Ohio Knitting Mills' Pop-Up Shop Opens

Venturing to find vintage vêtements for your fashionista friends this holiday season? Look no further than the Ohio Knitting Mills’ Pop-Up Shop (a 2011 Best of Cleveland winner) located on the corner of West 28th Street and Lorain Avenue in Ohio City.

“Three generations of one family ran the mill from 1927 to 2004, when it finally shut down its production operation,” explains Steve Tatar, current president and creative director of Ohio Knitting Mills.

“I met the owner of the business, Gary Rand, who revealed a very, very large collection of historic sweaters that his father and grandfather had been saving since World War II. He kept one or two of everything they made from the 1940’s up through the 1970’s," Tatar says. "It became this tremendous collection of more than 5,000 sweaters.”

The holiday shop will have an assortment of these one-of-a-kind sweaters, skirts, vests and shirts on-hand ($48-$188). “We’ll have accessories (starting at $20) too — hats, gloves, scarves and mittens that we’re making here, out of our historic fabrics,” Tatar says.

The pop-up shop also has finds for those who prefer to hang their art rather than wear it. “We’re doing a project with the Cleveland Public Library to promote their vast collection of historic images of the region,” says Tatar. The 18 x 24 inch full-color posters ($20, featured above) will showcase an array of advertisements celebrating the city’s heyday. There are four different images available, including an ad for the seminal Cleveland Industrial Exposition of 1909.

New threads are in the near future for OKM, too. The company has designed a capsule collection of men’s shirts for spring 2012, which they will be offering exclusively at the Cleveland store before going national with the newly knitted numbers.

“You know, I think it’s time to put the Ohio Knitting Mills name on new goods,” Tatar suggested. “Let’s continue the tradition. Let’s continue to make amazingly patterned, colorful knitwear and really own it — own the brand.”

And you can own it too, when the OKM Holiday Pop-Up Shop opens this Friday at 6 p.m. for a special unveiling party, hosted by partner Twist Creative Inc. Don’t dawdle though, OKM will be closing up shop on Jan. 8.

For more info on OKM, holiday shop hours and online store, visit ohioknittingmills.com

Avengers aftermath

East Ninth Street, ravaged by a superhero battle.






Looks like someone's finally found a use for the Ameritrust Tower. It really does look like a hive for an evil alien race.

Filming for "The Avengers" starts off with a bang

The camera was in place. Police demanded everyone stand back. Crew members shouted, “Cover your ears!” The crowd of onlookers quieted in anticipation as the director yelled “Rolling!” A thunderous roar sounded as fire from dozens of explosions rumbled down East Ninth Street, erupting into one large blast. Cars flipped. Smoke billowed and then, in a matter of seconds, it was over.

Monday was Marvel Studios's first day of filming for "The Avengers" on the streets of Cleveland. East 9th Street between Euclid and Prospect Avenue will be closed until the end of the month. Employees at Medical Mutual caught a video of the explosion from their office that overlooked the action. Bystanders also posted videos of the scene to YouTube.

Marvel Studios will film throughout Cleveland for the remainder of the month, closing streets in the process. Euclid Avenue from East 6th to East 12th streets will be closed Aug. 15-24, Walnut Avenue from East 9th to East 12th streets will be closed Aug. 22-Sept. 2 and South Roadway from Superior to Ontario avenues will be closed f Aug. 17-30. Marvel will also film at the Detroit-Superior Bridge on August 29. The cast and crew will also take to the Chevrolet Powertrain Building in Parma on August 23-24, where more explosions are expected.

The movie combines popular Marvel Studios superhero franchises Iron Man, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger and stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Scarlet Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans and Jeremy Renner. It will hit theaters May 4, 2012

Mango Hometown Tour challenges chefs from Crop, Moxie

With the help of 160 mangoes, one Cleveland chef's true talent will come to fruition.

His talent for cooking with mangoes, that is.

