALSH

The Artis Experience Must Be Crafted

With a modern touch, Lakewood’s only steakhouse can be exceptional, but a few inconsistencies means dinner might take a few tries to get right.

Lakewood’s only steakhouse isn’t exactly a steakhouse.

“We take great care to source and butcher our meats properly and make sure they’re of the greatest quality,” says owner and chef Andrew Mansour, “but at the same time, nothing else on the menu is an afterthought.”

Mansour is a Cleveland Heights native who trained under Michelin-starred chefs and helped open restaurants in Miami and the Hamptons. He chose the word artis for the name of his first endeavor because it means “skill” or “craft” in Latin. And while a steakhouse

with an ancient moniker could easily be stodgy and boring, Mansour’s objective is to be exactly the opposite. In all ways, from its eclectic menu to its retro yellow facade and bright, airy interior, Artis aspires to a chic Miami Beach vibe.

“There are a lot of fun, middle-end concepts out there, but we wanted to be fancy and fun all at the same time,” Mansour says. “We’re trying to be more fun than the average restaurant, and the average steakhouse in particular.”

When he and his team execute the best version of their artis, the results are impressive — and just plain delicious. Standouts include the crispy Nashville-inspired chicken thighs ($18), glazed in a zingy harissa sauce and paired with sweet, cooling pickle rounds, and Moroccan spiced meatballs ($19), which are surprisingly light and infinitely cozy. The most unusual item on the menu is the delicate soup dumplings ($19), Artis’s answer to the typical steakhouse soup. Though they’re served in a traditional bamboo steaming basket, they’re filled with a nontraditional (and absolutely delicious) lobster bisque.

Everything on the menu is designed to be shared, and it all comes out of the kitchen as it’s ready. The menu is divided into four sections that denote how long it will take to receive each dish: Now, Soon, In A While and Worth The Wait; a separate charbroiled section features six cuts of steak sourced from Certified Angus Beef and Ohio Angus plus a rack of Australian lamb.

“Shareable is the way I like to eat, and it’s the way that I think people are transitioning to eating,” Mansour says. “It allows you to experience so much more. It keeps you stimulated.” It also follows French Laundry chef Thomas Keller’s philosophy of the law of diminishing returns, which says: Your food becomes less interesting as you keep eating it, so why not move on to something else?

Impressively, Artis’s eclectic menu doesn’t feel disparate or discombobulated, as “global cuisine” often does. Mansour has thoughtfully and skillfully integrated Middle Eastern, Asian and Latin American influences, never going too far in any one direction so that nothing overpowers anything else.

“It was one of my challenges,” he reflects. “How do you put all of these cuisines on the menu and make sure there aren’t any clashing flavors at the same time? I’m not an ex-

Owner and chef Andrew Mansour offers an expansive menu of steaks and shareables with a global influence.

pert on any of them, but I know the cuisine of each region well enough that I can pull out a flavor or tweak a dish so that it still exemplifies the original but works better for us.”

If local buzz is any indication, it seems to be working. Since opening in August, Artis has amassed a following of devotees, including two of my most trusted foodie friends, who quickly deemed it their new favorite. The Lakewood community Facebook group, too, has been abuzz with praise. “We loved everything!” one woman gushed; “Beautiful space, excellent service, amazing food!” another proclaimed.

It’s clear that when Artis gets it right, it gets it really, really right. The problem is that, within these first few months of service, it hasn’t always hit its mark.

Though each dish on my first visit was well-crafted and undeniably tasty, somehow, the experience just felt… slightly off. Everything I ordered turned out to be a bit too

close in flavor profile, a little too sour — the kimchi fried rice, the lemony hummus, the citrus-centric cocktail. The oversized plates were too large for our small table, requiring a frantic shuffle as each new dish was delivered. And the space, though lively, was a little too bright, a little too jam-packed and a lot too loud. My friend and I could barely hear one another, much less our server.

As a restaurant reviewer, though, I know better than to judge a place off just one visit. Plus, Artis’s potential felt obvious, despite a not-quite-up-to-par first experience. If anything, I felt determined to try again; I wanted the Artis everyone else experienced.

When I went back a few nights later, I was thrilled with the results — truly, an almost perfect meal and ambiance. This time, my friends and I were seated in the restaurant’s back room, which has moodier lighting and less aggressive acoustics. By soliciting recommendations in advance from a few Artis

WHEN YOU GO

PARK HERE

Enjoy high-end dining with no valet required. If you can’t find a street spot, free parking is available across the street at Lossman Body Shop.

ORDER THIS

Mansour taps into his Lebanese heritage with the shareable spicy pulled lamb hummus ($17) with preserved lemon and chile oil.

DRINK THIS

Channel your inner Will Smith with the Bienvenido a Miami ($15), made with bacon-washed rum, poblano chile liqueur and a dehydrated Persian lime.

devotees, we ordered smarter, too. Fan favorites this time around included the meatballs, chicken thighs and soup dumplings along with thinly sliced, house-cured salmon toast ($17) and a chocolate bourbon pecan cake in sticky caramel sauce ($12).

We split six dishes and one dessert, plus a cocktail apiece, which made for a balanced assortment that hit all the right notes and didn’t overpower our palates. We felt satisfied but not overly stuffed, and by the time the last plate was cleared, I had all but forgotten about the off-kilter first visit.

I worry, though, that others in my position might not have returned, instead writing off a promising new restaurant before it’s had the chance to emerge from its working-out-thekinks phase.

The good news is that the staff, for their part, seem to be aware of the inconsistencies and open to community feedback, responding thoughtfully to a handful of less-thanstellar online reviews and frequently tweaking the menu to get it just right — all things that bode well for a stable future.

First impressions matter, yes, but they can also be misleading, like when a muchanticipated restaurant doesn’t quite hit all its marks in its early stages. My second trip to Artis reminded me that sometimes, a follow-up adage is warranted: “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again” — especially when lobster bisque soup dumplings are involved.

Ricardo Sandoval Owner-Operator, Fat Cats

Northeast Ohio’s top chefs share their local favorites.

Ricardo Sandoval has been in the restaurant scene for nearly 35 years. Prior to opening Fat Cats, Sandoval had experience running multiple Italian restaurants in the suburbs of Cleveland. However, looking to try something new and different, Sandoval was drawn to the community and emerging arts scene of the Tremont area.

— CHRISTINA RUFO

CULTURAL CUISINE My favorite Filipino spot is Tita Flora’s in Independence. I knew them before they even opened up that restaurant. I had fried rice and their lumpia. They are the nicest people. There’s also this spot, the Rush Inn in Lakewood, that’s Irish. It’s a good late night place. The burgers and wings are good. They’ve been around a long time, maintain good quality and are always consistent.

LOCAL INGREDIENTS My favorite spot for local produce is Red Basket Farm in Kinsman, Ohio. They’re great. They’re just an awesome couple, Amy and Floyd Davis. I met Floyd at the Tremont Farmers Market, and he had the best produce in the world. I get curly kale, tomatoes, acorn squash, eggplant, all that kind of stuff from there. And then [I go to] Tyler’s Farm for greens in Oberlin, hydroponically grown. This time of the year, if you can’t get ground greens, his stuff is just fantastic.

GOLF GROUNDS For my favorite golf course, I would say the Metroparks. I loved it when the City of Cleveland sold Seneca Golf Course to the Metroparks. And so in that time, I could basically golf there forever; everybody knew me, and they just let me go. So I would say probably Seneca or Sleepy Hollow Golf Course in Brecksville are my favorite. Although, I always like the mom-and-pop courses, as well.

COFFEE TIME Rising Star Coffee Roasters, I love those guys. The owners are fantastic; I see them all the time. I usually do French press, so I get the Illuminator Blend there.

offers 24/7 judgment-free support for mental health, substance use, and more. Text, call, or chat 988.

DINING GUIDE

Boba & Pearl

WHY WE LOVE IT: Boba & Pearl is a haven for bubble tea enthusiasts. From the playful purple and pink decor to the photo wall, perfect for selfies, this Cuyahoga Falls hot spot blends flavor and fun. The selection includes classic milk teas, fruit-infused teas and innovative options like bubble snow and bubble waffles. Adorable boba-themed plushies are scattered throughout the shop to commemorate your visit. TRY THIS: The Bubble Snow ($4.99) is a fan favorite — a creamy, icy dessert topped with fresh fruit and boba. Pair it with the Oreo Madness Bubble Waffle ($6.99) for the ultimate treat. 1922 Portage Trail, Cuyahoga Falls, 234-571-1287, doordash.com/boba-&-pearl-cuyahoga-falls

BY CHRISTINA RUFO

Bubble House

WHY WE LOVE IT: Located inside Great Northern Mall, Bubble House is a sweet escape. Its menu features bubble teas, rolled ice cream, milkshakes, acai bowls, egg waffles and more, making it a great place to stop while shopping. The bright atmosphere creates a perfect place to relax and recharge. With convenient online ordering available for takeout or delivery, it’s even easier to get your boba fix. TRY THIS: Sip on the fanfavorite Brown Sugar Milk Tea ($6.50), and pair it with a fresh New York Crepe ($8.99), stuffed with Nutella, strawberries and banana for a satisfying on-the-go treat. 4954 Great Northern Blvd., North Olmsted, 240-849-9820, order.online/store/bubble-house

19 Bubble Tea Shops

You Can’t Miss

Candy Cloud

WHY WE LOVE IT: Candy Cloud brings a whimsical twist to your everyday drink experience with colorful boba teas, iced and hot coffees, lemonades and shakes — all canned fresh to order. The Willoughby gem is a family-friendly spot; the vibrant, modern space offers a safe, welcoming environment for all ages and all flavor palates. Plus, with monthly themed drinks ($6.29) like the Baklava Shaken Espresso, Iced Vanilla Protein Latte, and Mint Cookies n’ Cream Shake, there’s always something new to try for the adventurous folks. Guests can customize any drink to add boba, sweeteners, energy boosters and more. TRY THIS: The Purple Potion ($5.98) features iced ube and milk, with nondairy options available. Add-ins like brown sugar boba, whipped toppings and syrup drizzles can all be included based on personal preference. It’s a playful, colorful treat that’s as fun to drink as it is to look at. 36299 Euclid Ave., Willoughby, 440-510-8177, candycloudcompany.com

Chopstick Chinese Restaurant

WHY WE LOVE IT: Nestled in the University Circle neighborhood, this cozy, classic spot offers a diverse array of Chinese cuisines, including a broad selection of boba drinks and teas. It also features traditional Chinese sweet dessert soups, such as the creamy Red Bean Sago ($5.99), with fruit, bulbs of crystal boba and more. Its proximity to Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals makes it a convenient and reliable dining option for students and professionals on the go. While primarily a takeout spot, the restaurant provides a few indoor seating options for those who prefer to dine in.

TRY THIS: The fresh strawberry smoothie ($4.99) is a perfectly balanced sweet treat. The fruity beverage is filled with strawberry jellies, sago pearls and crystal boba, and topped with cheese cream foam for an indulgent and savory finishing touch. 1322 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 216-791-7998, chopstick.restaurant888.com

Emo Friend Boba Tea

Emo Friend Boba Tea

WHY WE LOVE IT: This Rocky River hub, which opened its doors in October 2023, blends the nostalgia of emo culture with the art of crafting high-quality bubble tea. Founded by Zhiyu Shen, the shop is a haven for music lovers, adorned with band memorabilia from icons like Green Day and Good Charlotte. “When I was a kid, all the boba shops looked the same, kind of cutesy. I liked the idea of something different,” says Shen. The space elevates its musical ambiance with a small stage for live music performances. Whether you come for the boba, the music or the sense of community, Emo Friend hits all the right notes. TRY THIS: Sip on a creamy honeydew matcha ($5) for something soothing, or go for the floral rose Earl Grey tea ($5) for something unique. 19634 Center Ridge Road, Rocky River, 415-518-4854, facebook.com/emo-friend-boba-tea

Ichiraku Ramen

WHY WE LOVE IT: This Japanese noodle shop on the west side of Mentor has it all. The interior features distinct Japanese decor to give an Asian market feel. Lo-fi Japanese music softly plays in the background of the dining room, which displays memorabilia and hanging lamps, and guests can order beautiful bowls of ramen, bubble tea, sake and even sweet desserts. “We have anime playing on four TVs and anime figures all throughout the restaurant. We also have Japanese lanterns up front that are lit,” says owner Michael Norris. TRY THIS: Tapioca boba is cooked in small batches daily in this kitchen, elevating the taste of every bubble tea offered. This makes drinks like the Vampire Love Coconut Strawberry specialty tea ($7.25) popular for more than one reason, with freshness and rich flavor in every sip. The coconut tea includes strawberry puree at the bottom to look like blood, but the bold contrast of pale white tea against vibrant red strawberry is nothing to be afraid of. 9853 Johnnycake Ridge Road, Unit 15, Mentor, 440-853-1332, ichiraku-ramen.com

Cha Li Tea Shop

Koko Bakery

WHY WE LOVE IT: With locations in AsiaTown and Coventry Village, this beloved spot offers an incredible selection of desserts. Their famous Asian buns — stuffed with fillings like pork, egg and red bean — are a must-try for those seeking either a sweet or a savory twist. But no visit is complete without one of their iconic bubble teas, with more than 40 flavor options ranging from fruity classics to indulgent blends. TRY THIS: Grab a classic red bean bun ($1.95) for a taste of tradition, then pair it with a sweet black glutinous rice milk tea ($6.50) for a rich blend of earthy, nutty black rice flavors and a hint of natural sweetness. 3710 Payne Ave., Cleveland, 216-881-7600; 1767 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights, 216-465-1022, facebook.com/@kokobakery

LuCha Cafe

WHY WE LOVE IT: LuCha is a breath of fresh air in the heart of Aurora. A nod to the two cuddly Shiba Inu dogs in its logo, the restaurant offers a warm and inviting eatery space with couch seating that serves handcrafted teas and a glass case full of fresh-baked treats. An extensive drink menu pairs well with bites like strawberry cake rolls and garlic cheese bread. TRY THIS: Order the jasmine green tea with cheese foam ($4.25) to try a rich, creamy twist on a classic flavor. 332 Aurora Commons Circle, Aurora, 330-348-0169, luchacafe.com

Mango Mango

WHY WE LOVE IT: The New York-based Asian dessert chain brings a tropical twist to Cleveland's sweets scene with mango-inspired treats, but it offers more than its namesake flavor. You’ll also find classic desserts like coconut juice with red bean and green tea ice cream. With its cozy ambiance, large space and visually stunning desserts, Mango Mango offers a photo-worthy experience that sets it apart from standard dessert spots. TRY THIS: Find a burst of diverse flavor in the coconut smoothie with red bean and mango ($6.95), which includes sago pearls, mango pieces and grapefruit. 3133 Payne Ave., Cleveland, mangomangodessert.com

Ming’s Bubble Tea

WHY WE LOVE IT: Ming’s Bubble Tea in Hudson is a hidden gem founded by Ming Xie, a U.S. Army Reserve veteran. Alongside his wife, Xie brings authentic bubble tea experiences to Northeast Ohio. Their commitment to quality is evident in every cup, using premium loose tea leaves from Taiwan, brewed in-house for genuine flavor. The cozy storefront features a charming wishing wall, where patrons can leave notes, adding a personal touch to the inviting atmosphere. TRY THIS: Savor the bestselling mango and passionfruit tea ($4.75), which perfectly balances sweetness and tartness. For a creamy treat, the Oreo milk tea ($5.50) blends classic milk tea with crushed Oreo pieces. 46 Park Lane, Hudson, 234-284-8457, mingsbubbletea.com

WHY WE LOVE IT: Cha Li Tea Shop in Shaker Heights, Stow and soon-to-be third location in Mentor is a haven for bubble tea enthusiasts, offering a diverse menu of handcrafted beverages made with fresh fruits and chewy boba. The bakery case is always filled with crepe cakes and elegant mousse, and the message board allows guests to leave a colorful note on the wall. TRY THIS: Indulge in a cool lychee tea slush ($6.45) that is bright and refreshing with a blend of floral sweetness and tropical fruitiness. The lychee flavor is delicate and aromatic. Go a step further and add some popping boba or herbal jelly for a fun addition. Various Locations, chali-teashop.com

Mooncat Boba Cafe

WHY WE LOVE IT: Tucked on the corner of West 25th Street, owner and former Case Western Reserve University student Chun Keung Wong was inspired to create his brand after traveling abroad in Japan. The Mooncat mascot pays homage to a small fishing town Wong visited during his studies, as well as his daughter. “I quit my job to start looking for locations, and during that time, my first daughter, Luna, was born,” says Wong. Besides boba, the cafe serves snacks and light meals like veggie spring rolls, fried dumplings, musubi and more. TRY THIS: With featured specials every few months, menu offerings are always unique. Mito’s Moonjuice ($7) features taro milk tea with strawberry syrup and crystal boba. 3460 W. 25th St., Cleveland, 216-331-6615, mooncatbobacafe.com

Milk n’ Tea

WHY WE LOVE IT: Store owner Corinne Nguyen opened this location over two years ago to bring better boba to Parma. “It’s just something I’ve always loved,” says Nguyen. The menu features an assortment of both hot and cold beverages, as well as freshly baked treats like bubble waffles that can be filled with mochi, chocolate chips and more. “You can really taste the tea in our drinks,” she says. “It’s a lot stronger.” TRY THIS: The Tiger Milk Tea ($6.50) offers a creative spin on the classic brown sugar boba flavor. Stripes of brown sugar syrup line the cup like tiger stripes, giving a hint of sweetness. Customers can choose to add classic tapioca boba or other fun options like jellies and flavored popping pearls. 7868 Broadview Road, Parma, 216-236-6043, milkntea.net

