Add The Green Tomato to the list of independent retail stores
shuttering their doors this year. The Coventry Road purveyor of
super cool and kitschy items from Hello Kitty to Smart Women will
close permanently in the next couple of months. Many reasons
influenced owner Gayle Lewis’ decision to close, including
escalating rents on Coventry and competition from corporate mall
chains. The news adds to a spate of recent independent retail
closings or relocations including Shaker Square’s Balaton
Restaurant, Phil the Fire, and Lush Boutique (moved to Legacy
Village). Bruce blog wonders, is this a natural cycle in the
economy or are other forces at play?
In some cases, high rents, a poor economy, bad business decisions
or recent news that Shaker Square is being sold may have started
an outmigration of tenants. On Coventry, not all buildings (or
landlords) are equal. The tenants in the building owned by Tommy
Fello (including Record Revolution and High Tide Rock Bottom)
reportedly enjoy stable rents. Meanwhile, the building where
Green Tomato operates and the former Free Times building have
changed ownership in the last few years.
In recent (as in past) years – with the raising of the modern
glass and steel ‘mall’ building and the influx of chain stores –
complaints that Coventry is losing its independent edge to
profiteering landlords have been common. True or not, the
writings of Green Tomato’s landlord would seem to add credence to
the claim. J. Scott Scheel, 35, bought the building a few years
ago, which houses Renaissance Parlour and Green Tomato. Scheel
admits that he hit rock bottom before buying the building on
credit, and makes no secret of his intentions with his investment
property. His personal Web site http://www.creative-commercialreal-estate.com/commercial-real-estate-class.htm touts his own
investment savvy and offers to teach others “how I could buy
commercial real estate better, turn it around faster, and learn
from OTHER people’s mistakes.”
“Building owners have to lower rents just to get tenants,” Scheel
writes, “also driving the value of the buildings down and letting
you purchase them at huge discounts. Do you think that once the
economy turns around (and it WILL turn around) and all these
building owners are enjoying close to 100% occupancy and high
monthly rents that they will be desperate to sell at low prices?
Of course not!”
With so many issues conspiring against them, how independent
stores managed to stay open at all is a small miracle. Developers
attribute a little more science than faith, saying if there are
enough customers with cash to burn and not a lot of competition
close-by, then a store should be feasible. Without knowing the
market analysis for Green Tomato, it’s hard to say what is the
biggest factor contributing to its demise. Is it a combination of
the economy tanking and a lack of traffic on Coventry in the last
year?
Lewis blames lower sales this year in part on the economy and on
Coventry Road practically being shut down for part of the year
when the new street and sidewalks were put in. But, Lewis’ cost
to purchase a Hello Kitty t-shirt is a lot higher than her mall
competitor, Hot Topic, so Green Tomato ends up having to charge
more to get by. On top of that, Green Tomato’s rents escalated
(in part through Scheel) from $14 per sq. ft Gross to $25 sq. ft
Triple Net in five years. Triple Net means she pays part of the
building’s taxes, maintenance and insurance. Lewis says a recent
bill for $1,500 from the landlord to cover ‘overages’ in the
Triple Net rubbed salt in the wound.
Would Coventry be a less viable street if Hot Topic moved in and
replaced Green Tomato? Perhaps, and not just because of the
vaunted ‘independent spirit’ of Coventry. Common sense dictates
that profits for corporate interests that headquarter out of
state don’t circulate back through the local economy. Sales taxes
and income taxes would be a zero sum gain.
Lewis adds that a shorter shopping season for open air markets
versus the climate controlled malls are another factor to
consider. Also, a perception that parking doesn’t exist or isn’t
convenient has plagued places like the Centrum movie theater on
Coventry or Dottie’s Diner on Lee Road (again, other business
factors conspired to close both). But, often the walk from the
parking lot at the mall is longer than that from the Coventry
Road garage, so go figure.
It’s been argued that tenant mix influences the success of a
neighborhood retail center. In the case of Coventry, tenant mix
has been a mixed bag. Most recently, independent operation
Goodies, which serves frozen and baked desserts, opened in the
former Coventry Optical space. A month later, Stricklands, an
Akron-based frozen custard chain, moves into the space next to CD
Warehouse. Despite that, turnover usually brings a balance of
independents (at this writing, Bruce blog noticed a sign above
Goodies for another local indie, Fast Eddie’s Chop Shop, a low
dough hair salon). How long they can hold out against the
onslaught of chains is anybody’s guess.