The National Mango Board will bring its Mango Hometown Tour to Cleveland this Friday, July 29. Chef Steve Schimoler of Crop Bistro & Bar and Moxie chef Jonathan Bennett will face off from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at Moxie. Each will create a mango-inspired seafood dish with a Cleveland flair, and three local experts will judge to determine a winner.

Bennett, who often creates desserts, salads and sauces with mangoes at Moxie, will be making a combination plate.

"My dish includes a mango and crab fritter with mango ketchup and a green mango slaw," he says.

While Bennett and Schimoler cook, guests will learn how to cut the fruit and get the chance to taste different mangoes and mango-inspired drinks.

"Most people should go to this event to learn how to cut a mango," laughs Bennett. "They're not the easiest things to cut, but I truly think they're the most sensual fruits."

Attending the Mango Taste-Off is free to the public with a reservation.

Invasion of the Nerds

Last weekend, Cleveland was stormed by nerds on bikes. The strange sight was not random. It was the first ever nerd ride hosted by Crank-Set Rides, a nonprofit that organizes themed bike rides.

The 180 geeks, dweebs and dorks rode about four miles on Saturday from the Root Cafe in Lakewood to a nerdy dance party in Cleveland.

"People have been loving this," says Lindsey Bower, organizer and co-founder of Crank-Set Rides. Decked out in oversized black glasses, knee high tube socks and pink polka dotted suspenders, she said the group attracted the attention of onlookers wherever they rode. Some just stopped and stared, wondering what was going on, while others pulled out cameras and started filming.


Nerds faced off in a trivia match that tested their knowledge of geeky subjects from Boba Fett to pi at the Happy Dog in the Gordon Square Arts District. Joe Milan, above, out-smarted the other nerds, winning the first round. Milan, dressed in a bowtie, glasses and suspenders, exclaimed that his outfit was authentic. "I didn't have to go shopping for any of this stuff," he said.


After two rounds of nerd trivia, the two winners faced off in a Math-a-thon. They had 30 seconds to do 60 multiplication tables. As the winner was named, the crowd celebrated by chanting "Nerd! Nerd! Nerd!"



Riders stepped outside the stuffy hotdog joint to cool off, even though the temperatures on Saturday rose to the upper 80s. As cars drove by and witnessed the gaggle of nerds, drivers honked and hollered. The nerds all took off at once for their next location, Joy Machines Bike Shop on West 25th Street.

Crank-Set is using proceeds from the $5 participation fee to purchase new bike racks for Cleveland. Its next events are the hot pants ride on Aug. 20 and the second annual zombie ride on Oct. 22.

Best of Cleveland: What Do You Want?

It's almost time to start voting for your favorites for Best of Cleveland 2011. But we want to know, what would you like to see added to our list of categories? Check out last year's ballot (click for a larger view) and leave your suggestions below.

Voting for Best of Cleveland 2011 will be available online May 1 through July 1 at clevelandmagazine.com/bestof. One voter will win two VIP tickets to the Best of Cleveland party on Friday, Oct. 14 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.

Be sure to check back May 1 to see what categories made the final cut.

Not that Caddyshack, but still cool ...

We’re a bowling town, as you probably read when picking up our Best of Cleveland issue in October. But turn the corner from East Fourth Street onto Prospect Avenue, and you’ll see that we sure as hell like to golf, too.

The Caddyshack Lounge and Pro Shop, which opened in early March, is kind of like The Corner Alley but with individual golf simulator screens (15-minute and per hour rentals) and Nintendo Wii instead of swanky bowling lanes.

Go there after work Tuesday and Wednesday nights to compete in longest-drive competitions starting at 5, or sing your heart out on Thursday’s karaoke night, which is also Ladies’ Night. (Psst … We hear there’s even a VIP room in back with leather couches, private simulators and a private server for special occasions.)

So grab your gear and tee off downtown at Caddyshack. Besides, bowling was so last year.