Phusion Cafe

WHY WE LOVE IT: With speedy service and reasonable prices, Phusion Cafe is perfect for anyone craving authentic Taiwanese flavors on the fly. While the menu offers everything from popcorn chicken to beef noodle soup, it also has milk teas for a quick pick-me-up. TRY THIS: The matcha milk tea ($4) has a smooth, earthy flavor. Customize it with classic tapioca pearls or fruity popping boba for an extra burst. 11611 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 216-978-0088, phusioncafecleveland.com

Sugar Bowl

WHY WE LOVE IT: The Willoughby shop hits a sweet spot, offering a delightful fusion of Vietnamese cuisine and desserts, making it a go-to for every craving. Their menu features authentic Vietnamese dishes like pho and banh mi, complemented by a selection of handcrafted macarons and bubble teas. TRY THIS: Thai tea ($4.95) is a classic sweet and creamy beverage made with black tea, condensed milk and aromatic spices. 34912 Ridge Road, Willoughby, 440-525-5999, sugarbowlohio.com

Thai Thai

WHY WE LOVE IT: Serving up the bold, aromatic flavors of Bangkok street food in the heart of Lakewood, the menu features Thai staples like pad thai and kra praow. Their bubble teas are a sweet complement, offering creamy, fruity and classic flavors to cool down the heat from their savory dishes. With multiple reader-voted Best Thai Food awards, it’s a local staple. TRY THIS: See why it's all the hype with their signature chicken pad Thai ($12.95), and pair it with a creamy honeydew bubble tea ($6) for a complete meal. 13415 Madison Ave., Lakewood, 216-226-4890, thaithailakewood.com

Woop Bubble Tea

WHY WE LOVE IT: Located inside Beachwood Mall, this family-owned spot serves up classic milk teas, fruity infusions and creamy smoothies that are fully customizable. With a wide selection of toppings — from traditional tapioca pearls to popping boba in flavors like lychee and blueberry — every sip is a choose-your-own-adventure. Conveniently located near the food court, it’s a sweet shopping pick-me-up TRY THIS: The Taro Milk Tea ($6.75) is popular for its rich, creamy flavor and iconic purple hue. Add classic tapioca pearls or a playful pop with lychee boba to take it to the next level. 26300 Cedar Road, Beachwood, 844-438-9667, woopbubbletea.com

You & I Tea Bar

WHY WE LOVE IT: This mom-and-pop stop in Solon is devoted to the best, bringing a delightful array of bubble teas, crispy Asian-style crepes and stuffed waffles to the community. Its menu boasts a kaleidoscope of flavors, from unicorn milk tea to vibrant rainbow sodas, ensuring there’s something to satisfy every palate and craving. TRY THIS: Indulge in the popular butterfly pea caramel milk tea ($6.75) for a unique, colorful twist on a classic favorite. 33544 Aurora Road, Solon, 440-318-1788, facebook.com/youI-tea-bar

YYTime

WHY WE LOVE IT: Nestled in the heart of AsiaTown, YYTime is a boba lover’s dream with nearly 60 fruit and milk tea options to explore. From classic staples like brown sugar milk tea to creative favorites like honeydew matcha slush and lychee refreshers, the choices are endless. Customization is key here — you can adjust sugar, ice and toppings to create a drink that’s perfectly yours. Housed within a vibrant food hall, the open kitchen adds energy to the space, making it feel like a front-row seat to flavor. TRY THIS: The purple yam brown sugar milk tea with crystal pearls ($7.25) is a tasteful and adventurous option for those wanting to experiment with new flavor combinations. 3004 Payne Ave., 216-291-7533, Cleveland, yytimecle.com

The Taste of a VI S

The arduous journey to make fine-dining restaurant Doc's on Harvard a reality relied on one family's tenacity and investments from the city, which hopes to revive the historic Lee-Harvard neighborhood.

ION

written by ANNIE NICKOLOFF

photographed by MATTHEW CHASNEY

KKolnita Riggins-Walker exits her kitchen and steps to a podium, quieting the chatter and clanking forks of the politicians and nonprofit organizers who fill the dining room at Doc’s on Harvard.

She’s relaxed, wearing a spotless white chef’s coat with a blue marker tucked into its sleeve. From behind a pair of butterfly frame eyeglasses, she scans the crowd, looking for her husband, Bill Walker, and finds him near the back of this restaurant in Cleveland’s Lee-Harvard neighborhood. They lock eyes and smile. Behind him, through the glass door, peeks a bright mural memorializing their son Trent, painted on the brick wall of the patio.

The chef motions to the kitchen, calling out her entire crew. Attendees cheer for the small team. They cheer for the upscale ambiance, for the careful menu of internationally infused American eats — for the history steeped in this very building.

“Thank you,” she says with gratitude felt by each member of the crowd.

Doc’s on Harvard sits in a squat brick structure on Harvard Avenue where the busy intersection with Lee Road segues into a tidy grid of post-World War II brick homes. Outside the window behind the podium, cars flow through this main neighborhood corridor. A steady stream of customers move in and out of the Lee-Harvard Shopping Center across the street.

“A Suburb in the City,” as it’s often called, the Lee-Harvard neighborhood was once a part of the Miles Heights suburb before it was annexed into the edge of Cleveland in 1932. During the Great Migration in the ’50s and ’60s, the area became an important economic center for African American Clevelanders. Residents overcame discriminatory real estate and banking practices such as redlining thanks to the community’s Black-owned investors and companies.

The first African American family moved into the neighborhood in 1953, and by 1965, nearly 75% of the population was Black.

Homeownership rates were higher, and the median income level was nearly double the rest of Cleveland. Yet, a lack of attention from city programs, population loss and crime led to commercial blight in the 1980s. The area fell on hard times.

Engaged community members kept Lee-Harvard from falling into total disrepair. Like plenty of surrounding suburbs, the neighborhood has retail, high homeownership rates, a recreation center, schools and parks. It has a volunteer-run police force, locally owned markets and an active community development center that was key in working with the city to create a master plan, which envisions new branding, businesses and energy defining this part of Cleveland.

Filtering into that plan are two multimillion-dollar city projects:

Mayor Justin Bibb’s $15 million Southeast Side Promise and the city’s $10.6 million Middle Neighborhoods Initiative. Both aim to revitalize Cleveland’s more financially overlooked areas, like Lee-Harvard — a community developed primarily by and for Black Clevelanders.

“These are neighborhoods that are on the edge, between decline and prosperity and, without investment, could decline, but they don’t attract a lot of attention,” says Josh Jones Forbes, the marketing and communications director of Cleveland Neighborhood Progress. “They aren’t hot markets, so it takes an intentional effort to invest in these neighborhoods.”

One thing Lee-Harvard needs to become Cleveland’s next buzzy community is a sit-down restaurant. A place to celebrate and grab a bite. Maybe, even, a date night destination.

“We know that one restaurant, one art gallery, one amazing small business, could change the trajectory of a community,” Bibb says. “Think about what chef Michael Symon did for Tremont, and his first restaurant was an anchor that really helped propel Tremont revitalization. The same can be true for the Southeast Side.”

Doc’s on Harvard, which opened in April and had a grand opening in June, hopes to be that resource to the neighborhood. Today, it’s not only the sole fine-dining restaurant in Lee-Harvard; it’s one of the few sit-down restaurants in the historic community.

For Kolnita, the journey to get here is lifelong, and she can see her

Doc's on Harvard has transformed a former longtime dental office into one of the few sit-down restaurants in Lee-Harvard. The space received help along the way from major city initiatives to reinvest in the historic Cleveland community.

family, her inspiration, in every nook and cranny of the restaurant. This space, with its clean blush walls, marble bar top and gold light fixtures, is still hard for her to believe. She built the contemporary American menu by focusing on local ingredients and splurging on top-notch cuts of meat and seafood. She and Bill welcomed today’s visitors through the front glass doors, offering tastes of small bites like the restaurant’s crunchy Riggins’ Southern fusion rolls, a crowd favorite inspired by a recipe from Kolnita's uncle Ed Riggins.

These local leaders are here and exuberant today because they hope Doc’s on Harvard can be more than a restaurant. Maybe it can be a turning point.

THE COFFEE GRINDER HUMS inside Doc’s before it opens on a recent Friday afternoon, audible above a playlist of light classical music. Kolnita and Bill are at the bar, discussing their children and last night’s Browns game. Kolnita dumps the grounds into an espresso machine and then steams milk into the hot, pungent coffee. She sets the lattes down on the bar counter in front of Bill and settles next to him on a bar stool, wrapping her fingers around her mug.

Coffee is a love language for the couple. In the late ’90s, Kolnita worked at an Arabica Coffee House in Shaker Square. One day during a busy holiday season shift, she struggled to find somewhere to sit during her lunch break in the packed coffee house, when she saw an open chair at a table, across from a man behind a newspaper.

That man was Bill Walker.

“He was such a gentleman,” Kolnita remembers. “He said, ‘What time do you get off? Can I come back and see you?’ And I told him, and he came back, and it’s been history ever since.”

“Best cup of coffee I’ve ever had in my life,” Bill says, smiling.

Back then, as always, she leaned into providing the comfort and warmth of hospitality. She grew up in her mother and grandmother’s kitchens. They were places where family and friends came to get their hair pressed and curled, their ears pierced or to just sit at the table and eat. It was where a young Kolnita, just tall enough to see over the table, watched her grandmother's hands craft dinners from scratch, serving them on china to her family — even after cooking full time at local hospitals and schools.

“She cooked with so much love,” Kolnita says warmly.

Kolnita started her first hospitality job at 14, busing tables at Vernon’s in Shaker Square, followed by work at Arabica, Eddie Sand’s Blueline Cafe and Norton’s Cafe. Eventually, she studied culinary arts at Cuyahoga Community College and worked under Sergio Abramof at Giovanni’s, with other stints training at the Ritz-Carlton Downtown and at Classics. She only took jobs at restaurants she loved.

In 1998, Kolnita and Bill married and relocated to Toledo for four years. While their five kids were in Maumee Valley Country Day School, Kolnita had the opportunity to launch her Classic Cuisine catering company for a Black alumni event. It was a welcome pivot for the classically trained chef, who found herself wanting more respect during long hours working in professional kitchens.

“I found, in my experience, that as a Black woman, I didn’t like the way that I was being treated,” she says. “I wanted to do something about that. I wanted more flexibility to create what I wanted to create."

The catering company grew by word of mouth; Kolnita says the upscale concept serviced CEOs, art galleries and doctors’ offices. While living in California for a year, she catered for employees of

tech brands like Apple, Thumbtack and Recharge, and Captain Kirk's Sailing, a yacht chartering company.

Kolnita and Bill returned to their hometown of Cleveland during the pandemic, after 20 years living in Chicago, to help care for Bill’s dad during a time of isolation. “Doc” William Walker ran a dentistry practice in the red brick building on Harvard for 65 years. Dentistry was an act of service for his community; he never turned away a patient for lack of funds, Bill says. William furthered that service when Mayor Ralph Perk made him the director of Model Cities Dental Clinics, which offered free and low-cost dental care to Cuyahoga County residents for two decades. And he continued to work, even when his office closed a few years ago during the pandemic and as he faced a prostate cancer diagnosis.

One day, while checking the mail at the empty dentist office, Kolnita found herself suddenly jolted into a new path for the small, stately building.

“Literally, God took me in an open vision. I stopped. I couldn’t see anything else around me, and all I saw was Dad get out of a black Cadillac,” Kolnita says. “He walked into this beautiful building, and he sat at his favorite table. I could hear the music. I could smell the food. I could see the people. It was gorgeous.”

KOLNITA TOLD HER father-in-law about the vision that day. Coincidentally, he told her he had always wanted to own a restaurant, and soon gave permission to his son and daughter-in-law to make the dream a reality.

The dream — or, assignment, as Kolnita calls it — wouldn’t be easy. After all, it takes a lot to transform a longtime dental office into an modern, upscale eatery. One with a stocked cocktail bar, roomy bathrooms, large windows and a back patio.

“If you could imagine this space, it looks nothing like how it originally was,” Kolnita says. “The only thing that’s partly original on this building are some of the bricks.”

Luckily, the Walkers’ vision lined up with new citywide priorities. This corner of Cleveland has been a key piece of Bibb’s efforts since taking office in 2022. His administration’s Southeast Side Promise focuses on Lee-Harvard, Lee-Seville, Union-Miles and Mount Pleasant, where Bibb grew up.

“For far too long, the Southeast Side has not gotten its fair share, and we see the remnants of that because of the issues that they are struggling with every single day, from dilapidated housing to violent crime to a lack of community investment,” Bibb says.

Beyond the Southeast Side Promise,

there’s the Middle Neighborhoods Initiative, run by the city and Cleveland Neighborhood Progress. Jones Forbes says it’s crucial to focus on maintaining these spaces. After all, most Clevelanders live in middle neighborhoods like Lee-Harvard.

“Like many Southeast Side, East Side and primarily Black neighborhoods, it’s experienced a lot of disinvestment,” Jones Forbes says. “When dollars flow around the neighborhood, beyond the neighborhood, in suburbs, then it becomes hard to maintain what made this neighborhood great.”

The new projects aim to reverse a pattern in Lee-Harvard. Large-scale plans are underway for mixed-use developments and brand-new housing on old school sites, and a few home rehabilitations have already been completed. Middle Neighborhood funds also partially covered renovations on four local businesses, all near the Lee-Harvard intersection: Doc’s on Harvard, plus Kaba’s African and Caribbean Market, Watson’s Community Health Centre and a storefront owned by Double Platinum Properties.

State representative Juanita Brent has lived in the Lee-Harvard community her whole life and calls this moment in time the

neighborhood’s renaissance. Brent, who resides in a home four blocks away from Kolnita and Bill’s restaurant, took notice after the dramatic, swooping Doc’s on Harvard signage — a custom-lighted version of William’s “Doc” signature — was installed on the front facade. She parked her car nearby and put her face to the window of the eatery to see the construction inside. (“I’m a nosy person in the community,” she says.)

Inside, she saw an overhaul, echoing the same dramatic shifts happening all over Lee-Harvard. She saw office walls coming down, new wood flooring coming in, elegant art splashing the walls and neat rows of tables and chairs.

She started to see Kolnita’s vision, too.

“Before I even got a chance to taste the food, before I even got a chance to hear their story, before I even got a chance to know anything else, I said, ‘Oh, they’re making a real investment, and this is not just a money grab in our community,’” she says.

Doc’s on Harvard broke ground in December 2020, partnering with the Harvard Community Service Center for a storefront renovation grant to fashion a grand entrance.

But hurdles arrived almost immediately. The Walkers faced public misconceptions about their restaurant when applying for a liquor permit, with some neighbors concerned they were opening a nightclub. They discovered they had to completely overhaul and update the building’s electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems, and all on a careful budget. Building issues and out-of-date blueprints made necessary renovations an uphill battle.

Bill, a retired senior manager for Allstate Insurance, remembers rolling up his sleeves and stepping in to help complete construction work with his wife. Over the next year they tore away the interior layout, breaking down rooms and removing equipment, stripping the building to a clean slate. At one point, the two scrambled to cover the plumbing in the building’s basement as their supply of concrete started to dry.

The husband-andwife duo Kolnita Riggins-Walker and Bill Walker are behind Doc's on Harvard, their dream Cleveland restaurant. The menu, designed by Kolnita, showcases her work in catering and high-end kitchens, along with family recipes.

“ I THINK WE’RE ON THE PRECIPICE OF SOMETHING GREAT. ”

KOLNITA RIGGINS-WALKER

“We’ve got a line going, throwing the buckets down, and they’re really, really heavy,” Bill recalls. “I look up, and I see her, with the buckets and a shovel, concrete dripping all over us. I don’t know of any other person besides Kolnita that would’ve done that. And she did it all out of love.”

In the middle of building their dream, Bill and Konita's world crumbled around them.

The couple lost their 21-year-old son Trent to suicide, following mental health challenges with schizophrenia, in early 2022. Trent had earned a full athletic scholarship to Notre Dame College in Cleveland, coming out of the coronavirus pandemic. Kolnita and Bill saw his devastation after his first day of orientation — the shock of social reentry after pandemic isolation.

Six weeks later, in the midst of grieving his grandson, before he could see his former office building’s transformation, William Walker, the “Doc” of Doc’s on Harvard, passed away. Kolnita says he died of a broken heart.

In the darkness, Kolnita and Bill tried to make sense of the tragedies unfolding around them. They cemented their loved ones’ legacies in tangible ways: William’s, into the restaurant they were building together, and Trent’s, into Trent’s Room, a nonprofit for youth struggling with isolation and mental health challenges after the pandemic. The nonprofit has hosted healing walks, game nights and ice cream socials for local children and teens.

In their grief, they found meaning. Trent’s organ donation helped save or improve lives for more than 100 people, including a young football player who received Trent’s heart and a local church member who received one of Trent’s kidneys.

So they moved forward. It was all they could do.

“There were so many opportunities for me to fold. There were so many opportunities for me to say, ‘Oh, I can’t do this.’ That, absolutely, 100%, never crossed my mind,” Kolnita says. “Once you get a vision from God, he’s going to give you the provision to sustain and to see us through.”