Last Saturday was River Day, and at Dike 14, an 88-acre landfill
jutting into Lake Erie from the end of MLK Boulevard, scores of
Cleveland families floated by in boats or hiked its rugged but
serene landscape. While Cleveland Mayor Jane Campbell recently
restated her intention to have Dike 14 converted into a nature
preserve/park/bird sanctuary (part of her promised Two Parks…)
questions such as how the cash-strapped city will pay for the
planning and creation of the park and its maintenance remain.
Well, Cleveland might take a page from Manatee County, Florida,
which recently designated a 64-acre ‘spoil island’ nature
preserve. The deal resulted from the county’s approving a $1.65
billion trans-gulf pipeline. In return, the natural gas company
that removed a trench 581 miles long from the ocean for the
pipeline, paid $7.2 million for it to be disposed (as a spoil
island) and to create a bird sanctuary on the island. The
mitigation scheme also reaped $10 million in dockage, wharfage,
leases and related revenues during the construction phase of the
project, Manatee County Commissioner Amy Stein writes in the
March 19 edition of The Bradenton Herald (Bradenton.com). “The
Port Authority has wisely invested these revenues as matching
funds for state grants to further enhance Port Manatee’s ability
to retain and attract business,” Stein gushes.
Similar mitigation schemes are in the works in Cleveland. For
example, The Port Authority and the State of Ohio are funding a
stream and corridor restoration of lower Doan Brook and
Rockefeller Park, both of which literally spill into Dike 14. The
roughly $6 million project is a mitigation (or trade off) for
allowing the Port to fill in Abrams Creek at Hopkins
International Airport in order to build a new runway. Perhaps
through similar diligent efforts and enforcing exactions on
projects that fill in wetlands around the area (have you seen
Park Synagogue East’s future site lately?), a mitigation pot of
funds will be designated for Dike 14?
The urban big box invasion begins?
Big box retail has established a toehold in Cleveland with the
announcement this week that First Interstate Properties plans on
redeveloping LTV’s former West side Mill, a 100 acre contaminated
brownfield, into Steel Yard Commons, a lifestyle center which
will certainly include big box retailers. The deal is a boon to
Cleveland’s tax coffers, or is it? How many permanent, high wage
jobs will be created? Will First Interstate seek entitlements
such as tax abatements?
Critics point out that unsavory labor practices at big box giants
as well as buildings that lack design attribute to a withering of
quality and authenticity. Yes, more than $8 million was spent to
enhance the city’s traditional, mom-and-pop neighborhood centers
through the ReStore Cleveland program last year, but Bruce blog
wonders if this deal represents a shift in land-use policy for
Cleveland? With Mayor Campbell openly courting big box retailers,
will her administration put parcels such as the Chagrin
Highlands, which the city of Cleveland for years insisted would
not have retail centers (only office parks because of the higher
income tax potential) into play?
Admirers of the First Interstate deal, such as the Cleveland
developer with whom Bruce blog spoke this week, say that big box
retail will be limited in Cleveland since there’s a lack of sites
large enough and with immediate highway access in the urban core.
But, that doesn’t mean developers or city officials concerned
with millions of dollars of retail purchases leaking out of the
city of Cleveland will stop pursuing deals such as Steel Yard
Commons.
“Why shouldn’t the city get some of that (lost revenue),” says
the developer. “We can talk all we want about poor labor
practices, but the reality is, the big boxes are here to stay.”
I just stumbled across your sight yesterday -- I love it. I
printed out the article about Lisa Kious coming back to
Cleveland, because I love stories like that where people come
back after moving to "cooler places." It is very cool that she
would be coming back to Cleveland. Sometimes things in Cleveland
start to feel a little hopeless, especially when some of its
biggest supporters and creative people move away. Lisa coming
back is a positive note.Hopefully I will run into her at Nates or
Malley's...that is, when I come back to visit or move back…
William Marthaller, Washington, D.C.
Event for blog
June 9
The Cleveland EcoVillage, an urban ‘infill’ development with an
environment and social conscience, will have a ribbon cutting
ceremony at 4 p.m. for the second phase of the EcoVillage Town
Homes located at W. 58th Street between Lorain and Madison
avenues. The last units to be built here in the center of what
promises to be a revitalized urban neighborhood follow in the
footsteps of the first ten units, which are all sold. They
exemplify the latest in town home design (front porches, built to
the street, brick construction, alley systems) and green
technologies such as recycled and toxic free materials and highperformance heaters and coolers that reduce energy bills to a few
hundred dollars a year.
June 16
Ohio EPA one-day green building and sustainable
redevelopment training session for local governments. Ohio EPA
has proposed new sustainable development/green building practices
as ranking criteria for the next round of Clean Ohio funding. The
agency is providing this training to explain what are sustainable
developments and green buildings, and how they can benefit
communities. Case studies from within Ohio provided. Email or
call 614- 644-3749 for more information.