Triple dose of Cribbs in town tomorrow

We were happy to hear that the Browns and Josh Cribbs have stopped squabbling and started negotiating, leaving our favorite kick returner, wide receiver and wildcatter in brighter spirits than when he cleaned out his locker last month.

It's also a relief that he's thinking about someone else getting paid. Cribbs will hold a signing from 3 to 5 p.m. tomorrow at Coventry's newest skate shop, Legndary, to benefit former Browns buddy Steve Sanders' youth outreach program, My H.O.O.D. (Helping Others Organize Dreams). There's no cover, but if you spend $30 on a T-shirt autographed by Cribbs, you'll not only help Sanders' cause, you can let Cribbs know how much you want him in Cleveland, even if you can't personally pay him the big bucks.

Still, his appearance won't be entirely selfless. After all, it's "Pay Josh Cribbs" T-shirts he's signing — how's that for irony?

But if you're tied up and can't make this one, Cribbs will paint the town orange and brown tomorrow night, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Barley House, then from 10 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. at the Josh Cribbs ProBowl Party at the View Ultra-Lounge and Nightclub. If that's not enough Cribbs for you, then we don't know what is.

Local Restaurants Earn On Air Praise

Have a listen to a great piece on National Public Radio about the local dining scene. Of course I've been saying the same thing for a few years.

Pack your lunch Friday

As someone who has a top eight favorite places to see the city skyline (The magazine revealed its favorite view during last year's Best Of Cleveland issue), I was intrigued when I heard about Positively Cleveland's latest selection for its lunchtime DVD Series.

The film's tagline: "If you think you know Northeast Ohio...Think again" has me jonesing to find out more hidden gems that I haven't found yet. Sites Unseen will be aired at noon and 1 p.m. on Friday in their downtown offices, where Higbees used to be in Tower City.

Check out our January podcast

This month we talk about Monica Potter showing some skin on our cover, we interview Brad Ricca on Cleveland's Superman connections and we hear about life after ditching technology with, ahem, me (Andy Netzel). One of our Most Interesting People, John Petkovic and his band Cobra Verde provides musical accompaniment.

Click here to listen. If you like it, search for Cleveland Magazine in iTunes and subscribe. (It's free!)

Our Best Of Cleveland party

This magazine throws great parties. It's one of the best perks of the job.

So believe me when I tell you, dear reader: You should come to Cleveland Magazine's Best of Cleveland party this Friday, from 7 to 10:30 p.m., at the Rock Hall.

The party is our October issue come to life. Our Best Band winner, the indie-pop band The Twilight, is the entertainment. More than a dozen best-of winners in food and drink categories are serving up samples. Several other winners will have displays.

For $30 in advance, $40 at the door, you also get admission to all the Rock Hall's exhibits (museum admission alone is a $22 value). VIP tickets ($80 in advance, $90 at the door) get you an open bar and some other best-of-the-best bonuses.

For more info, click here.

Bukowski weekend

In the current issue, we named the "Beats, Counterculture, Icnoclasts" section at Visible Voice in Tremont the best bookstore section in Cleveland. It's a great example of a bookstore owner channeling his cultural obsession into a deep specialty no other store can match.

This weekend, Visible Voice and the Barking Spider Tavern in University Circle are hosting "A Poem Is A City: A Celebration of the Words of Charles Bukowski." Various semi-famous people from Cleveland's cultural scene will read from the underground poet's work Friday and Saturday night. Expect lots of material about Bukowski's favorite subjects: alcohol, horse racing, and women.

The weekend begins with an appropriate toast: a Bukowski happy hour at the Spider from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday. Visible Voice hosts readings in its courtyard Saturday night, 7 to 9. Mac's Backs, the Coventry bookstore, is also a sponsor.

It's the second straight year the three spots have teamed up for a weekend devoted to a hero of the literary counterculture. Last fall they hosted a bunch of people reading every word of Jack Kerouac's On the Road.