Kolnita’s faith stayed steady, following the loss of her son. And Trent is honored in the space every day. He’s in the patio mural, triumphant, wearing a graduation gown — embedded in the world they’ve built at 16615 Harvard Ave.

Kolnita also sees glimpses of her son in moments shared with some of the employees she’s hired in the kitchen — a crew of young African American men from the neighborhood. “They look just like Trent,” she says. “It’s a blessing to work with them. I feel so honored.”

FAMILY STORIES ARE very much a part of the experience when you dine at Doc’s on Harvard. On a Friday night, Bill exudes pride telling us about his father’s role as a member of the National Negro Golf Association’s Cleveland chapter and about his mother’s accomplishments as an Air Force captain and then at the Cleveland VA, where she worked with famed

comic book writer Harvey Pekar.

On a December night near the holidays, it’s quiet, with just a few other customers seated at the bar.

Since it’s been open, Kolnita says Doc’s on Harvard has run at about 25% capacity, steadily gaining traction. She and Bill sustained operations through private events and catering. At this point, it’s all about getting the word out — about their restaurant, and about everything else happening in Lee-Harvard, too.

“Our personal investment dollars are real, and we are putting in all of our efforts and our passion and our hearts to bring something beautiful to the neighborhood, because Lee-Harvard really will not look like this in two to three years,” Kolnita says. “I think we’re on the precipice of something great.”

Bill refills our water glasses and gestures to photos and documents that dot the walls, including, at the main entryway, a framed black-and-white portrait of his parents — the dapper young couple, dressed to the nines in a suit and a dress, smiling and stepping down a hallway at a dentistry conference at Miami's Fontainebleau hotel.

Meanwhile, Kolnita preps in the kitchen, making each dish from scratch, much like she first learned from her mother and grandmother all those years ago. She works a lifetime of flavors into the upscale menu, found particularly in the Nana’s Southern Fried Chicken entree, served with savory collard greens, rice, gravy and a honey corn muffin — Kolnita’s twist on some of her grandmother’s specialties.

At the tail end of our meal, we hear Kolnita in the kitchen, her voice muffled. “Hands!” Bill ducks in to pick up the final dish and brings it to the table, setting it down near a flickering candle.

Kolnita designed the banana bread crumble with vanilla bean ice cream and butterscotch caramel after a trip to Hawaii and a fateful banana bread sundae she tasted while there.

She named her take on the dessert “A Hui Hou.” Its translation — “until we meet again” — nods to both Trent and William, who were supposed to be on that trip and whose ashes, along with Bill's mother's ashes, were spread in a Polynesian ceremony on the shores of Maui.

“Until We Meet Again.” It’s sweet — soft and warm, with a little grit; there’s a delightful crunch baked into the edges of the bread. It’s the taste of an embrace, from a chef and a family, in a neighborhood of legacies, in a restaurant of legacies.

And it tastes like home.

HOW TO FIND

I sHould text my friends more

I’m so glad I decided to go out tonigHt!

He is interesting. He seems like a good guy. so... What’s wrong witH him?

LOVE FRIEND

that went well! rigHt? Maybe it didn’t...

Alone Again?

I’m so sick of dating apps

& SHIP

I haven’t called my grandparents in a while...

I am confident! I am strong! I got this! put the phone away!

FEB 2025 | PG 35

edited by Ron Ledgard

illustrated by Joseph McDermott

Why do we live in our heads?

For many of us, the most negative voice we hear on a daily basis is the one in our mind. It can short-circuit our day, relationships and lives. So how do we deal with that? Just about any research out there shows that having a circle of friends and relationships is the way out. We can’t navigate life on our own. Buddies can talk us into believing in ourselves. They can bring a sense of calm. They can be there when we need to go for a walk or to talk. One friend could turn into the love of our life, the person we want to share experiences with. So how do we find opportunities for friendship in Cleveland? We offer help. Each of the following stories can help you build a strong foundation for a better way forward — one where you don’t have to go it alone.

He hasn’t asked

a single

Finding Love, Faceto-Face

The City Social is changing the game and gets people into social settings to meet new people.

BY MAURA ZURICK

In an era dominated by swipes, likes and virtual chats, Natalie Bell, a 31-year-old nurse and dating and relationship coach from Cleveland, is on a mission to bring romance back to reality. Through her innovative platform, The City Social, Bell is helping singles rediscover the magic of face-to-face connections in an all toooften distant and isolating scene.

“I’ve always been passionate about helping others and, honestly, I just love love,” Bell says. “I noticed a recurring theme, not only in dating but also with my coaching clients: People were struggling to make meaningful connections in a modern world that felt increasingly disconnected. That’s how The City Social was born.”

Bell’s conviction in the value of organic, face-to-face interactions was reaffirmed when she met her partner at a rooftop pool last summer.

“Our story is a reminder that real-life connections are not only possible but can

tHe steak, I come to marble room all tHe time.

tonigHt!

be incredibly meaningful,” she says. “A simple hello turned into my biggest joy.”

Drawing from her own past challenges with dating and a desire to help others foster genuine connections, Bell envisioned The City Social as a solution to help singles meet in a more natural way.

“I saw how many singles were struggling to meet people organically and wanted to create a space where they could connect without the pressure or awkwardness that often comes with dating,” she says.

Although dating apps have revolutionized how people meet, they often fall short of fostering genuine connections. According to a 2023 study by Pew Research Center, online dating is particularly popular among younger adults, with 53% of those under 30 reporting they have used a dating site or app. This compares with 37% of those ages 30-49, 20% of those 50-64, and just 13% of those 65 and older. “Apps make meeting new people easier than ever,” Bell says, “but they’ve also created this illusion of ‘endless options,’ where people are always searching for the next best thing instead of nurturing something good right in front of them.”

For many singles, the biggest challenges in dating today include trust, communication and the pressure to present a “perfect” version of oneself.

Bell also points to the unique difficulties faced by different age groups. Younger singles often feel overwhelmed by the abundance of options, while older singles reentering the dating scene face vulnerability and the challenges of starting over.

From speed dating and yoga sessions to matchmaking dinner parties, The City Social offers a variety of events tailored to foster genuine connections.

“One of our favorites is a couple who met at one of our events and just bought a house together,” Bell shares. “Stories like theirs remind us why we do what we do.”

For those feeling discouraged by modern dating, Bell provides simple yet impactful advice.

“Be patient and give yourself grace. It’s OK to take breaks and reset when needed,” she says. “Stay genuine and respectful in your approach. Communication is key, even when it’s uncomfortable, and being vulnerable is what creates real connection.”

Most importantly: “Keep your heart open. It’s worth it.”

Social And Sober

How did you meet your significant other?

Alcohol is such a big part of Cleveland’s social scene that it can be challenging to figure out how to be, well, social without it. “It can feel awkward to try to make friends or just communicate in general,” says Shaunna Jacobs, who is nearly six years sober and works at Stella Maris drug and alcohol treatment center. “It’s about saying yes and being open-minded to new experiences.” For spirited meetups without the spirits, try these four Northeast Ohio options.

VERBENA FREE SPIRITED SHOPPE

Cleveland’s first nonalcoholic bar and cafe opened in 2023, giving new meaning to the term “dry martini.” “We want people to be included in celebrations no matter what they choose to drink,” says owner Molly Cheraso. It’s quickly become a go-to meetup spot for zero-proof cocktails, offering everything from mezcal to Manhattans at 0.5% ABV or less.

SOBERN JOURNEY

This Lakewood space calls itself “a wellness studio for sacred and sustainable sobriety,” geared toward women and nonbinary people who have at least 90 days of sobriety under their belts. Events range from sound baths and meditation groups to book club nights and wellnessfocused guest speakers. “We wanted to create a space that holds deep, meaningful connection,” says Jen Borovica, a social worker who founded the studio. 23% On an app

At a party or an event 27% Through friends or family

STELLA MARIS COFFEE SHOP

Cleveland’s oldest drug and alcohol treatment center runs a coffee shop open to the general public. With hours from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., it also serves as a safe space for people in recovery any time of day.

After leaving the wine industry, Katie Perdue started a unique nonalcoholic pop-up bar business to share her love of highend, booze-free brands. She hosts monthly mocktail mixology classes in Mentor, promising no-hangover fun that introduces nonalcoholic brands like Gruvi, Oddbird and A Mockery. “Less than half of my attendees are sober, and the rest are sobercurious,” Perdue says. “There are just so many different reasons that people don’t drink.”

NEKAWA SOBER CIRCLES

verbenafreespirited.com stellamariscleveland.com/coffee-shop instagram.com/sobernjourney nekawasobercircles.com

Under Pressure

A TikTok account helps socially anxious Northeast Ohioans feel comfortable getting out to explore new places.

BY ROBIN GOIST

Your heart beats out of your chest as you stare at your phone before making a call. Days before going to an event, you have racing thoughts about every detail. What should you wear? When should you arrive? How should you act? What should you eat?

You’re overcome by a sense of unease at the mere thought of networking events, public speaking or first dates.

This feeling is social anxiety. According to the National Institutes of Health, about 7% of U.S. adults are diagnosed with social anxiety disorder. But beyond the official diagnosis, the condition exists on a continuum and is experienced to some degree by virtually everyone.

The only folks who truly feel no heightened nerves for any social interaction, says Dr. Eileen Anderson of Case Western Reserve University’s School of Medicine, are people with narcissistic, antisocial or other personality disorders. That means that most of us struggle somewhat with putting ourselves out there in new social situations, which can negatively impact our ability to meet new people, make friends and find romantic partners.

Northeast Ohioans with social anxiety have flocked to the “Lay of the Land” social media account, which has amassed about 60,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram. Run by a selfproclaimed “socially anxious millennial,” Lay of the Land posts videos for people with anxiety visiting new places in Greater Cleveland, so they know what to expect before they arrive.

To learn more about how we can manage social anxiety, we spoke with the influencer behind Lay of the Land, Niki Farahmand, and with Anderson, who specializes in psychology and anthropology.

CLEVELAND MAGAZINE: What steps should people take to overcome social anxiety?

NIKI FARAHMAND: Practice makes better. Like, who would have thought going somewhere, going out multiple times, would make it easier? But unfortunately, it does. Making these videos has lessened my social anxiety significantly. So, I am helping others, but I’m also helping myself. But I would say, do research beforehand. If you have social anxiety, you know what makes you anxious in situations. It’s not a bad thing. It’s not embarrassing or shameful to look up where you’re going beforehand and to know all the details beforehand. Wanting to feel comfortable somewhere, wanting to feel included and calm and not anxious, those are not things to be embarrassed about. Just yesterday, I got a message from someone who said that my content makes them feel more comfortable and confident going on dates. And I get messages every day, but for some reason, that one warmed my heart, because confidence is key, and knowledge is confidence.

EILEEN ANDERSON: For some people, they will have something like a mantra that they say over and over to themselves to calm them down in a situation where they’re going to be doing something like meeting new people or meeting one new person. It depends from person to person what makes them feel calm, but a common one is, “I am safe. I am safe. I am safe.” Another thing that I know is talked about all the time but can seriously help with that physiologic calming are different kinds of breathing. Take a minute — because wherever you are, you’re breathing anyway — and focus on it. One trick, whether you need to give yourself a little pep talk or take a deep breath, is go to the bathroom. A lot of people with social anxiety, when they walk into a physical environment, they eyeball, where is the bathroom, right? You can go to the bathroom and have some privacy to either do some breathing to physiologically calm yourself down, or give yourself a pep talk. Another really good strategy is to have a buddy. It could be your best friend, it could be your sister, whoever it is, but a safe person. Having that person with you or just a text away can help.

is it too late to canCel?

What if i don’t know anyone? is my hair okay?

but my cat will miss me if i leave

Can i still bail?

CM: What are some options for people to explore social situations in a comfortable way?

NF: Cleveland coffee shops are some of my favorite spots in the city. They’re also my favorite coffee shops of any city I’ve lived in. The small business owners throughout Cleveland are not just welcoming and kind; they’re hard workers, and they do a lot to make sure that their businesses are welcoming to everyone: Clevelanders, people visiting Cleveland, all different types of communities. I feel very safe at coffee shops in Cleveland.

EA: One of the things that’s often recommended is volunteer experiences. You can kind of know what to predict: You have a clear role. But that kind of pro-social activity, knowing that you’re doing something that helps others, it totally stimulates the parts of your brain that can help soothe some of the anxiety that

What’s my opening line? ‘Howdy!’ ‘sup?’ tHat’s so dumb... i already miss my bed

wHat if no one tHere likes me?

How many local friends do you have?

i’ve never been to tHis place before, wHat if i don’t know wHere to go??? you just have to keep trying does everyone feel tHis way too

comes up. Some people will go on places like Eventbrite or Groupon, and there are all kinds of “Learn To” classes that people can go to, and then you don’t have to worry about an improvised interaction. I was just looking at a “Learn To Metalsmith” class, or “Introduction To Curling.” It’s a really good way to spend time with people, and you know what your role is.

CM: Any other pieces of advice?

NF: My advice would be to do the hard things. Seek out different places, because Cleveland has so much to offer. My friends joke that I make videos for people with social anxiety, but making those videos gives me social anxiety, which is so funny. But the more I make them, the less social anxiety I get. So, if I, the anxious millennial girlie behind Lay of the Land, can do all these things while also putting a camera in everyone’s face, then maybe you know you can do it, too.

EA: When you’re changing any habit or behavior, it’s really important to notice the little things we did well, and not kick ourselves for where we maybe backpedaled. Progress is not linear. It’s not like every time I go into a social situation, it’s just going to get better and better. It is oftentimes two steps forward, one back, and that’s OK. It’s important to know that as we’re working through any issue. So, giving yourself grace is one of the best things you can do.

25% Have 1-3 local friends

23% Have 4-6 local friends 15% Have 7-10 local friends 37% Have more than 10

FuCk this!

Nowhere To Turn for Men

With so many social challenges and expectations, male loneliness develops into a dangerous issue for society.

BY VINCE GUERRIERI

After graduating from high school in Youngstown in 2005, Josh Bartell found himself moving all over the country, first as a Marine, and then afterward in a variety of jobs, from baking (he appeared on the Food Network’s “Cupcake Wars”) to construction.

And it made him feel disconnected. “I started to build a shell around myself,” he says. “Friends had fallen by the wayside for me, and it has been lonely for me.”

Now established in Tremont — “This is the first place where I’ve been in a long time that I feel like it’s home,” he says — Bartell started Dudes of Cleveland, a group that has regular meetups throughout the area with the goal of bringing men together to forge authentic friendships.

“I started it for a selfish reason but also because I thought I can’t be the only one who feels this way,” he says.

He’s not. The pandemic was an isolating event for a lot of people, but it’s also laid bare the pronounced increase in loneliness for men in particular.

“It becomes a bigger conversation because loneliness can lead to depression,” says Beena Persaud, a psychologist with the Cleveland Clinic. “Eighty percent of suicides are by men. That’s very concerning.”

A 2024 survey by the Chamber of Commerce called Cleveland the fifth loneliest city in America and second loneliest city for men, as judged by housing data of people living alone. And a 2021 survey on friendship revealed that social circles have shrunk in general, but 15% of men — and more than a quarter of men under

How often do you consider yourself to be lonely?

48% Sometimes 14% Most of the time 38% Not at all

I wish I was still close with my friends.

Should I say ‘what’s up?’

the age of 30 — say they have no close friends at all. “A lot of it comes from how society talks about masculinity,” Persaud says. “Men are supposed to be stoic and strong. You’re not supposed to talk about these things, and if you do, it’s a sign of weakness.”

It’s not just a question of mental health either. Persaud says that friendships can actually keep your blood pressure lower, reduce the risk of heart problems and even keep Alzheimer’s at bay.

Persaud says men and women bond differently. It’s easier for women to connect emotionally, but men need activities to bond. Bartell found that was his own experience, so he tries to plan events that might center around activities, like a recent gathering at Hi & Dry in Tremont for duckpin bowling.

Dudes of Cleveland’s first meeting was in October, and it appears to be working. “Guys have already told me this is exactly what they needed,” he says.

“And the guys I meet help me,” he adds. “I’m in a better mood. I’m smiling more.”

A Little Bit of Love Goes A Long Way

Jacob Cramer channeled what started as a hobby into an organization that provides letters to elders.

BY JADEN STAMBOLIA

People and children cope differently after life-changing events. There is no right way. Some stick to themselves. Others seek connections and look to help others. That is what Jacob Cramer did when he was 10 years old after his grandfather passed away. He volunteered at his local senior community in Beachwood. First, he became a friend to many of the residents during bingo games. His biggest impact, Love for Our Elders, would start there.

“It was so much fun. I loved having a microphone,” Cramer says. “I loved the joy that they all omitted, and I wanted to get to know them more.”

Cramer continued to develop those friendships. He found out that one of his friends had not heard from their niece in months, which gave him an idea — one that would lead to thousands of people getting love and attention worldwide.

“I was like, ‘Gosh, I can write a letter to my friend.’ I did. I surprised her with a letter, and it made her smile. I actually sent a lot of letters during that time to the senior community I was at,” Cramer says. “I was like, ‘I’m going to make a big impact.’ So I sent them to Lemon Grove Senior Center in Lemon Grove, California — and for no particular reason. I just did.”

