Columbus, Ohio USA
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Dis 'n' Data
By Margaret Marten, Editor
email margaret@shortnorth.com
June 2007
The Gazette pizza directory on page 32 has gained some weight with the addition of Cameron Mitchell’s new restaurant Marcella’s, which opened in the renovated Yukon Lofts Building at 615 N. High St. on May 29. Their authentic Italian cuisine includes classic and house specialty pizzas, each in five varieties, as well as traditional small plate menus, house recipe anti-pasti and pastas, cured Italian meats and seasonally created regional fish and meat specialties. The building, owned by Plaza Properties, housed Functional Furnishings for 28 years before the Ungar family sold it and closed the store in 2004. Marcella’s takes up almost half the 12,000 square feet on the ground level and includes a bar featuring a selection of over 50 Italian wines. They are open from 4 p.m. to late night, seven days a week. Call 614-223-2100 or visit their Web site www.marcellasristorante.com. Meanwhile, the long-awaited Starbucks and UPS store are scheduled to open in the Yukon space the first week of June. The 28 condominiums on the 2nd and 3rd level are almost sold out with five remaining. Additional commercial space is available on the ground level.
After closing Liu Pon Xi restaurant in March following a two-year run, Paul Liu reopened his space on the Cap with two new restaurants in April. Diners can experience fish food and fish décor at Bluefish, Seafood on the Cap. The fish tanks and subfloor koi pond are within view and the menu is swimming with seafood items, including sushi, as well as a few meat and poultry dishes. The other side of the former Liu Pon Xi space houses Paul Liu’s Chinese Restaurant, a tasty testimony to Liu’s Eastern origins and his extensive background in Chinese food service. Both businesses are open 7 days a week. Further information can be gathered from the Gazette directories in the back pages or by calling Bluefish at 614-232-8888 or Paul Liu’s at 614-232-8889.
Alta on High, the Italian-themed restaurant near the Convention Center owned by Richard Stopper closed last month and the business is now for sale. The restaurant, which opened in 2004, underwent a midlife crisis six months ago, changing its name from Abbracci to Alta on High, but apparently the moniker makeover wasn’t enough to sustain the entrepreneurial venture. Another closing, or transition, is the sale of the Happy Greek. The restaurant, formerly owned by Mohamed Hassan and Gihan “Gigi” Zalat, was purchased by Adrian Tara last month. The little eatery El Rif, which Mohamed and Gigi opened last year next to the restaurant at 660 N. High St., closed and is now being used for seating Happy Greek customers.
Two additional shops will be closing in the Short North at the end of June, offering drastic price cuts on their inventory throughout the month. Wells Landing, 636 N. High St., is owned by photographer Gary Harper, who explained that the business suffered financial casualties from inclement weather this past winter, along with the usual struggles of a small business, which led him to the decision to close. Harper bought the store in October 2005 from the original owner, Chad Wells. Two months after the sale, in December 2005, Harper introduced the small art space in the back, Gary’s Gallery, which he plans to expand into the storefront in July, after the Wells Landing inventory clearance, and maintain the gallery on weekends until the end of the year when the lease expires or when another tenant occupies the space. He is putting out a call for artists who would like to exhibit their work on consignment there for a small fee. Harper, who holds a master’s degree in music education supported himself for years as a teacher before discovering his love of photography four years ago when he was having problems acquiring a teaching position due to his overqualifications as an educator and needed a creative outlet. “I wasn’t a teacher anymore, so I started doing photography as a hobby and then it turned into a passion and then it turned into a career. I started showing at Wells Landing and started doing other shows, and people began to take my work seriously,” Harper said. “I went from teacher to gallery owner to who knows what. I would love to stay with what I’m doing. I really had a great year, and I’ve enjoyed it, but financially I can’t continue to do what I’m doing.” The sale at the beginning of June is 30 percent off, and every two weeks it will increase another 10 percent with the final day of sale, June 30, at 60 percent off.
After 16 years in the Short North, Diamonds & Designs by None Other Goldsmiths, 716 N. High St., will close at the end of June and is offering clearance prices of 50 to 60 percent off. The business will move into their main design studio in Gahanna on Hamilton Road. Debra Hobbs, the founder of the store, was unavailable for comment. Their inventory of custom fine jewelry is beautiful. This sale is an exceptional, although brief, opportunity for anyone who has been considering a fine jewelry purchase for themselves or a loved one. The hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday. The phone number is 614-294-8811.
A personal training studio, B.O.S.S. Fitness, opened at 1079 N. High Street in the former space of Columbus Alive behind Yoga on High. B.O.S.S. (Bodies of Stamina and Strength) opened its doors in April, held a grand opening celebration in May, and is now fully functioning under the direction of owner James Gullatte. Gullatte has been involved in fitness for as long as he can remember but began to seriously learn the ins and outs of a personal training business in 1999 before eventually starting his own company. He took care in pointing out during a phone conversation that B.O.S.S. Fitness is not a membership gym. A modest monthly fee provides unlimited access to the facility, but if you don’t want to return after a month, you don’t owe them anything. “It’s not just about making money,” Gullatte said. “It’s about turning out good bodies and getting people healthy and having them living right and understanding that fitness is a part of everyday living.” He put his heart and soul into that belief providing free fitness training for almost five years while honing his skills as a personal trainer and eventually becoming fully certified. The studio offers fitness packages for personal one-on-one training or group training and is equipped with the latest machinery, including cardio equipment: treadmills, stairsteppers, and bikes. Hours are Monday through Friday 8 to 8, and 8 to 3 on Saturday. Free introductory sessions are available by calling 614-294-2677.
The space formerly occupied by Brian Boru’s Pub in Victorian Gate at 647 N. High St. is now taken by the First Community Bank, which opened its doors to customers last month. Brian Boru’s closed after the Victorian Gate apartments were converted into condomiuns.
In Harrison West, The New Victorians condominium development has moved into its next phase of construction. All units from the first phase were sold, and The Courtyards at Harrison West is now offering presales for the newer constructions, which recently broke ground, with expected occupancy in Fall 2007. The project, located at 1112 Perry St., is a development of Joe Armeni, owner of the Short North firm The New Victorians and broker/owner at Re/Max City Center Realtors. Armeni worked with the Harrison West Society for nearly a year to reach standards that were satisfactory to the surrounding community. Priced from $159,900 to $169,900, the energy-efficient two-story condos include hardwood floors, exposed brick walls, vaulted ceilings, a loft bedroom and garden baths with private patio space and off-street parking. Their Web site is www.shortnorthhomes.com
News about upcoming events in the neighborhood can be found in this issue on pages 18-19 as well as among the classified listings on pages 36-37.©2007 Short North Gazette, Columbus, Ohio. All rights reserved.