Columbus, Ohio USA
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Dis 'n' Data
By Margaret Marten, Editor
email margaret@shortnorth.com
January/February 2017
3 New Clothing Stores
Three apparel stores have opened over the past couple months in the northern section of the Short North: Clothe Ohio, Premium Cloth, and Bend Active.
As the name indicates, Bend Active sells athletic apparel, namely women’s fit-fashion apparel: leggings, pullovers, tanks, hoodies, tees, yoga mats, yoga pants, vests, and sports bras. The owners, Adam and Laura Heller, launched the business online in 2014, and opened their first retail store at The Shoppes on Lane Avenue in Upper Arlington later that year. The new Short North shop at 1104 N. High next to Standard Hall opened in December. They carry a variety of unique lines, including their own Bend brand featuring a popular bamboo fabric noted for its flexibility, durability, and comfort. They partnered with local designers Shelley Meyer and Laura Hawk (both college football wives) to create more exclusive collections for the store. Bend Active is open 7 days. Visit www.bendactive.com or call 614-817-1054 to learn more.
In November, Clothe Ohio opened in the space formerly occupied by Reverse Vanity Spa at 867 N. High St. selling T-shirts and caps. Owners Dustin Fisher, 36, and Elliott Fisher, 37 are no novices to the T-shirt industry. As mentioned in this column three years ago when the brothers opened Donkey Tees at 1253 N. High St. next to Turner’s Barber, they have been selling humorous T-shirts online since 2006, offering hundreds of designs with comical commentary – I’m Silently Correcting Your Grammar; Blink If You Want Me; First Coffee, Then Talkee; Candy is Dandy But Liquor is Quicker – to name a few. The Donkey Tee 2014 shop operated primarily as a production area and showroom and ended up moving to Grandview less than a year later for a larger work space. Clothe Ohio, their newest venture, launched online a couple years ago before opening at High and W. First in November, selling Ohio and other state and city-themed shirts, sweats, hoodies, and caps. Working with different non-profits and charitable organizations throughout the state, Clothe Ohio’s signature policy is to donate a new T-shirt or sweatshirt to an Ohioan in need with each purchase. They began with donations to the Homeless Families Foundation in March 2015, and by the end of 2016, over 13,000 items had been given to organizations. The store’s website is at www.clotheohio.com. The phone number is 614-867-6366. If you’re looking for irreverent attire, visit www.donkeytees.com.
Premium Cloth opened in November at 1242 N. High St. just north of Fifth Avenue next to Out of the Closet Thrift Store. They specialize in brand-name streetwear clothing, footwear and accessories. Owner Danny Coleman has an additional store (Mass Appeal) in Atlanta, Georgia, where he divides his time. He was busy hiring a manager for the Short North shop at the time of press, so I’ll fill you in next time.
A website and Instagram are available online at https://premiumclothco.com. The store number is 614-525-0189.Health-Conscious Confectionary Opens Near North Market
A new confectionery opened in December near the North Market. The business joins area sweet shops Rocket Fizz Soda Pop & Candy Shop and Le Chocoholique in providing sweet treats for gift-giving, special occasions, and personal consumption. Mmelo Boutique Confections, owned by Michelle Allen and Paul Freeth, is located at Vine and N. Wall streets behind Martini Modern Italian at 445 N. High St. What sets it apart is a “no junk” policy – products that are handmade and organic. All ingredients are natural: non-gmo with no unhealthy fats or high fructose corn syrup. They also offer baked goods and coffee to enjoy in the cafe, which seats about a dozen. The couple resided in Spain for 12 years where they moved after working in film production in New York City. They relocated to Columbus – Allen’s hometown – a couple of years ago and had some success selling her confectionaries in pop-ups at Easton and the North Market. The name Mmelo derives from the marshmallow, a favored ingredient. The store/cafe is open 7 days until 5 p.m. Visit www.mmelo.co or call 614-600-8363 for more information. The winter issue of Stock & Barrel has a lovely article about the store, “Beauty and the Treat,” written by Kim Leddy.
Departures
In addition to Maotef Comics and Gifts (see article page 6), we saw the closing of Whit’s Frozen Custard. The franchise, operated by a father and son, Terry Wells and Chad Wells, opened in June 2012 – almost five years in business at 841 N. High St. in The Dakota building near Impero Coffee. The family continues to run the Whit’s in Clintonville at 3339 N. High St. On their Facebook page, they maintain that the “changing face” of the Short North affected their viability here. Meanwhile, What The Rock?! moved to Clintonville in December. Owners Mike Renner and Heather Ziegler closed the shop at 1194 N. High St. the day before Christmas and moved to 3039 Indianola Ave. They share their new space with Ken Eppstein’s Nix Comics. The new shop is located near the Studio 35 Cinema and not too far from Yeah, Me Too coffee, run by Jovan Karcic and Sam Brown, both members of the band Gaunt, a pop punk band from the ‘90s. It’s a pretty cool area of Clintonville. We wish Mike and Heather all the best!
SEE ALSO: NEIGHBORHOOD EVENTS/NEWS (SELECT WRITEUP)
Email margaret@shortnorth.com or call 614-251-0656 with neighborhood news items for the Short North Gazette.Email the Editor margaret@shortnorth.com
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