That impact was smiles. Love for Our Elders is an organization that sends handwritten letters to elders in 27 countries to fight social isolation. Since 2013, more than 750,000 letters have been sent. Now, Cramer is encouraging the next generation of children to learn how to write letters through his book Grandma’s Letter Exchange.

“I remember the first letter that I wrote, and it’s funny,” Cramer says. “I printed off a picture of a heart, glued it to some colored construction paper, and called it a letter. I wrote you’re awesome on the front. It’s wild that it went from that to what it is now.”

My mom, Virginia, received a bundle a short time before our home was destroyed by Hurricane Ida. We never forgot y’all, and until recently, while cleaning her closet, I had no idea that when I was tearing around the house barking orders for everyone to pack what was only necessary! I had seen her reading cards and letters, but I just assumed they were some from the last couple of years - not 2020-2021! That she had included her cards and letters from your project in her belongings!! They mean that much to her! The joy she gets from reading and rereading those letters and cards just thrills my soul. Never have I seen such a project that truly gives hope and changes lives of a population who is overlooked so much. Thank you for letting my mama know that there is love for her everywhere and that the world can be a good place. Although we are not home, these letters have given her a sense of stability and love. Thank you so much for helping her keep her life together and keep her very sanity. I love you all, and she does too. She has gotten letters from as far as Singapore, and still they come. I cry when I see the joy in her face and how these letters have helped her in this nightmare of what she has gone through with the turmoil of Hurricane Ida.

From, Carol Guidry

hi! is this your first time trying timeleft?

Dining Beyond the Comfort Zone

Timeleft brings six strangers together for dinner. Here’s what happened when I joined the table.

BY CHRISTINA RUFO

As I lied on my couch alone, scrolling through Instagram yet again, an ad popped up that caught my attention. It read “Don’t worry … It’s never too late. There’s always Timeleft.” As a single girl in her 20s, I’m always looking for an easier way to meet people, especially when the options can feel so limited.

At this point, I had nothing to lose. I clicked the link, downloaded the app and started to build my profile.

Timeleft is a social platform that is designed to offer safe, welcoming environments to meet new people in your area. I have seen other similar in-person social gatherings promoted online, but I always found it hard to determine the safety levels.

Loneliness has been a significant issue for people aged 20-30 in recent years, especially due to various factors like social media usage and the pandemic, as well as regular life transitions that take place after high school and college. A 2021 study conducted by Harvard University found that 61% of young adults aged 18-25 report experiencing “serious loneliness.”

This data reflects a growing need for in-person, meaningful interactions — which is exactly what services like Timeleft aim to provide, creating opportunities for connection in a digital, often disconnected world.

When I first signed up for my Timeleft dinner, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. The concept of meeting a group of strangers for dinner seemed like an adventure or a potential disaster. But the idea of sharing a meal with new people in a curated, low-pressure environment intrigued me, so I filled out the personality quiz, selected a Wednesday night and waited.

In some ways, this felt more daunting than a first date. I felt like it was 1 vs. 5. I paced around my room trying to get ready.

Have you made a new friend in the past three years?

82% Yes

18% No

I’m christina, nice to meet you!

I like that band, too!

Want to grab a nightcap in the flats?

that’s on my bucket list!

“What do I wear?” “What will they wear?” “Should I look professional or casual?” I was overwhelmed with the need to make a good impression.

I had no contact with anyone from this meetup before getting there. No names, descriptions or additional information is shared besides a vague list of fellow participants’ occupations, nationalities and zodiac signs.

To sign up for the dinner, I paid the $16 fee for my ticket. The dinner started at 7 p.m. There was no backing out now. I received the dinner location at 9 a.m. dayof: Agave & Rye in Downtown Cleveland.

As instructed by the app, I told the hostess what I was there for and was quickly led to my table. There were already two attendees sitting there, a boy and a girl. I slowly approached the table and was warmly invited in. “Are you here for the Timeleft dinner?” one asked. I said yes, took a seat in the booth and the night began. In the following minutes, all three other attendees joined us and the conversation took off.

Two participants stated that they had already attended a Timeleft dinner before and have continued signing up as a way to make friends and meet new people.

The app did a great job of matching me with a group of people who shared similar interests, though we were all from diverse backgrounds. As we sat down, we

this Was fun! Let’s start a group chat!

all shared that initial nervous energy, but within minutes, we were deep in conversation, talking about everything from travel and careers to cultural differences and personal hobbies. Some worked in finance and engineering, others in cybersecurity and information technologies. It was refreshing to get to talk with people outside my career field. I ended up being the youngest in attendance, with everyone’s ages ranging from early 20s to early 30s.

Timeleft offers games for conversation starters, but we didn’t even need them — the natural flow of our group made it unnecessary. There was never a lull in conversation and not a phone in sight. I was surprised at everyone’s willingness to chat, something not typically experienced in regular social outings.

After dinner, we got an invitation to join the “after party” at a nearby bar with other Timeleft groups, extending the night and deepening our conversations.

What struck me most was how Timeleft created a space for genuine human connection in an era where so much socializing happens online. There was no pressure for the night to be anything other than a group of people sharing a meal and some good conversation. But, in the process, it turned into something much more meaningful — a reminder of how powerful it can be to just sit down and talk with someone new.

At the end of the evening, we exchanged phone numbers. The app also asks you to complete an exit survey, giving a thumps-up or a thumbs-down to each individual in your group. This allows you to connect with each other through the messaging systems in the app, if you aren’t comfortable giving out your personal number. Everyone in my group got a thumbs up, and we have since met three other times for dinner after that fateful first evening. On occasion I meet up with one or two of my group members on a night out.

Timeleft turned out to be more than just a fun experience — it felt like a true antidote to the fast-paced, often impersonal world of modern social interaction.

the cavs are on fire

Feeling Ready To Mingle?

Discover the best local groups for meeting new friends and singles in the Cleveland area.

BY CHRISTINA RUFO AND LAINEY NOVAK

Is Cleveland a friendly city?

88% Yes 12% No

SHE’S COMPANY

Launched in 2022 by Rebecca Maxwell, She’s Company is a women’s community initially designed to create a “safe space” for trying fitness classes and making connections. What began as small gatherings in Maxwell’s apartment has grown into popular themed events like color parties and vision board workshops, offering unique perks like free cocktails or crafting supplies. Instead of a membership model, attendees simply purchase tickets for events they want to join. The success of She’s Company has even inspired a men’s group, Dudes of Cleveland, which Maxwell supports. Through Instagram, group chats and co-ed events, She’s Company continues to foster meaningful connections. “Everyone needs people,” says Maxwell. instagram.com/shes.company

RUN WITH THE WINNERS

Run With The Winners is a Cleveland-based running club founded in 2014 by DJ Steph Floss, bringing together runners of all levels in a fun and supportive community. With weekly runs every Tuesday evening and Saturday morning at rotating locations across Greater Cleveland, it’s the perfect way to stay active and connect with others. The club also participates in races and events, from 5Ks to marathons, promoting a healthy and energized lifestyle. With chapters in cities like Toronto, Los Angeles and Miami, Run With The Winners fosters a broader network of runners who inspire and motivate one another. All you need to do is register for a run online and show up. runwiththewinnersrunclub.com

20/30 CLUB

The Cleveland Professional 20/30 Club is Northeast Ohio’s largest young professional organization, welcoming individuals ages 21 to 45. With a vibrant mix of social, networking, philanthropic and educational opportunities, the club hosts more than 100 events annually, including Around Town Happy Hours, weekly networking breakfasts and volunteer initiatives. Members can also participate in unique programs like “Welcome to Cleveland,” designed to help newcomers discover the city and forge connections. The club is dedicated to creating opportunities for personal and professional growth in a dynamic environment. Membership options include a free social membership or a paid professional membership with exclusive perks. Whether you’re looking to expand your network, give back or meet new friends, the Cleveland 20/30 Club is the perfect place to connect, thrive and make a difference. cleveland2030.org

CLEVELAND SOCIAL CLUB

Making new girlfriends as an adult can be hard; Cleveland Social is here to help. Cleveland Social Club is a welcoming community for women in their 20s and 30s looking to make connections and explore the city together. This vibrant group organizes a variety of low-pressure events and activities, such as vision board crafting, pamper parties and clothing swaps. Whether you’re new to Cleveland or just looking to expand your social circle, Cleveland Social Club offers a supportive and fun way to build friendships and discover all the city has to offer with dining outings and unique local experiences. instagram.com/cle_social

LGBT COMMUNITY CENTER

Located in Gordon Square, the Center is a hub for connection, support and advocacy. Offering mental health services, health resources and diverse programming for all ages, the Center provides affirming spaces like Rainbow Pioneers for older adults and The Queer Youth Initiative for ages 11 to 19, which fosters self-expression and community involvement. Events like Queer Prom and Pride in the CLE facilitate inclusivity and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. lgbtcleveland.org

NETWORKING IS DEAD

This unique Cleveland-based group unites Grateful Dead fans through shared interests and professional opportunities. Since 2016, the group has hosted events featuring local jam bands, nonprofit fundraisers and social gatherings that foster both friendships and business relationships. Membership is free, and participants can join an online directory to stay connected. With a focus on community and kindness, this group is the perfect way to build meaningful relationships while celebrating a love for music and good vibes. networkingisdead.net

CLE GALS BOOK CLUB

This group is a welcoming community for women who share a love for reading and connection. Founded in 2023, the group gathers monthly at local spots like The Elliot’s Rosehip Room for book discussions, silent reading nights, book swaps and themed events. Perfect for making friends, exploring the city and rekindling a passion for books, it’s open to readers of all levels who want to dive into engaging conversations and share their love for literature. instagram.com/ clegalsbookclub

FOREST CITY SHUFFLEBOARD

Need a mid-week activity to get you through those work days? Forest City Shuffleboard on Lorain Avenue in in West Cleveland is the ultimate spot for fun and connection. The league meets up on Tuesdays for court and tabletop shuffleboard games. No prior experience is required to sign up your group and start shuffleboarding. Whether you’re joining a league, attending a tournament or just enjoying casual play, the welcoming atmosphere makes it easy to strike up conversations and make friends. forestcityshuffleboardarenaandbar.toast.site

BETTER OFF BOWLING

Knock down some pins and make some new friends. Better Off Bowling is a social league perfect for young professionals, students and anyone looking to have fun. Open to all skill levels, you can join solo, with friends or as a full team. If you sign up alone, they’ll match you with like-minded teammates. Leagues run seasonally, featuring relaxed, non-competitive games and exciting theme nights. The fun doesn’t stop at the lanes; postgame socials at nearby bars make it easy to mingle and forge new friendships. Whether you’re new in town or just want a fresh way to connect, this group is your ticket to striking up fun and friendships. betteroffbowling.com

How often do you see your friends in person?

30% Every week 35% Every month 17% Every other month

18% A few times per year

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.

LEARN HOW AT

BELONGINGBEGINSWITHUS.ORG

Summer means musical theater for Ceci Whiteamire, 16, a junior at Lakewood High School who started exploring camps at Beck Center for the Arts when she was 6. After sampling ballet — “it was too regimented,” says her mom, Stacey — she checked out a “little folks” theater stint.

“Kids worked on speaking in public by reciting nursery rhymes and presenting to families,” she says.

Now a decade later and deep into stage performance, “she is totally immersed,” Whiteamire says.

Ceci was nominated for a Playhouse Square Dazzle Award that honors excellence in high school theater. “She is a Beck

Summer camps that center on a special interest allow kids to dive deep, explore and so much more.

loyalist,” her mom says, sharing that Ceci now dedicates summers to musical theater workshops and also teaches younger campers.

Spending summers discovering and delving into a special interest while there’s time can jumpstart progress, introduce career pathways and expose kids to experts. It can seed a passion or a “meh” — a valuable nothanks process of elimination that’s part of academic and social development.

“If you take dance every week, you still have studies, activities and family commitments,” says Ed Gallagher, Beck Center’s vice president of education. “Summer camps give kids a chance to laser focus on an art form and dig in for several days or several weeks at a time.”

The 50-some days of summer break for school-aged kids is an opportunity to ask, “What’s your pleasure?” (within reason), and allow students to try something brand

new or return to a favorite thing to do while there are fewer competing interests like homework and extracurriculars.

Dan Cohen says some boys and girls who sign up for the weeklong Guardians Youth Summer Camps, where ages range from 6 to 14 years old, are chasing Major League Baseball dreams. Others have never picked up a baseball bat, but they love to hang at the stadium’s Kids Clubhouse and cheer on their favorite players. No matter the camper, the goal is to build resilience.

“It’s all about coming back the next day, no matter what happens, and giving it your all,” says Cohen, associate director of the camp. He sees the transformation campers experience when they dive into a week of everything baseball.

“It’s, like, six hours of gym a day, he adds. Resilience and sportsmanship bubble up from fun times on the field. Whiteamire has watched Ceci grow public speaking confidence and her younger daughter, Maggy, a dancer, gain the ability to “speak” on stage without words.

Importantly, kids find new friends who share an interest.

“We often overhear, ‘I found my people. I found my tribe,’” says Santina Protopapa, executive director of Creative Arts at Cuyahoga Community College, which holds the camp annually. “They become lifelong friends and sometimes future colleagues, gigging around town and teaching.”

The “woah” remark from a JazzFest Academy Summer Camp first-timer “is evidence that the model of our program and the work our instructors do has meaningful impact,” Protopapa adds. This year’s camp is June 16 to 28.

The 13-year-old was floored to perform on stage and see Herbie Hancock at Tri-C JazzFest, known for composing “Chameleon” and “Watermelon Man.” Eighty campers practice daily in ensembles, jazz bands and sectionals by instrument, also meeting JazzFest artists who fly in from all over to

Beck Center for the Arts

participate on Cleveland’s national stage.

“They’re learning and rehearsing in topof-the-line, sophisticated studios and collaboration spaces,” Protopapa says of the Gill and Tommy LiPuma Center for Creative Arts at the Tri-C Metro Campus.

Protopapa herself is a jazz vibraphonist and DJ who spins exclusively vinyl.

“Campers get to learn with master instructors who are all professional artists from our region,” she says. “They have access to high-quality, hands-on experiences, and an opportunity to work with peers who have similar passions.”

During thinkSTEM at think[box] at Case Western Reserve University, Angela Cain says kids ages 12 to 16 get to experience a college campus and meet students. During the two-week day camp, they focus on engineering, with field experiences such as visiting MAGNET to build and race model cars.

“They participate in various activities at think[box] like 3-D printing, button making and electrical engineering labs,” says

Cain, the university’s executive director of pre-collegiate programs. And following a parent-student orientation, families understand the public-access facility is also theirs to explore at think[box].

This summer is the camp’s second year, and following a survey, 70% said they were more interested in engineering after the two weeks. Twenty-five percent of respondents expressed the same level of interest; the few remaining related that this just wasn’t their thing. There’s value in that realization.

“Camps that hone skills in a specific area can validate whether a career field or activity is truly a passion, or it can confirm that it’s something they don’t really like,” Cain says.

"Improv is like life."

On the lake manning a pram sailboat or rowing the Cuyahoga River with a crew, kids who participate in camps run by The Foundry learn to “master the elements,” says Gina Trebilcock, executive director.

“You’re now dealing with Mother Nature on a whole other level,” she relates. “You have wind and waves, current and marine traffic; you have to read the water and adapt. You’re constantly assessing, so it heightens your awareness.”

Sailing and rowing are empowering sports, she adds. “You feel the weight of your decisions.”

The Foundry expanded its summer offerings for 2025, now reaching an even younger audience with Explore Sailing camps for rising third through fifth graders and Explore Pram Sailing for 5 to 7-year-olds (with a parent).

A range of camps for rowing in boats that seat up to eight accommodate middle-school campers and high schoolers, teaching tenchniques like sculling (one hand on two oars) and sweeping (two hands on one oar). The Foundry will also offer a high-performance invitational camp this summer to build skills for shoulder-season competitive rowing in the fall.

Lawrence School

Diving into a special interest camp offers takeaways that extend far beyond a specific sport or art form.

“We break down baseball and softball skills into many parts to work on ‘progression,’” Cohen says of a practice at the Guard-

ians camp that’s helpful with academics, too.

“It’s definitely a teaching environment, and it builds confidence,” Cohen adds. “We encourage kids to fail and put themselves out there — look silly. It’s all in the name of improvement.”

Campers’ favorite Guardians players also pop in to answer questions and share lessons they've learned from the team sport.

At CWRU’s National Youth Sports Program, the five-week experience combines sports, educational enrichment, nutrition, health and civic engagement through mentorship, Cain says. The 55-year-old legacy camp is a “safe oasis” and cements critical life skills.

When campers are focused on a passion — sports, the arts, STEM, nature — they collect a range of capabilities without necessarily realizing it. During improvisational theater camps at Beck Center, kids figure out “stated rules and nuanced rules,” including how to cohesively play off of other actors’ riffs on stage and engage an audience.

“Improv is like life,” Gallagher says.

Whiteamire has enjoyed a front-row seat to the ways theater and dance enrich life at school and in the community.

“Letting our girls find their own paths has been cool to experience,” she says, “and provided an outlet that builds confidence.”

Guardians Camp

TECH DETOX

Selfies, group chats and “snaps,” along with Instagram Reels, are how kids are documenting and sharing everyday life. But at many camps, a no-tech policy powers down what has become an innate form of communication.

Many parents feel disconnected, too.

Practice digital ‘separation’ to prevent no-electronics anxiety during camp.