Look into HB 217 -- school finance reform (being introduced this
week)
introduced in Ohio Assembly by GOP
timeline -- before recess (aggressive)
seen as "fixing the schools"
want a political victory
The guv aka John McGovern writes to Bruce blog to remind us to
Help support local farmers, the greening of greater Cleveland,
and su hambre del estomago with a visit to the Coit Road Farmers
Market in East Cleveland. I believe it is the only farmer's
market to stay open year round and feature ONLY locally grown
produce. Many of the farmer's hail from the fertile Cuyahoga
Valley and/or farm organically.
If you are in Cleve/Shaker Hts, take Taylor north to Euclid, hang
a right and the first left is Coit. The market is near the
intersection of Noble and Coit.
Saturday's at the Market are usually full of special events such
as those listed below.
Peace and good eating!
Subject:
Fwd: Spring goat cheese, fresh herbs, plants for the
garden
Date: Fri, 21 May 2004 20:42:06 -0400
From: John McGovern <theguv@mac.com>
[ Add To Address Book ]
To: Marc Marc <marc@hotelbruce.com>
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<fontfamily><param>Gadget</param><color><param>0000,8080,0000</pa
ram>Friend
s
Help support local farmers, the greening of greater Cleveland,
and su
hambre del estomago with a visit to the Coit Road Farmers Market
in
East Cleveland. I believe it is the only farmer's market to stay
open
year round and feature ONLY locally grown produce. Many of the
farmer's hail from the fertile Cuyahoga Valley and/or farm
organically.
If you are in Cleve/Shaker Hts, take Taylor north to Euclid, hang
a
right and the first left is Coit. The market is near the
intersection
of Noble and Coit.
Saturday's at the Market are usually full of special events such
as
those listed below.
Peace and good eating!
john</color></fontfamily>
Begin forwarded message:
<excerpt><bold><fontfamily><param>Helvetica</param><color><param>
0000,0000,
0000</param>From:
</color></fontfamily></bold><fontfamily><param>Helvetica</param>K
ON500@aol.
com
<bold><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param>Date:
</color></bold>May 21,
2004 6:24:15 PM EDT
<bold><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param>To:
</color></bold>KON500@aol.com
<bold><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param>Subject: </color>Spring
goat
cheese, fresh herbs, plants for the garden
</bold></fontfamily>
Hello!
you!
Please share this Market memo with friends -- thank
Coit Road Farmers Market in East Cleveland.
15000 Woodworth Road at Coit
near E. 152 St./Noble Rd. intersection
HOURS
Wednesdays 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Saturdays 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Open all year
216-249-5455 during Market hours; 440-286-5326 anytime
www.coitmarket.org
SPRING RAINS MAKE FLOWERS and VEGETABLES GROW
Cliff Schultz had some of the most beautiful homegrown broccoli
on
Wednesday,
and he will have more tomorrow.
edible
on
You know even the leaves are
broccoli, when it is this fresh and tender.
available, and
Rhubarb is still
asparagus. Also Controlled Atmosphere apples, Mutsu & Melrose.
To
the farmer, CA
storage means that a bumper crop of apples can be stored for a
longer
period,
and still compete with apples that are available from NY State,
Washington
State or the Southern Hemisphere in our spring.
get
used to crisp
As customers we
apples all year, and with CA storage our local apples will make
us
happy!
Cliff will also have locally grown, vine-ripened hydroponic
tomatoes.
They
are very good, taste like summer tomatoes.
FRESH & TENDER SPRING SALAD GREENS
Barb Foose of Blooming Patches Farm is harvesting the most tender
leaf
lettuce, several varieties, along with rocket (a pungent green),
and
sorrel. She
also has fresh cut herbs, basil, thyme, chives to help bring the
taste
of a new
season to your cooking.
perennials
Barb has a good variety of very healthy
and herb plants for your home garden, and some heirloom variety
tomatoes.
ORDER ORGANIC GRASS FED BEEF
If you sampled the dishes that Linda Griffith was cooking last
Saturday, you
may wish to order this delicious, healthy beef raised in Ashland,
Ohio. Amish
farmer John Keim visited Coit Road Farmers Market last Saturday,
and
talked
about his reasons for farming organically for over 30 years.
Kathleen for
information about ordering and a price list.
See
The beef arrives at
Market
frozen and vacuum wrapped.
OYSTER & SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS * * *
See Kevin, the Spice Hound, for organic oyster & shiitake
mushrooms -he may
cook up some samples to taste.
stems of
oyster
We've discovered that whole
mushrooms are great on the grill!