But device-free time allows real-life face time for forming new friendships, engaging fully in activities and growing awareness of campers’ surroundings. “Our goal is to make sure our campers get the opportunity to detach from their mobile devices in the summer,” says Courtney Nicolai, executive director of Hiram House. While going cold turkey might be too

overwhelming for some kids, others will welcome the break.

“A lot of our older girls are thankful for the opportunity to disconnect,” says Beth Stokley, seasonal camp director at Girl Scouts of North East Ohio.

Here are some ways for both kids and their parents to prepare for a camp tech detox.

Set device-free times. “Start at home,” Nicolai says. Prior to camp, gradually carve out times when tech is not allowed, such as during meals, and stick to it.

Forget packing electronics. Think you’ll sneak a cell phone into your child’s bag “just in case?” “If we find a phone, we contact the parents to let them know we have the device and keep it in the director’s office,” Stokley says, adding that tracking apps on devices become “security blankets” for parents. If you trust the camp, you shouldn’t need a digital tether to your kid.

Commit to not calling. Phoning camp to speak to your child isn't helping anyone. “Most often, that leads to homesickness for the camper and wanting to be picked up,” Nicolai says, relating that parents certainly can call the camp office. “We ask that they do not ask to speak with their camper, but we are always happy to get a check-in from the counselor and report back to the parents.”

Summer Ruffing It!

Summer Camps

JUNE 16–JULY 25

Offering camps for 3-year-olds through rising 8th graders. For more information and to register, visit ruffingmontessori.net.

Camp Fitch

BANKING ON A CAMP EXPERIENCE

The value of summer camp is immeasurable but the cost can be a burden. Help is on the way.

You feel it at the grocery store. Then, it's the health insurance gut punch, housing creep and increase in pricing for stuff that is seemingly essential like Netflix or the rare night out.

The cost of summer camp, in general, is also going up, and the reasons make sense. It’s no different than inflation for food, clothing and shelter at home.

In response, some camps have expanded qualifications for financial relief and grants.

“We’ve seen over the last five or six years, there is a change in our lifestyles across the board, what people can and can’t afford,” says Courtney Nicolai, executive director at The Hiram House.

Many double-income families need help giving a camp experience to their children, she acknowledges.

“The cost of everything is increasing, and that includes the cost of summer camp,” Nicolai continues. “And there are families who are truly trying to figure out a way to make summer camp fit the budget.”

The Real Treasure

The value gained from summer camp experiences is often priceless.

“The camper who arrives on Sunday is never the same camper that goes home on Friday,” says Beth Stokley, seasonal camp director at Girl Scouts of North East Ohio. “Campers grow and learn about themselves, and there’s a sense of confidence. I often hear, ‘I learned to be me at camp.’”

Making kids better forever is the motto at Camp Fitch.

“We develop lifelong learners,” says Tom Parker, executive director and chaplain. “We have kids who learn to sail here and now sail competitively back home. We had a kid learn to rock climb who ended up being ranked nationally. We have kids who never thought about being a teacher, and they take what they learned here and make teaching their career.”

Camp Fitch tells families, “Cost will not be the reason why a child does not attend.”

“Value comes in many forms for campers and families,” says Andrea DiSalvo, director of Summer at Laurel. “Sometimes, camp is a fresh start where campers get to make a new first impression and meet new people. For others, stepping out of their comfort zone isn’t easy, but camp offers the opportunity to try new things while being encouraged and supported.”

“A valuable camp experience does not have to run the whole summer,” DiSalvo adds, relating that even a daylong program can expose a child to valuable experiences.

Paying Your Way

Asking for help might be the hardest thing to do for many families. Compassionate camp administrators listen for keywords and pick up on hesitation that is centered on footing the bill.

“There are many working families that are making ends meet and feel like they shouldn’t ask for assistance, so we listen to the conversation. And if we get the feeling a family needs help, we call back and say, ‘I might be out of line, but if you need assistance, we’re here to help,’” Nicolai says.

Sometimes, a bit of simple outreach completely changes a family’s summer plans.

“A healthy summer full of adventure is here, and how can we help with it?” Nicolai says to families.

Initially, Hiram House Camp’s campership fund was primarily for children from

low-income families, along with those in foster care, kinship arrangements or those who have experienced severe trauma. These kids still get the utmost financial attention.

“But we have broadened our reach,” Nicolai says of offering 20% to 80% scholarships. “We do not do a 100% scholarship because we want families to take ownership of sending their kids to camp.”

Last year, Camp Fitch awarded $229,000 in scholarships and accepted another $200,000 in funding from granting organizations that help pay for camps such as developmental disabilities boards, churches and county governments. “We just don’t say, ‘no,’” Parker says.

This is possible because of fundraising efforts such as its annual Polar Bear Plunge the first weekend of March. Last year, the camp raised more than $200,000 from campers ages 6 and older who make it a community project to collect pledges and jump in the lake. “They want to help other kids come to Camp Fitch,” Parker says.

Camp Fitch typically costs $945 for a week, and focused programs such as computer technology or equestrian camps edge up beyond this threshold, as do its adventure travel camps. The average scholarship is $700, Parker says.

With tiered pricing, some families choose to pay more than the camp fee to help scholarship other campers, Parker adds. Tier C is the base price, but Tier B costs $100 more; Tier A is $200 more. “Seventy percent of families pay more than the actual price, and we use those funds to help others,” he says.

Savings Strategies

Many summer programs offer “camperships” to defray the cost of camp. Some like Laurel are qualified education service providers with the Ohio Afterschool Child Enrichment Educational Savings Program.

Camp payment plans allow families to gradually pay fees. For example, Laurel offers a range of plans that spread payments out over several months.

“Over 50% of our families choose to pay camp fees monthly between January when they enroll and the month of May,” DiSalvo says of the payment plans.

The same option is possible at Hiram House, and even if a camp doesn’t provide a formal payment plan, asking never hurts, Nicolai points out.

Remember to ask about extras, too. Girl Scouts of North East Ohio offers grants to qualifying girls to cover expenses that go above and beyond program fees, and Camp Fitch partners with churches that have camp pantries with supplies like sleeping bags.

When comparing camp costs, find out exactly what’s included, DiSalvo advises.

“A less expensive camp may end up costing more in the long run if field trips, lunches or special events are not included in the initial cost,” she says.

Parker urges, “Have the conversation with camp,” relating that there are many ways to make an experience financially possible. “Kids need camp now more than ever.”

SUMMER CAMPS

Kids of all ages can experience top-tier teaching and coaching this summer at St. Edward. From technology to athletics and enrichment— there’s something for everyone! Sign up today: SEHS.net/camp

Go Red for Women is locally presented by

Go Red for Women is nationally sponsored by

The

No matter how complex your condition, we have the expertise to help.

As a woman, it’s important to see a specialist who is experienced in using the latest heart and vascular therapies, with the skill to customize treatment specifically for women. We understand this need and have a whole team here just for you. With national recognition for providing the best outcomes, you can feel confident in choosing University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute for your care.

Proud local presenting sponsor of

Health is

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) does not discriminate. It’s not a one-size-fits-all issue. It’s as diverse and complex as women themselves. Health is personal. Complicated. Often isolating. It’s more than numbers and tests, self-discipline or sacrifice — it’s about feelings, focus and balance. It’s about life. Yet one thing it’s not — is fair. Heart disease disproportionately impacts women, who have historically been left out of research, testing, treatment and funding. CVD remains the leading cause of death for women, claiming more lives than all forms of cancer combined.

It affects women in Cleveland every day — our mothers, sisters, daughters and friends. That’s why, since 1960, the American Heart Association has invested more than $118 million right here in our local hospitals and universities, fueling groundbreaking research and lifesaving innovations. This funding has supported advancements to better understand,

treat and prevent heart disease and stroke, with a mission to ensure that women in Cleveland have access to the care and resources they deserve.

As we embark on our second century, we’re doubling down on efforts to eliminate health inequities, break down barriers and create new opportunities to improve women’s health. We’ve championed lifesaving discoveries for women and by women, advocated for maternal health and prenatal care and focused on solutions that promote mental health and overall well-being.

With Bold Hearts and the support of the Greater Cleveland community, we are committed to empowering women to live longer, healthier lives — for themselves and for all those who depend on them.

Shelley Webber, CFRE Executive Director American Heart Association & American Stroke Association

Your Heart

Nearly half of women ages 20 and older are living with some form of cardiovascular disease, and many of us don’t even realize it. We experience unique life stages — like pregnancy, postpartum and menopause — that can increase the risk of developing heart disease over the course of our lives.

Yet, despite these risks, heart disease remains largely under-recognized among women. That’s why Go Red for Women is so important. It’s not just raising awareness; it’s changing the way we think about women’s heart health.

Women are juggling more than ever before, and often our health can take a backseat. Go Red is a reminder that we need to prioritize our health — not just for ourselves, but also for the women around us. Together, we create a community where no woman faces heart disease and stroke alone.

As this year’s Go Red for Women Chair, I’ve seen firsthand the incredible

impact that comes when women unite to motivate, educate and inspire each other. I’m deeply honored to lead this movement in Greater Cleveland and continue to address the gaps in heart disease awareness and care for women.

Go Red isn’t just a campaign — it’s a lifeline, providing women with the tools and knowledge to live healthier, longer lives. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support to fund critical research, raise awareness and save lives. Together, we can ensure that every woman knows her heart matters.

So, Cleveland, let’s Go Red and make a lasting impact — for the women of today and for generations to come.

Gabrielle Christman CEO Hunter International Recruiting 2025 Go

Red for Women Chair

We at University Hospitals

Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute Go Red for the mind, heart and body of all, because by delivering the highest quality of interdisciplinary care and treating the whole person, our patients can get back to the life they love with healthier bodies and peace of mind.”

— Mehdi Shishehbor, DO, MPH, PhD, President, University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute

Self Care is Not Selfish

Chronic and long-term stress can lead to serious health problems and increase your risk for heart disease and stroke.

• Stress may lead to unhealthy coping habits such as eating less healthy foods, being less likely to exercise or smoking — all lifestyle factors that can increase heart disease and stroke risk.

• Research suggests that women are more likely than men to experience symptoms of stress. They may also feel the symptoms more or, in general, get more symptoms than men.

Tips & Tricks to Reducing Stress

GET SOME ALONE TIME: It’s okay to take a breather when things get stressful.

TALK TO A FRIEND: A chat (or venting session) can help reduce stress.

SPEND TIME WITH PETS: They can help you manage activities and get you moving more.

IT’S OKAY TO SAY “NO”: Give yourself permission to set boundaries.

GET SOME FRESH AIR: Walking in nature can improve your mood or relieve anxiety.

UNPLUG TO RECHARGE : Take a break from social media, email and stressful headlines.

Know the Warning Signs

Heart attack and stroke are life-ordeath emergencies — every second counts. If you think you or someone you’re with has any symptoms of heart attack or stroke, call 911 immediately.

Heart Attack Warning Signs

Some heart attacks are sudden and intense, but most of them start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. Knowing the warning signs could save someone’s life. They include:

CHEST DISCOMFORT: Most heart attacks involve the discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing or pain.

SHORTNESS OF BREATH: This may occur with or without chest discomfort.

DISCOMFORT IN OTHER AREAS OF THE UPPER BODY: Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.

BREAKING OUT in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.

As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain.

Stroke Warning Signs

• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body

• Sudden confusion or trouble speaking or understanding

• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes

• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness or loss of balance or coordination

• Sudden, severe headache with no known cause

For a stroke, also note the time when the first symptom(s) appeared. A clot-busting drug received within three to four-and-a-half hours of the start of symptoms may improve your chances of getting better faster.

As a cardiologist, I know the heart is the ultimate driver of healthy outcomes. But as a mother and a professionally trained classical dancer, I know what those healthy outcomes allow me to do: enrich my life through my mind, heart and body. I Go Red because I want every woman to have the same opportunity to live a full, heart-healthy life.”

—

Meera Kondapaneni, MD, The MetroHealth System

Women tend to experience a wider range of heart attack symptoms than men. Some women also have unique risk factors for heart disease related to pregnancy or menopause. These things lead me to advise women to be proactive in regularly getting their heart health checked with a health care provider.”

— Leslie Cho, MD, Director of Cleveland Clinic’s Women’s Cardiovascular Center and Professor of Medicine

Get Active, Stay Active

Exercise is essential to living heart healthy. Why? Physical activity has numerous health benefits and is one of the most important things you can do to reduce the risk of disease. The addition of any amount of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity can also help improve your brain health, manage your weight and strengthen bones and muscles.

How Can You Get Started?

Choose the right kind of movement. Make it something you enjoy and can repeat easily. Many physical activities are good for you! Here are some tips:

START SMALL: Start with steppingstones, not boulders.

DON’T SET YOURSELF UP FOR FAILURE: Instead of a two-hour hike, take a 20-minute walk.

CHOOSE A CUE: We all need a reminder. A cue is anything that helps you remember your movement habit. Put your sneakers by the door or your hand weights near your computer — that’s a cue.

REINFORCE THE HABIT: Make it rewarding.

HAVE FUN WHILE YOU MOVE: Invite a friend, listen to music or treat yourself to a refreshing drink or healthy snack afterward.

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.

Let’s Go Red

ROW 1

Shelley Webber, CFRE American Heart Association

Marien Kaifesh, MBA Retired, Parker Hannifin Corporation

Lorraine Frankino-Dodero

The Sam J. Frankino Foundation

Denise McGee Bellwether Enterprise

Fred M DeGrandis Retired, Cleveland Clinic

Stacey Mazzurco, RN, BSN

University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute

Janine Arruda, MD

University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s

Gabrielle Christman

Hunter International Recruiting

Scott Christman

Hunter International Recruiting

Meera Kondapaneni, MD, FACC, FSCAI

The MetroHealth System

Tom Hablitzel

Retired, The Sherwin-Williams Company

Jan Hablitzel Community Advocate

Dr. Barbara J. Harris

Dr. Barbara J. Harris Foundation

Niki Schaefer

ReliabilityFirst

ROW 2

James Higbie Avon Lake High School

Megan Kinder, M.Ed, LSW Kingston of Vermillion

Sandra Daher

Aladdin’s Eatery

Tina Chamoun

Terranean Spices, Spreads, & Snacks

Chloe Christman Hathaway Brown

Gotschall Solon Middle School

Lily Apelt

Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin School

Karina Krishnan Beachwood High School

Francesca Siracusa Community Advocate

Anthony Siracusa STERIS

Karlee Hoffman, DO, FACC

Cleveland Clinic

Sage Ingraham Bay High School

Kathleen Mekesa

The Huntington National Bank

Karen Woller

The Huntington National Bank

Tricia Conn

Cleveland Cavaliers

Julie Krebs

Virtual Brand Advisors

India Makayla Woodson Baldwin Wallace University

ROW 3

Amy Sabath Sabath Consulting

Christina Treu

American Heart Association

Jan Jones Community Advocate

Kristie Damalas Trisource Exhibits

Monica Robins WKYC-TV

Toni Hadad Toni in Style

Amy Kovalsky, APRN-CNP

University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute

Geetha Mohan, MD

University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute

Mary Beth Schneider Community Advocate

Jaime Sussel Kravitz The Energy Producer Entertainment

Dr. Andrea Kaifesh, ParmD, RPh Costco Pharmacy

Molly Palmer

American Heart Association

Anneliese Coleman

Cleveland Metropolitan School District & Bike Cleveland

Susan Skalba, PT, DPT

University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute

Lindsay Domingo Swagelok

Kristien Zorob

Parker Hannifin Corporation

Morgan Weiss

Parker Hannifin Corporation

Julie Gotschall

American Heart Association

Jenna Perpar Swagelok

Addison

ROW 4

Nicholas Vezmar Midwest Industrial Engineering and Consulting

Sonya Vezmar American Heart Association

Diane Gorbey, MSN, MBA

University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute

Cathy O’Malley Kearney Key Private Bank

Valerie Hillow Gates American Heart Association

K. Kelly Hancock, DNP, RN, NE-BC, FAAN Cleveland Clinic

Shannon Pengel, MSN, RN, NE-BC Cleveland Clinic

Rosslyn VanDenBossche, RN, MBA, NE-BC Cleveland Clinic

Ellen Sabik, MD

University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute

Joseph Sabik, III, MD University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute

Jessica Kaifesh National General Insurance

Chinenye Nkemere Enlightened Solutions

Shirley Stineman Howard Hanna Real Estate Services

Erika Roth The NRP Group LLC

Sam Prewitt Urban One

Nicole Ward Make Them Know Your Name Foundation

Makenzie Morgan American Heart Association

ROW 5

Theresa Kearns, BSN, MBA University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute

Alberta Lee, SPHR Cleveland Cavaliers

Alexandra Mills-Aoun, MBA

University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute

Lori Rusterholtz, MD

University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute

Tracy Carloss News5 Cleveland WEWS TV

Lindsay Buckingham WKYC

Monique Robinson, MD, PhD

University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute

Amy Pyke

Elucid

Rackael Ekey The Markey Group

Kristine Cerny The Huntington National Bank

Krysta M. Dodd Applied Industrial Technologies

Julie Kho

Applied Industrial Technologies

Natalina Dziubek

Microsoft

Jennifer Baus, P.E., LEED AP The NRP Group LLC

Mackenzie Makepeace DiGernimo Companies

ROW 6

Tiffany Myroniak Cleveland Magazine

Lori Hammer, BSN, RN-BC

University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute

Lisa Ryan, MBA, CSP Gratey

Cyndie Lowry, BSN, MBA

University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute

Tiffani Tucker WOIO Channel 19 News

Catherine Allan, MD Cleveland Clinic

Jacquie Chakirelis Cleveland Magazine

Judy Moran City of Eastlake

John Fitts Retired, Progressive Insurance

Jan Fitts Community Advocate

Saneka Chakravarty, MD

University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute

Charles Modlin, MD, MBA The MetroHealth System

Samantha Benedict Moen

Sarah Meyer The Timken Company

Taking for Tomorrow

The American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women movement and Lorraine Dodero of The Sam J. Frankino Foundation developed the Cleveland STEM Goes Red for Girls Scholarship in 2019 with the goal of engaging more local women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). This program draws from the association’s strong legacy of science, education and discovery to help propel young women into rewarding STEM careers.

Today’s economy and tomorrow’s wellbeing depend on innovations STEM, but a troubling gap exists when it comes to women in STEM occupations. The number of women entering STEM careers is increasing, but the retention of women in STEM sees a significant drop even one

Why it

year after graduation. Women account for only around 29% of entry-level STEM workers, and that number drops even further to around 18% for vice president roles and 12% for C-suite.

At the 2024 event, over 300 attendees gained firsthand experience, connected with inspiring professionals and learned about an entire new world that STEM revealed — one in which they could love what they do and make a huge impact.

Thanks to the generosity of Dodero and The Sam J. Frankino Foundation, the American Heart Association doubled the number of $5,000 scholarships awarded for the 2024 cycle, from six to 12. The decision to increase the

When I was younger, there wasn’t anything like STEM Goes Red. I didn’t have the chance to explore careers in STEM, see women thriving in these careers or have the confidence and courage to believe any career was possible. That’s why it’s so important to create opportunities like this for young girls today. Diversity in STEM is the cornerstone of innovation — and we need their voices, talents and ideas to shape a brighter future.”

– Jenna Perpar, Swagelok, 2024 STEM Goes Red Chair

number of scholarships was born from a dedication to creating pathways for success and breaking down barriers in traditionally underrepresented areas of study.

To date, nearly 1,500 girls from all over Greater Cleveland have participated in STEM Goes Red. All at no cost to them or their schools, and it’s thanks to the generosity of the American Heart Association’s funders.

Did Know?

Of 100 female students working toward a bachelor’s degree, only three will work in a STEM job 10 years after graduation.

*Scan the QR code to learn more about STEM Goes Red

My goal has always been to understand and improve the world around me.”

Elizabeth Calvis Berea-Midpark High School

Omayris Delmar Montes John Marshall School of Engineering

Amy Ingraham Bay High School

Helena Duffy Cleveland Heights High School

— Amy Ingraham

In the next 10 years, I believe women will no longer be in the minority in the engineering field.” – Kaylee Synk

In addition to my passion and intrigue for sciences and how substances are creaked and broken down, I began to ponder another concern that was literally close to my heart, which was my mother being diagnosed with congestive heart failure due to complications during child birth (post myocardiopathy).” – India Makayla Woodson

When people work together, anything is possible. That’s why we support or ganizations that improve the lives of our neighbors. We’re lucky to have the A merican Heart Association to advance the health and well-being of all of us.

KeyBank is proud to support Go Red For Women 2025 and all the innovative work you do to make a difference in our community. Visit www.key.com/kpb

Key Private Bank is the marketing name through which KeyBank National Association (KeyBank) provides a range of financial products and solutions.

Samantha Stutler Gilmour Academy

Kaylee Synk Saint Joseph Academy

Kayley Thompson Avon High School

India Makayla Woodson Bedford High School

Karina Krishnan Beachwood High School

Audrey Malcuit Padua Franciscan High School

Angela Mills-Gilson East Technical High School

Julia Morgan Gilmour Academy

10 DAYS TO SHOP AND SAVE DOORWAY TO SPRING & GARDEN SHOWCASE

1,000+ EXPERTS

SCAN HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 475+ EXHIBITORS

JAN. 31 –FEB. 9, 2025

Great shingles don’t make a great roofing job. Great workmanship does. Campo Roof. Better quality. Better value. (Better find out more before you choose your roofer.) That’s the Campo Roof difference. That’s the Campo Roof Experience.

Highest quality GAF materials. Our in-depth inspection process. Full-time, fully trained crews.

Uncontested value.

The first Ohio roofing company qualified to install GAF Solar Shingles.

Still family owned, with 45 years of business leadership right here in NE Ohio. (Shall we go on?)

THANK YOU

MEDIA SPONSORS AND PROMOTIONAL PARTNERS

Produced by

Welcome

TO THE

GREAT BIG HOME + GARDEN SHOW!

Get ready to renew, refresh and restore your home with more than 475 exhibits to explore and over 1,000 experts available to answer your questions. Before you head to the show floor, take a minute to map out your visit to ensure you don’t miss a thing. Whether you start with the Doorway to Spring front porch vignettes or head to the Waverly Home by JDM Homes and Weaver Barns Backyard Oasis to get inspiration for your next home project, there is something for everyone!

SHOW DATES AND TIMES:

FRIDAY-SATURDAY

JAN. 31-FEB. 1, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.

SUNDAY

FEB. 2, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

MONDAY-THURSDAY

FEB. 3-6, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY

FEB. 7-8, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.

SUNDAY

FEB. 9, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

THEME DAYS HERO DAYS

Friday, Jan. 31 and Friday, Feb. 7

SHOW LOCATION:

SCAN HERE FOR DIRECTIONS:

Coat Check: A coat check is conveniently located near the east entrance box office for a donation. All proceeds benefit the Prayers from Maria Foundation.

TICKET INFORMATION:

$15 Box Office (Adult Admission)

$13 Online at GREATBIGHOMEANDGARDEN.COM (Adult Admission)

$11 Seniors 65+ with ID (MondayThursday only, tickets must be purchased at show box office)

$10 Group Tickets (Minimum 20)

$5 Children ages 6-12 years

FREE Children 5 and under

$12 Parking

“GUIDE”promoUsecodeonlineto receive $4 off. Discount tickets are available at Discount Drug Martlocations.

Note: The Great Big Home + Garden Show benefits in no way from any parking fee collected by the I-X Center.

Help send a deserving local student to the college of their choice for four years by supporting the Jimmy Malone Scholarship Fund of the Cleveland Scholarship Program. When purchasing tickets online, visitors to the site will have the opportunity to donate to this deserving charity. For more information on the charity, visit jimmymalone.com or call 216-241-5587.

Prayers from Maria Foundation

The Prayers from Maria Foundation is dedicated to honoring childhood cancer patients with the attention they rightfully deserve by reversing the tragic lack of funding and advancing the most promising children’s brain cancer research. For more information on the charity, visit prayersfrommaria.org or call 216-727-3511.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR CHARITABLE PARTNERS

SHOW FEATURES

The Waverly Home from JDM Homes

Weaver Barns Backyard Oasis

Xtend Technologies

Theater Barn

DON’T MISS

KIDS WORLD PLAY SYSTEMS & HARTVILLE GOLF CARTS

Let your kids have some fun playing on the Kids World Play Systems swing sets! Located at booth #F2, Kids World Play Systems aims to be America’s No. 1 choice for outdoor swing sets. Almost all their items come assembled and feature only the highest-quality galvanized, stainless steel or plated hardware. kidsworldplay.com While checking out the swing sets, you can also see Hartville Golf Carts for sale. hartvillegolfcarts.com

MAIN STAGE APPEARANCES

FLOWERS, FLOWERS, FLOWERS #SELFIESTATION

Located in the Garden Showcase

Open the door to spring as you pose in front of the Flowers, Flowers, Flowers #SelfieStation located at the entrance of the show. Masterfully created out of flowers and incorporating fun design elements, including umbrellas and doors, the display is designed by Jeremy Rettger AIFD from Segelin’s Florists & Gifts (segelinsflowers.com) and Jennifer from Studio Floral (studiofloral.com).

Tag us in your photos on Instagram: @ohiohomeshows

2025 STUDENT MODEL HOME DESIGN CONTEST

Visit booth #1918 to see the works of the top 10 finalists of the Student Model Home Design Contest featuring the theme “The Great Big Startup Home.” Participants are students in grades 9-12 who are taking classes in engineering, architecture, design and building trades at schools across Northeast Ohio.

Dave and Jenny Marrs of HGTV’s Fixer to Fabulous Appearance sponsored by Absolute Roofing & Construction Inc. APPEARING ON STAGE SATURDAY, FEB. 8 AT 3 P.M. AND SUNDAY, FEB. 9 AT 1 P.M.

Dave and Jenny Marrs are a husband-and-wife duo who turn fixer uppers into fabulous homes. They even have their own show called Fixer to Fabulous on HGTV. They focus on restoring historic homes in their neighborhood of Bentonville, Arkansas. Together, they have completed approximately 300 custom new homes and run Marrs Developing, a company that specializes in the renovation and restoration of historic homes in the Northwest Arkansas area. Dave does all the heavy lifting and Jenny does the design. They face many challenges, but there is nothing this duo can’t handle. Jenny is the creative backbone of the renovations and specializes in designing spaces that are welcoming and inviting. She believes a home is a reflection of the family who lives there, and sometimes, the most beautiful spaces are imperfect and full of character. Dave is an expert craftsman, builder, general contractor and all-around handyman. His knowledge of restoring old homes is unrivaled, and his passion for bringing out the charm of historic homes is contagious.

Jenny and Dave have five kids: twin boys (Nathan and Ben), two daughters (Sylvie, who was adopted from the Congo, and Charlotte), and another son (Luke), all of whom are growing up at the speed of light. Things tend to come in twos for the Marrs family. First, it was twins, and then around the same time their third child was born, they adopted a 2.5-year-old. They now live on a blueberry farm in Arkansas and donate the proceeds to nonprofit work in Zimbabwe, where they have an agricultural training program, training orphaned teens who need help developing life skills.

Matt Fox

A show favorite, Matt Fox returns as this year’s Main Stage emcee where he will delight show visitors with his quick wit, home improvement knowledge and special educational presentations. Fox is best known for creating and co-hosting the first and longest-running show to air on HGTV, Room by Room, as well as for hosting and producing the public television series Around the House with Matt and Shari. Learn more from his website, mattandshari.com.

With over 30 years of experience building custom outdoor living spaces, you can be sure the team at Klassic Custom Decks can provide an outstanding experience every step of the way. From the latest in design trends and structures, to our unwavering commitment to outstanding craftsmanship and service, Klassic makes the deck-building process enjoyable from the very first conversation. Stop by and see our new ideas and additions for 2025!

GARDEN FEATURES

Doorway to Spring Sponsored by Berlin Gardens

FIND IDEAS TO ADD TO THE CURB APPEAL of your home’s front entrance when you step into the Doorway to Spring, featuring ProVia Doors and vignettes designed by nine local designers.

DOORWAY TO SPRING VIGNETTES CREATED BY:

Mulberry Creek Herb Farm Huron, 419-433-6126, mulberrycreek.com

Mulberry Creek has been offering certified organic plants since 1996. Over 1,000 varieties of herb, vegetable, miniature perennial, pollinator and succulent plants are offered each spring, along with bonsai specimens, organic garden solutions, events and plenty of advice. In 2024, Mulberry Creek opened a wine-tasting room, offering wine by the sample, glass and bottle, year-round.

Essentials Garden & Outdoor Living Fairlawn, 330-283-9522, shopessentialsliving.com

Step into a world of outdoor elegance at Essentials Garden & Outdoor Living. We offer an exquisite selection of custom furniture, including summer classics, planters and must-have garden accessories, along with unique indoor and outdoor gifts. Whether you’re hosting a summer soirée or enjoying quiet mornings under the sun, our team is here to help you create the outdoor

oasis of your dreams. Contact us today to schedule your consultation and bring your outdoor vision to life.

Array Design Studio

Cleveland, 440-759-9094, lauramineff.com

Array Design Studio offers more than 20 years of experience in lifestyle consultation, building and designing concepts for individuals and commercial projects. Through the Universal Design Method created by Laura Mineff, design goes beyond functionality. It invites a sense of enjoyment into your home, work and social environments.

Klassic Custom Decks

Brunswick, 330-468-3476, klassicdecks.com

The Klassic Custom Deck Doorway to Spring boasts a rustic, cozy, casual design featuring the latest outdoor structures and accessories. Perfect for making the outdoors yours.

Timan Custom Window Treatments

Cleveland, 216-741-8285, timanandco.com

At Timan & Co., we design and deliver bespoke solutions for light control, privacy and outdoor living, transforming indoor and outdoor spaces into comfortable, functional and beautiful areas to enjoy. When you control the light, you control the atmosphere, and with it, the comfort and security you deserve. Visit timanandco.com to begin.

Architectural Justice

Medina, 330-225-6000, architecturaljustice.com

For 39 years, Architectural Justice has been transforming interiors across Northeast Ohio with full-service design, project management and installation. From cabinetry and countertops to stone and metal fabrication, we bring artisan craftsmanship to every project.

Pandy’s Garden Center

Elyria, 440-324-4314, pandysgardencenter.com

Unwind in your own serene retreat with a tranquil backyard patio surrounded by lush hydrangeas and vibrant, spring flowers. This peaceful haven is designed to melt away the stress of the day, offering a quiet escape where beauty and relaxation meet.

The Plant Shop

Lorain, 440-219-1161

The Plant Shop is a women-owned business specializing in houseplants and tropicals, located in the heart of Downtown Lorain. Being a procurer of specialty plants, The Plant Shop team members pride themselves on being able to find the perfect plant for anybody and any space. With 20 years of experience, they can help you with any questions or problems that may come your way. Offering a wide variety of services such as classes, repotting, custom arrangements, rentals and favors, The Plant Shop is truly a one-stop shop. Having a large selection of easy-to-carefor plants and accessories, it’s the perfect place to stop by and find your next plant.

Weidner Creative

Serving the West Side of Cleveland, 440-662-3688, weidner-creative.com

Weidner Creative is a family business that is entering its next generation of quality and creativity. Originating from a simple start, growing into an award-winning, nationally recognized company, Weidner Creative has re-entered the Northeast Ohio Outdoor Living, Design + Build industry with fresh perspective and energy.

Garden Showcase

Maple

Ridge Nursery and Garden Center

Concord, 440-354-1525, mapleridgegarden.com

Year-round, Maple Ridge Garden Center in Lake County offers a great selection of hardy landscape plants, bonsai supplies, Japanese maple trees and dwarf conifers for local gardeners.

Ezra’s Lagoons

Fairlawn/Copley, 440-732-1723, ezraslagoons.com

Elevate your outdoor living experience with Ezra’s Lagoons. Whether you envision a luxurious in-ground swimming pool, a tranquil saltwater lagoon or a stunning waterfall, Ezra’s has you covered. The team’s expertise extends to crafting top-notch outdoor kitchens, cozy chimneys, elegant pavilions and durable stamped concrete patios. With nearly 35 years of unparalleled experience, Ezra’s Lagoons transforms your dreams into a breathtaking reality. A commitment to excellence ensures Ezra’s meets all your construction needs, both exterior and interior. Discover the magic of Ezra’s Lagoons at the Home and Garden Show and start building your dream oasis today.

Ohio Landscape Association

Broadview Heights, ohiolandscapers.org

OLA is a nonprofit trade association for landscape contractors and their suppliers, with members from across the state. Visit OLA’s website for landscape tips or to find a landscape professional in your area.

ADDITIONAL GARDEN FEATURES

MULBERRY CREEK HERB FARM

Huron, 419-433-6126, mulberrycreek.com

In need of some new plants to spruce up your home this spring? Stop by Mulberry Creek Herb Farm in the Garden Showcase for a wide variety of houseplants, succulents, microhouseplants and bonsai plants. Pottery is also available for purchase.

YOUR GARDEN SPECIALIST

yourgardenspecialist.com

Your Garden Specialist specializes in topquality bulbs. Stop by to purchase premiumquality, Dutch bulbs, lilies and bareroot perennials. Each one is grown and shipped directly from farms in the Netherlands, making a great addition to any garden.

CARVINGS BY CHRIS

Madison, 440-567-6290

After 34 years fabricating and carving natural stone, Chris is applying his experience to a new medium with new tools — logs and a big ol’ chainsaw. Come watch as Chris creates an extraordinary piece of art during his live demonstrations.

PANDY’S GARDEN CENTER

Elyria, 440-324-4314, pandysgardencenter.com

Step into our booth and discover a plant lover’s paradise. From unique and rare plants to stunning hanging baskets, quirky personality pots and a treasure trove of seeds, we’ve got everything you need to green up your space. Family-owned since 1961, we proudly grow our own plants on 14 acres and have been voted Best Garden Center three years in a row (2022, 2023 and 2024). With unbeatable prices and an unbeatable selection of trees, shrubs and indoor gems, we guarantee you’ll leave inspired. Stop by and take a little magic home today.

THE PLANT SHOP LLC

Lorain, 440-219-1161

The Plant Shop is a women-owned business specializing in houseplants and tropicals, located in the heart of Downtown Lorain. Being a procurer of specialty plants, The Plant Shop team members pride themselves on being able to find the perfect plant for anybody and any space. With 20 years of experience, they can help you with any questions or problems that may come your way. Offering a wide variety of services such as classes, repotting, custom arrangements, rentals and favors, The Plant Shop is truly a one-stop shop. Having a large selection of easy-to-care-for plants and accessories, it’s the perfect place to stop by and find your next plant.