ARTISANAL BREADS # # #
Elizzabeth will have a sweet and savory selection of hand made
breads...
Saturdays only.
Keep in touch with Ohio's family farms and farm products -- we
have
local
apples, maple syrup, eggs, all-natural cheeses from the Original
Amish
Cheese
Co-op in Middlefield, trail bologna, garlic, jams & jellies, and
honey.
Available by special order for Coit Road Farmers Market
customers:
Grass-fed
Angus beef, locally raised on a certified organic Amish farm.
See
Kathleen at
Market for more information.
!!! SPICES !!!
fresh
Many varieties of dried peppers, whole spices --
tortillas and tortilla chips.
Also
Indian spices
for curries.
salt. See
SEA SALT!
Home made special recipe salsas.
including fleur de sel, a nice finishing
the Spice Hound.
! ! ! Enjoy a cup of Fairly Traded, locally roasted Crooked River
coffee
while you shop.
whole
beans only.
Crooked River coffees also available in bulk,
Avon and Watkins products also available.
Thank you for supporting our Market project!
Kathleen
Below – NEEDS A MAP!!
Cleveland, ISG deal creates roomier towpath
Friday, May 21, 2004
Tom Breckenridge
Plain Dealer Reporter
The city and
multifaceted
Trail in the
recreational
International Steel Group Inc. have crafted a
land deal that would provide room for the Towpath
Cuyahoga River valley and allow for new business and
opportunities.
Under one facet of the deal, the city would reimburse ISG for
cleanup costs of up to $1 million to acquire 55 acres that once
housed coke ovens, said city Planning Director Christopher
Ronayne. ISG would donate riverfront land and nearby easements
for the Towpath Trail - a 101-mile path planned from downtown
Cleveland to New Philadelphia. The city would take control of two
sites, totaling more than 100 acres in the Cuyahoga River
industrial valley.
Mayor Jane Campbell's administration has been working on the pact
for 18 months.
"The deal represents the new Cleve land partnership we are
looking for," Ronayne said. "It's an awareness between business
and the city that we've got to work together to create a
sustainable future, rooted in economic revitalization."
ISG, the fast-growing successor to LTV Steel Co., has been
looking to shed some of its 1,200 acres.
"I'm very proud of ISG's role and the opportunity to help the
city," said Bill Brake, ISG's general manager. He declined to
discuss specifics of the deal.
Ronayne hopes that City Council approves a memorandum of
understanding on the deal before taking its mid- June recess.
ISG's board of directors must also approve the pact.
Highlights of the deal include:
Land for the Towpath Trail. Right now, the trail, which runs
roughly parallel to remnants of the Ohio & Erie Canal, stops six
miles short of downtown Cleveland.
The ISG deal grants easements for a half-mile spur along the
river's west bank, at ISG's southern border. The spur would end
at an interpretive display of the valley's steel heritage,
Ronayne said.
Another mile of easement, just west of the nearby railroad line,
would allow the trail to run through ISG land, flanked by hulking
mills, and hit Quigley Road. The trail would run another mile
north on Quigley, to the Interstate 490 bridge.
ISG would donate a .75-acre parcel beneath the bridge, near West
Third Street, for a rest stop. The ISG deal would mean that two
of the trail's final six miles are attainable. The city must
still negotiate with several dozen property owners to complete
the trail, which could take up to seven years and at least $12.5
million to complete.
ISG also would support the city and the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic
Railroad in their efforts to bring the passenger train over CSX
Corp.-owned lines to the Terminal Tower.
The scenic railroad line stops seven miles short of downtown
right now.
Cleaning up the coke oven site. The city would buy a 55-acre
parcel at Interstate 77 and Pershing Avenue for the cost of
cleaning it up, capped at $1 million, Ronayne said.
The money is available through a loan the city set up several
years ago to help with cleanups at ISG, Ronayne said.
The city wants to relocate Morabito Trucking on East 55th Street
to the site.
That would free up land for planned expansion of Mound El
ementary School and other neighborhood projects. The move would
be in keeping with Campbell's desire to move industries into the
valley, affording more new housing opportunities in the Tremont,
Central, Broadway and Old Brooklyn neighborhoods, Ronayne said.
Leasing a landfill.
The city would enter into a 99-year lease of some 60 acres of
sludge landfill, known at Vista Pointe. It's just west of
Washington Park.
The city would help ISG secure grants of up to $3 million to
close and cap the landfill, with the city taking on any
additional costs. The capped landfill could be used for
recreation; a new golf course will soon be built nearby.
In exchange for a $1-a-year lease of the landfill, the city would
support ISG's application for an expanded landfill to the west.