INSTALLATIONS YEAR ROUND

THE MAIN STAGE

Levin Furniture Pennsylvania and Ohio, 844-600-1795, levinfurniture.com

Levin Furniture & Mattress has been furnishing homes in our region for over 100 years. With 24 locations across Western and Central Pennsylvania, as well as Northeast Ohio, Levin is proud to have the area’s largest selection of furniture and mattresses. Find a location near you, or shop online at levinfurniture.com.

EXHIBITOR LIST 2025

KEY

Exhibitor

BBB Accredited Business* New Exhibitors

Sponsors & Partners

1st Choice Roofing Co.* 3014

100% Grassfed Cheese 1433

216 Painting 2328

3rd Generation Home Improvements* 655

5 Star Exteriors* 1704

518 Farms 3120

A Glass Block Vision* 606

A Spice Above 1734

A. Yoder Roofing 2308

Absolute Roofing and Construction Inc.* 1146

Absolutely Custom Closets and Home Solutions ..... 757

Accent Design ......................................................... 942

Acme Fence* .........................................................2802

Advanced Painting .................................................. 739

Alair Homes Solon 659

All American Gutter Protection* 2338, 430

All Basement Windows* 740

All Weather Heating & Cooling* 622

Allstate Insurance 1646

Alpine Structures LLC 2768, 2851, 2751

American Concrete Surfaces 2925

American Home & Energy Products 717

American Patio Rooms* 1101

American Sleep Therapy 1014, 1114

Anderson HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical 2423

Apex Window Werks* 1107

Apple Creek Roofing* 3426

AQUA DOC Lake & Pond Management* 2917

Aquarium Guys 1740

ARC Contracting of Ohio* 536

Arcadia GlassHouse LLC* 2334

Architectural Justice .................. D7 - Doorway to Spring

Arco Comfort Air LLC* ............................................2315

Ark Basement Services* .........................................2632

Ark Home Contracting* ..........................................1033

Armorlike Coatings* 1317

Array Design Studio 1159, D5 - Doorway to Spring

Arrow Lift* 1058

ARS Video Inc.* 1610

Artistic Renovations of Ohio LLC 1139

Asteria Jewelry & Eyeglass Cleaner 1549

Backup Power Solutions 738

Backyard Banger 2412

Baird Brothers Sawmill* 826

Bath Authority, The* 1100, 2435

Bath Brothers 558

Bath Experts - Jacuzzi Bath Remodel* 1362, 610

Bath Fitter* 1309

Baths R US* 517, 2406

Bear Landscaping & Design 3013

Benson Roofing & Siding 513

Berlin Gardens LLC 6

Berlin Seeds 2317

Better Business Bureau 804

Better Garden Tools 2523

BioBurst 'N Grow 2631

Blue Tip Jewelry & Watch Co. .................................3251

Bo Lacey Construction* ..........................................1342

Briar Hill Sandstone ..............................................2644

BrightCovers* ........................................................3021

Buckeye Gourmet 3167

Bumblebee Macarons 1726

Campopiano Roofing Inc.* 600

Capital Vacations 3006

Caring Corral, The 2648

CarrierOhio.com 15

Carvings by Chris G13 - Garden

Castle Energy 3103

Cellular Sales of Ohio LLC 1545

Centier Specialties* 1700

CertaPro Painters* 637

CFD Accessories Inc. 3402

Champion Windows & Home Exteriors 3126

Cherish Creamery 3264

Chicago Toy Co., The 3236

Chidsey Landscape & Design Inc. 2936

CK Stonescapes LLC* G1 - Garden

CLE Property Services ............................................. 542

Clean Complete Auto Care & Transmissions ...........2526

Clean Custom Concrete ............................... 2431, 2528

Clean N' Green Lawn Service LLC*.........................2427

Cleveland Concrete Coatings* 631

Cleveland Sleeves 3262

Cleveland Windows 509

Click Heaters 3153, 1634

ClogDoc LLC* 2622

Closets by Design 1023

Closettec featured by Cabinettec-Seme Interiors 458

Coalway LLC 2966, 2866

Compass Soap Co. 3230

Coolbreeze Technologies 2313

Cotterman's County Fair Waffles 1459

Cottom's Wildlife Removal 2609

Crack Corn Ltd. 1760

Craft Body Scan 1438, 3113

Creative Holmes 722

Crooked River Candle 3253

Crystal Delights LLC................................................3208

Custom Stone House .............................................1161

Cutco Cutlery ....................................... 2605, 1616, 944

CX Mortgage ..........................................................2611

D&R Roofing* 2409

Dave's Famous Coffee Cakes 1746

Davis Construct LLC 2419

Day To Day Necessities 2643

Deep Rock LLC/GNS Contracting 1712

Deer No No 2633

Defender Innovations By Allscape Patio* 2810

Dermalai 1546, 3117

Designer Palms 2920

S. 3246

Dog Fence Co.,

Devins Powerwash 2306 DiMarco & Associates LLC* 2710

Go Green Environmental 905

Good Feet Store, The 1464

Good Health Saunas 2824, 617, 1517

GramE's Kitchen LLC 1657

Grand View Exterior Systems .................................. 808

Great Garage Co., The* .......................................... 544

Great Lakes Fence (ActiveYards)*...........................3112

GreatLees Construction .........................................2614

Greenday Outdoor Living Spaces 505

Green Home Heating & Cooling 644

Gridiron Flooring* 523

Gridiron Guys* 400

Guardian Protection 1441

Gutter Boys, The* 2309

Gutter Cover Co.* 2320

Gutter Helmet by Lednor Home Solutions* 731

GutterZ LLC 2411

Halo Dips 3125

Happy and Healthy Feet LLC 1733

Happy Feet USA 1435

Harpstone 3157

Harvest Ridge Construction 2736

Hawaiian Moon 1749, 3137

Heart of Ohio HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical* 830

Heartland Home Services 1162

HIGH POINTE EXTERIORS* .....................................3024

Hilltop Exteriors* 909

Hinckley Roofing* 1110

Home Depot 1757

Home Environmental Services 1141

Home Genius Exteriors ..........................................1026

Home Mag, The ...................................................... 404

Homestead Builders* ............................................2511

Homestead Exterior Solutions ...............................1328

Hometown Electrical Doctor* 1305

Honey Bee Mine 1632

Honey Dudes* 506

HTZ Design + Build* 1204

Hurst Design Build Remodel* 916

Infinity from Marvin-Cleveland* 2943, 1715

InnoEnergy Solutions 2531

International Housewares1655, 1534, 1432, 1644, 1659

J&R's Custom Creations 3241

J.D.R. Heating and Cooling 809

JAKT Store 3306

James Hardie 1111

JBJ Plumbing and Heating LLC 2745

JC Roofing* 843

JDM Structures 401, THE WAVERLY HOME

Jeremy Rettger AIFD from Segelin’s Florists & Gifts and Jennifer from Studio Floral G10 - Garden

Jose Madrid Salsa ..................................................1762

Joyce Windows, Sunrooms, and Baths* 714, 2845, 2326

JR Bath* 831

K & K Heating & Cooling* 708

Kardan Solar 2517

Kauffman Lawn Furniture ............................ 1254, 1345

Keedro LLC ............................................................1665

Keepers Turf LLC....................................................2628

Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan ....................1713

Kidron Construction* 2627, 827

Kids World Play Systems Ltd. KID'S WORLD

Kimmell's Premier Landscapes Ltd. G7 - Garden

Kipton Quarry 2516

Kitchen Saver* 1313

Kitchen Tune-Up* 1429

Klassic Custom Decks* 1122, D4- Doorway to Spring Knitting for Cancer 1730

Koludro Create 555

La Chiquita Selva ("The Little Jungle") 3010

Lake Erie Pet Food Co. 1742

Lakeland Lumber 3007

Lawn Control Center* 2942

Leaf Home Bath* 1557

Leaf Pro Gutter Protection* 456

LeafFilter North LLC* 1709, 2618

LeafGuard 2814, 839

Legacy Roofing* .....................................................1010

LeisureTime Warehouse -

Michael Phelps Swim Spas 900, 2831

Levin Furniture* 1600

Lifetime Quality Roofing* 2640

Linda's Bee Farm LLC 1510

Lustre Craft 1417

Lutes Custom Cabinetry LLC 1000

Lux Home Remodeling* 811

Luxury Heating Co.* 1410

M&E Sales 1564

Magic Bath* 926

MapCuts 3412

Maple Ridge Garden Center G5

Marcus Sebastian Renovations* 500

Margaret Taylor Jewelry LLC ..................................3266

Mark Haynes Construction Inc.* ............................2407

Master Gardeners of Cuyahoga County Inc. ...........2646

Mattress Firm Inc...................................................1132

Max Spray Foam LLC 504

Melissa Martins Fine Art for Freshwater Wells 1633

Meraki Living 1057

Middlefield Windows & Doors* 1154

Midwest Composite Pools 2208

Millbrook Resort 3440

Miller Roofing & Exteriors* 3033

Miller's Storage Barns* 3051, 3041

Miracle Method 527

MK Fence & Deck Staining 2639

Monadavi Marketing 1532

Mosquito Sheriff 2527

Mouldings One* 510

Mr. Level Concrete 2733

Mr. Roof 709

Mr. Sandless of Northern Ohio 1060

MsCotti 1568

Mulberry Creek Herb Farm LLC G11, D3 - Garden, Doorway to Spring

Native Landscapes & Gardens 2200

Natural Balance 1455

Naturally Unleashed 1538

Nature Stone 801

Nectar of the Vine* ................................................3127

Northeast Factory Direct ........................................1500

Northeast Ohio Fence & Deck* ...............................2928

Northern Territory Lighting ....................................2430

Norwex 1615

Nothing Bundt Cakes 1554

NRG Energy 1411

NucleoGenex 1556

NuPro Exterior Designs 3063, 1511

Nut House, The 3016

Oaks Roofing & Siding* 2707

Oasis Landscape & Design LLC 2327

Odell Construction Inc.* 616

OH Roofing & Exteriors 1456

Ohio Amish Country 1465

Ohio Basement Authority* 2316

Ohio Garage Interiors* 2741

Ohio Hot Tubs & Saunas (fka: Ohio Pools & Spas)* 2927

Ohio Landscape Association G4 - Garden

Ohio State Waterproofing* 3056, 422, 1354

Olde Heritage Stoneworks Ltd.* 2539

Olive Tap, The 1613

Oliver's Treasure's 3215

One Day Doors and Closets* 945

Original Things 3222

Own Your Own Arcade Game 1543

Paint EZ of Chagrin Falls.........................................2535

Paint Medics Inc.* .................................................1048

Palmetto Solar .......................................................2623

Pandy's Garden Center, Landscaping and Seed Co. Inc.* G6, D1 - Garden, Doorway to Spring

Paradise Grills 442

for more

Exhibitor

BBB Accredited Business* New Exhibitors Sponsors & Partners

Paramount Security 540

Patio Enclosures 3106

Pella Window and Door Co.* 533, 2703

Perfect Wine Opener, The 1666

Pets Table, The 1559, 3122

Pet Wants Chardon 1542

Petit Lawn Maintenance* 2533

Pine Acres Woodcraft Ltd.* 701

Pine Ridge Roofing* 2838

Pinky's Prowash 559

Pioneer Roofing* 2331

Place, The* 1222, 1029

Plant Shop LLC, The 16

Platinum Garages and Electrical* 1054

Platinum Riddle .....................................................1744

PLGP Promotions LLC .................................. 3133, 1443

PM Home Remodeling Inc.* ................................... 936

Premier Home Pros* .............................................. 454

Premier Wall Anchor & Waterproofing* 3017

Prestige Stone Products 2827

Prestobeat Sales 3257

Primary Home Improvements* 1004

Pro Crawlspace Repair 707

Procon Exteriors* 3446

Progressive Window and Door 758

ProLights 2815

Pucher's Design Center 412

Purchase Green Cleveland 2507

QPS OHIO LLC 938

Radical Impressions 3265

Rainbow Marble & Granite Inc. 605

Re-Bath 1515

Rebex Cutlery 1735

Redfern Enterprises Ltd. 1439, 1338, 1334

Regional Technology LLC* 1649

Renewal by Andersen* 812, 2915, 1442

Rhino Shield* 806

Robin C Jewelry 3226

Roof Maxx* 954

Royal Luxury Extreme 2712

Royalty Roofing* 922

Sam the Concrete Man* ........................................2825

Sassy Sisters Boutique ...........................................3406

Sawdust & Daisies..................................................3213

Scenic View Furniture ............................................1622

Schrocks of Walnut Creek 723

Sewer Pro* 1974

Shagovac Heating & Cooling* 644

Showtime Partners LLC 1638

Shumake Electric 711

Sujal Fragrances 3225

Summer Accents 2916

Sunrise Springs Water Co. 2624

Superior Fence & Rail* 641

Superior Sleep 1300

Superview Handmade Embroidery Arts 3216

T&R Jewelry 3220

T&T Landscaping Contractors 2714

T+T Gifts 3201

Taspen's Organic 1555

Tastefully Simple 1617

Tazmanian Dumpsters* 2626

Textbook Painting Co.* 755, 1109

Thermal Construction Inc. 1013

Thousand Village Crafts .........................................3229

Three Z Supply .......................................................2940

Timan Custom Window

Treatments .................1978, D8 - Doorway to Spring

Titanium Exclusive Cookware 1635

T-Mobile USA Inc. 654

Top Purple 3121

Trade Medics* 1046

Triple B Enterprises 1142

Triple Peaks Roofing & Construction* 901

Tropical Pools 2655

True Honey Teas 1648

TruGreen* 2612

Tuff Shed 3066

Tumbleweeds Cowhides 1639

Tupperware-Champion Enterprises 1722

Turf Tech Solutions* 2522

Twin Locust Furniture 1400

Twin Oaks Barns 2811

TwinCreek Roofing* 1310

U.S. Jaclean Inc. 754

Uncommon USA Inc. 2635

Unique Home Solutions* 1024

Universal Windows Direct* 2341, 1301

Urban Custom Kitchens & Design 840

USA Insulation* 743

USA Waterproofing* 2702

Vacation Reservation Center LLC ............................1654

VanBoxel Kitchen and Flooring ..............................1216

Varment Guard* ..................................................... 635

Veterans Fence* ....................................................2649

Veterans Outdoor Living 2645

Victorian Renovation 2515

Victors Home Solutions 2728

Vidmar Custom Woodworking 601

Vital Flooring & Renovations LLC 1012

Vitamix* 1516

Vtrendz 3221

Walnut

2025 MAIN STAGE SCHEDULE

Designed by Levin Furniture

Friday, Jan. 31

Noon Laura Mineff, The Inside Secrets of Designing a Joyful Lifestyle

1 p.m. Matt Fox, Great Weekend Projects

2 p.m. Mike Koludrovich, 3D Design, Blueprints and New Tech: The First Steps to Your Project's Success!

3 p.m. Jim Weidner, Creative Outdoor Living Ideas

4 p.m. Brenda Love, Real Estate Showcase TV and Friends

5 p.m. Laura Mineff, The Inside Secrets of Designing a Joyful Lifestyle

6 p.m. Jim Weidner, Creative Outdoor Living Ideas

7 p.m. Matt Fox, Great Weekend Projects

Saturday, Feb. 1

11 a.m. Student Model Home Design Awards

Noon Brenda Love, Real Estate Showcase TV and Friends

1 p.m. Kim Toma, From Chaos to Clarity: Mastering Certainty in Your Building and Renovation Projects

2 p.m. Mina Starsiak Hawk's Journey: From Building a Home Business and TV Show to Behind-the-Scenes Stories and Life Lessons

3 p.m. Mina Starsiak Hawk Meet & Greet Autograph Signing

4 p.m. Jake Kobilarcsik, Is SOLAR Right for You?

5 p.m. Matt Fox, Great Weekend Projects

6 p.m. Laura Mineff, The Inside Secrets of Designing a Joyful Lifestyle

7 p.m. Matt Fox, Great Weekend Projects

Sunday, Feb. 2

Noon Laura Mineff, The Inside Secrets of Designing a Joyful Lifestyle

1 p.m. Kim Toma, From Chaos to Clarity: Mastering Certainty in Your Building and Renovation Projects

2 p.m. Matt Fox, Great Weekend Projects

3 p.m. Laura Mineff, The Inside Secrets of Designing a Joyful Lifestyle

4 p.m. Brenda Love, Real Estate Showcase TV and Friends

Monday, Feb. 3

1 p.m. Laura Mineff, The Inside Secrets of Designing a Joyful Lifestyle

2 p.m. Cat Miller, Protecting the Jewels of the Night: How You Can Support Fireflies (Master Gardener)

3 p.m. Beth Murphy, Orchids (Master Gardener)

4 p.m. Laura Mineff, The Inside Secrets of Designing a Joyful Lifestyle

5 p.m. Deborah Osgood, Keeping the Unwanted at Bay (Master Gardener)

Tuesday, Feb. 4

1 p.m. Lois Rose, Pruning 101 (Master Gardener)

2 p.m. Laura Mineff, The Inside Secrets of Designing a Joyful Lifestyle

3 p.m. Lois Rose, Composting for Beginners (Master Gardener)

5 p.m. Laura Mineff, The Inside Secrets of Designing a Joyful Lifestyle

Wednesday, Feb. 5

Noon Laura Mineff, The Inside Secrets of Designing a Joyful Lifestyle

1 p.m. Shoshana Wodzisz, How Many Bees Fit in a Shoebox (Master Gardener)

3 p.m. Jake Kobilarcsik, Is SOLAR Right for You?

4 p.m. Jeanne Marlow, African Violets and other Houseplants (Master Gardener)

5 p.m. Laura Mineff, The Inside Secrets of Designing a Joyful Lifestyle

Thursday, Feb. 6

1 p.m. Laura Mineff, The Inside Secrets of Designing a Joyful Lifestyle

2 p.m. Kim Hawkins and Susan Pandoli, Down and Dirty: All About the Master Gardener Program (Master Gardener)

3 p.m. Kim Hawkins, Waking the Garden in the Spring (Master Gardener)

5 p.m. Doggie Fashion Show

6 p.m. Jim Weidner, Creative Outdoor Living Ideas

Friday, Feb. 7

Noon Mike Koludrovich, 3D Design, Blueprints and New Tech: The First Steps to Your Project's Success!

1 p.m. Laura Mineff, The Inside Secrets of Designing a Joyful Lifestyle

2 p.m. Susan Hildebrant, Principles of Landscape Design (Master Gardener)

3 p.m. Donna Schneider, Embracing Life in Your Garden - Power of Pollinators (Master Gardener)

4 p.m. Jake Kobilarcsik, Is SOLAR Right for You?

5 p.m. Brenda Love, Real Estate Showcase TV and Friends

6 p.m. Laura Mineff, The Inside Secrets of Designing a Joyful Lifestyle

7 p.m. Jim Weidner, Creative Outdoor Living Ideas

Saturday, Feb. 8

11 a.m. Laura Mineff, The Inside Secrets of Designing a Joyful Lifestyle

Noon Leslie Hart-Davidson, Remodeling Your House Without Killing Your Spouse

1 p.m. Kim Toma, From Chaos to Clarity: Mastering Certainty in Your Building and Renovation Projects

2 p.m. Brenda Love, Real Estate Showcase TV and Friends

3 p.m. Jenny and Dave Marrs: Stories About Their Family, TV Show, Business and Farm Life, sponsored by Absolute Roofing & Construction Inc.

4 p.m. Jenny & Dave Meet & Greet Autograph Signing

5 p.m. Laura Mineff, The Inside Secrets of Designing a Joyful Lifestyle

6 p.m. Matt Fox, Great Weekend Projects

7 p.m. Mike Koludrovich, 3D Design, Blueprints and New Tech: The First Steps to Your Project's Success!

Sunday, Feb. 9

11 a.m. Matt Fox, Great Weekend Projects

Noon Laura Mineff, The Inside Secrets of Designing a Joyful Lifestyle

1 p.m. Jenny and Dave Marrs: Stories About Their Family, TV Show, Business and Farm Life, sponsored by Absolute Roofing & Construction Inc.

2 p.m. Jenny & Dave Meet & Greet Autograph Signing

3 p.m. Laura Mineff, The Inside Secrets of Designing a Joyful Lifestyle

SHOW SPONSORS 2025

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT SUPPORT THE GREAT BIG HOME + GARDEN SHOW

ABSOLUTE ROOFING & CONSTRUCTION

Absolute Roofing & Construction Inc. has been Northeast Ohio’s most trusted roofing company since its founding in March 1987. With over 37 years of excellence, Absolute Roofing remains committed to delivering unmatched craftsmanship and outstanding customer service.

As a full-service company, we specialize in all types of roofing — shingles, flat, slate and tile — as well as siding and historic restoration projects. Our dedication to quality has earned us numerous accolades, including being a first-place winner of the prestigious NARI Contractor of the Year Award for 18 consecutive years. We’ve also been recognized nationally, named one of the Top 100 Roofing Contractors in the U.S. by Roofing Contractor Magazine in both 2012 and 2014, and honored as a BIG 50 company by Remodeling Magazine

With four full-time HAAG Engineering-certified roof inspectors on staff, we’re equipped to handle all your storm damage and insurance claim needs with expertise and care.

Discover how we can help with your roofing and construction needs by visiting absoluteroofing.com or stopping by Booth #1146. Experience the Absolute difference today! > absoluteroofing.com

BATHS R US

Update your bathroom with a customizable tub/shower replacement from Baths R Us. Or, if you’re ready to completely transform your bathroom, let Baths R Us do a full bathroom remodel with flooring, high-quality vanities, vanity tops, stunning fixtures and more. Replace your old tile and shower insert with antimicrobial shower wall designs with etched patterns to create the look of custom tile — no mold, mildew or mess. Baths R Us, the 5-Star, A+ BBB-rated bathroom remodeler will give you the bathroom of your dreams. Check out booths #517 and #2407 at the Great Big Home + Garden Show to learn more.

> bathsrus.com

BERLIN GARDENS

At Berlin Gardens, our first goal is to bring honor and glory to our creator, God, in everything we do. We do this by manufacturing the highest-quality products, delivering our products on time and going beyond your expectations with our customer service. We manufacture poly furniture and outdoor structures in hopes that we can create an ideal outdoor living space for you and your family.

All of this starts by living by our core values of honesty, efficiency, attitude, respect and trust. We not only say this, but we believe it. We hope our products help you take life outdoors. Visit us at the Doorway to Spring entrance. > berlingardensllc.com

CARRIEROHIO.COM

When the weather changes — which it’s known to do in Ohio — your family’s comfort shouldn’t. Turn to Carrier for complete home comfort that you can depend on year-round. From furnaces, heat pumps and air conditioners to improving air quality, Carrier delivers comfort without compromise, no matter the season. The best part is that we have Factory Authorized Dealers across Ohio ready to help when you need us. Find the Carrier Factory Authorized Dealer in your neighborhood today at CarrierOhio.com or visit one of our Carrier Factory Authorized Dealers at the show: All Weather Heating & Cooling (#622), Gene’s Refrigeration, Heating & Cooling, Plumbing & Electrical (#2909), Green Home Heating & Cooling (#644), Shagovac Heating & Cooling (#644), Strongsville Heating & Cooling (#1612) and Luxury Heating Company (#1410).

> carrierohio.com

CLEAN CUSTOM CONCRETE

At Clean Custom Concrete, we set the standard for exceptional craftsmanship and customer care in the Cleveland area. Specializing in decorative stamped and colored concrete, driveway installation, outdoor living creations and more, we deliver durable, functional and beautiful results tailored to your needs. Our customer-centric approach ensures clear communication, transparency and tailored solutions from consultation to completion. Whether creating elegant fire pits or installing epoxy flake flooring, we bring precision and attention to every detail. Trust Clean Custom Concrete to exceed expectations with unmatched quality, reliability and service excellence that lasts long after the project is complete. Visit us at booths #2431 and #2528.

> cleancustomconcrete.com

DOLLAR BANK

Dollar Bank is an independent community bank, and that means we can focus on what we do best: empowering the people and communities we serve to do the things they hold dearest. Over more than 169 years, we’ve grown to become a large, full-service, regional bank renowned for providing the highest-quality banking solutions and services to individuals and businesses. Our customers simply know us for this: understanding their goals and providing the solutions that get them there. For more information, please visit us at booth #2532.

> dollarbank.com.

JOYCE WINDOWS, SUNROOMS, AND BATHS

At Joyce Windows, Sunrooms, and Baths, we believe your home should be a reflection of comfort, style and functionality. Since 1955, we’ve partnered with homeowners to create beautiful, energy-efficient spaces with our custom windows, sunrooms and bath solutions. From free in-home estimates to unbeatable financing options, we make the remodeling process stress free and transparent. As your trusted guide, we prioritize your needs, ensuring every project enhances your home’s value and your life. Let us transform your vision into reality — because you deserve a home you’ll love for years to come. Visit us at booths #714, #2326 and #2845.

> joycefactorydirect.com

KIDRON CONSTRUCTION

We are based in Kidron, Ohio, and serve all of Northeast Ohio. With years of experience, we are certified with all the major brands of materials, ensuring you get the best product warranty available, backed by our 10-year labor warranty. We take care to make sure our jobsites are clean. Our priority is customer satisfaction. Bring us your ideas, and we will take care of your project from start to finish! Visit us at booths #827 and #2627.

> kidronroofsanddecks.com

OHIO GARAGE INTERIORS

Ohio Garage Interiors is Ohio’s leader in polyaspartic garage floor coatings, cabinetry and organization. Our coating is a high-quality, stain-resistant, easy-to-maintain polyaspartic that is no match for extreme conditions associated with the garage environment. Our coatings are nonporous and create a permanent bond to the concrete. They are UV resistant and environmentally friendly with zero VOCs and are available in numerous decorative flake color combinations. We can also provide you with solutions to all your cabinet storage and organizational needs. Visit us at booth #2741.

> ohiogarageinteriors.com

PRIMARY HOME IMPROVEMENTS

At Primary Home Improvements, we fix uncomfortable homes. From the attic all the way down to the basement, we’ve got your insulation needs covered. We perform free, in-home evaluations to help you discover where you are using and losing energy. Locally owned and operated, PHI’s goal is to provide you with craftsmanship and customer service that feels like family. Visit booth #1004 or call 440-610-4792 for more information.

> primaryhomeimprovements.com

UNIVERSAL WINDOWS DIRECT

Universal Windows Direct is Cleveland’s top source of quality replacement windows, vinyl siding, entry doors and roofing. Established in 2002 by William Barr and Michael Strmac, UWD holds an A+ rating with the BBB, is No. 2 on Qualified Remodeler’s Hip 200, holds the No. 3 spot on Qualified Remodeler’s Top 500 and is No. 6 on Remodeling 550. UWD is also an Angie’s List Super Service Award recipient and a Nextdoor Neighborhood Fave. The company is one of cleveland.com’s Top Workplaces in Northeast Ohio. Universal Windows Direct is committed to offering outstanding products at an incredible value, and satisfied recurring and referral customers are the main component to their success. Visit us at booths #1301 and #2341.

> universalwindowsdirect.com

WESTMINSTER TECHNOLOGIES

Westminster Technologies LLC is Northeast Ohio’s leading supplier of event technology support and audiovisual services. We provide services for corporate events, expos, trainings, product launches and more. You’ll get access to the newest, cutting-edge AV and event technologies and more than 50 years of experience in event management. Whatever your needs, we have you covered. Learn more at westminsterav.com or call 216-310-9712.

> westminsterav.com

A GREAT BIG THANK YOU

to the sponsors of the Great Big Home + Garden Show

BBB

Akron

2965 W Market Street

Akron, OH 44333 (330) 836-5548

Canfield

4010 Boardman-Canfield Road Canfield, OH 44406 (330) 533-9766

Highland Heights

775 Alpha Drive

Highland Heights, OH 44143 (440) 942-2262

975 Crocker Road

Westlake, OH 44145 (440) 892-9008

02.25

Inspiring spaces of character and revival

BY LYNNE THOMPSON

CHILD’S PLAY

An eclectic guest suite in an Aurora farmhouse doubles as an innovative zen den for kid games and crafts.

THE ROOM OVER the modern farmhouse’s four-car garage boasted multiple windows, a pitched ceiling, a full bath and two walk-in closets — the perfect place, the homeowners decided, for a guest suite. Laura Yeager Smith of Hudson-based Laura Yeager Smith Home & Design explains that the Aurora home only had an owner’s suite and bedrooms for each of the couple’s three grade-school-age children, who no longer had space to play in the lower level after it was finished as the adults’ entertainment area.

“They wanted a space for the children to be able to … read, play games, [build] Legos, craft in designated zones,” Smith says.

So Smith combined an eclectic guest suite and kid-friendly playroom by utilizing the ingenuity she developed while raising her four children. She calls it the “zen den.”

“It’s a space that you go to seek something,” she explains. “It’s nice to have a place where you go and seek zen in doing activities [in which] you’re using your creativity and your imagination.”

Smith created a neutral backdrop by painting the room a soft gray and covering the ceiling with white tongue-and-groove paneling. She divided the room into two distinct areas with open shelving and installed a Murphy bed, which lifts up into a wall in a stretch of poplar-and-maple cabinetry.

The doors concealing the bed were flanked by shelves of leather-trimmed woven bins for stashing toys and small drawers with clear acrylic fronts for storing Legos by shape, size and color.

A wall perpendicular to the cabinetry was clad in white Lego panels and outfitted with a quartz countertop to create a station for building Legos directly onto the wall. “You can even stand on that … countertop to reach some of the higher heights,” Smith says. Square ottomans covered in tufted caramel leather provide a place to sit and build items for display on modular shelves painted Benjamin Moore’s Deep Sea Green.

But the room’s truly unique attractions are its “reading pods.” Smith designed the ergonomic features with open sides and channeltufted interiors upholstered in a performance fabric splashed with Agean blue, hot pink and purple. Each was installed 3 feet above the floor on brass posts with ladders for easy access.

“It maximized the footprint of the room,” Smith says of the innovation.

The Aegean blue was repeated in applique-velvet draperies and a heathered Flotex floor covering that offers the comfort of car-

pet and durability of a hard surface.

“If some glue or glitter hits the ground, it’s not a disaster,” she says.

Innovative design elements inspire creativity in the zen den.

Four armchairs surrounding a walnut Hickory Chair-brand table were kid-proofed with white indoor-outdoor fabric. A smaller scale makes the chairs comfortable for both children and adults. And the table’s height can be adjusted for anything from playing games to dining.

On the other side of the open shelving, Smith gathered five stools upholstered in pink performance fabric around a quartz-topped craft table. A sea-green cabinet stores games, puzzles and crafting supplies.

“Everything has a home,” Smith says.

One thing the room doesn’t have is electronics. Smith says the homeowners plan to install a TV. But the kids don’t seem to miss it.

BRECKSVILLE

Completely and thoughtfully redone. All 3000 sq. ft. (plus 1000 finished sq. f t. walk-out) are literally brand new. High end finishes throughout. Formal living and dining. Family room with fireplace open to the exquisite new kitchen. Fabulous master with walk-in. Two additional bedrooms on 2nd floor. Additional guest/teen suite in lower level. Huge deck. GORGEOUS wooded lot.

PARMA

1st floor and 2nd floor masters! This custom built one owner home features five bedrooms, three baths and sits on a quiet cul-de-sac. The home backs to a lush private .4 acre wooded lot. Offering 2869 sq. ft. plus an additional 1400 sq. ft. in the wonderful walk-out lower level. Gorgeous solid oak woodwork throughout. Three car attached garage.

REG | LOU BARBEE (440)

BRECKSVILLE | $4K

Looking for an excellent home in a top rated school district but not quite ready to buy? This Echo Hills colonial offers four bedrooms and two and a half baths on a quiet street in a sought after neighborhood. Wonderfully spacious. Updated. Common area with a pavilion, play area, basketball, volleyball, soccer, golf and more. Rarely available. Offered for rent.

BRECKSVILLE | $650K

High end finishes throughout. Fabulous master with deep walk-in. Three additional bedrooms on 2nd floor plus a guest room/teen suite in the finished lower level. Newer mechanicals. Close to Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Brecksville Metro Parks, Brecksville community center, new swim park and library. Outstanding City services. Top rated Schools.

Serene enclosed front porch and enclosed upper balcony. Beautifully refinished hardwood floors. Stunning trim work. Large expanded kitchen (in 1992). Formal dining with built-in cabinets and lead glass. Waterproofed lower level. Detached two car garage. $270K

WESTLAKE | $535K

One floor living and so much more. This hard-to-find spacious Westlake ranch offers an elegant formal living room that flows seamlessly into the formal dining.

In February 1982, a Downtown Cleveland landmark began its last dance.

Halle Brothers Co. was liquidating, a sad end to one of the most prominent retailers in Cleveland. Brothers Samuel and Salmon Halle opened a hat and fur store on Superior Street in 1891. From there, it grew into a department store and moved east. In 1910, Halle’s moved into a new terra-cotta building at Euclid Avenue and East 12th Street.

The store prospered. Its delivery trucks could be seen on suburban streets, and Mr. Jingeling became a Christmas staple for children of the baby boom. It even ran its own shuttle from Public Square — where its rivals May Co. and Higbee’s were located.

As malls opened in the 1960s, Downtown retail started to decline — including at

Halle’s. In 1970, the company was bought by Chicago-based Marshall Field’s. Soon, there were no members of the Halle family working at Halle’s, and although it opened a new branch in Sandusky in 1979, its fortunes continued to decline.

In November 1981, the store sold to Associated Investors Corp., a holding company owned by Columbus store magnate Jerome Schottenstein. “Halle’s will remain a viable, quality name,” he told The Plain Dealer. By January, he’d changed his tune, announcing that the chain’s stores would close.

To the customers who came to the closeout sale, it showed how far the store had fallen. “This isn’t my Halle’s. The quality is gone,” said David Smotzer of Brooklyn. Sherry Zierke of Westlake said, “They’ve taken all the good stuff, especially the furniture, and moved in junk.”

John Hemsath likened it to a wake, “looking for the coffin and find that you’re in it.”

The store is gone — it wouldn’t be long before May Co. and Higbee’s joined it in the department store graveyard — but the building has been repurposed. It’s retail and apartments now.

1982

Celebrating 32 Years | 1993-2025

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The perfect gift of pampering and relaxation for anyone.

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