Park + Vine is one of 10 local stores raising money benefiting the Red Cross Haiti Relief Fund Feb. 1-7. Here’s the complete lineup of participating stores:

1. Alternative Motive
2. Atomic 10 (Over-the-Rhine)
3. Hyde Park Fish Market (Hyde Park)
4. Joseph Williams Home (Over-the-Rhine)
5. Little Liza Jane’s (Montgomery)
6. OUTSIDE (Over-the-Rhine)
7. Park + Vine (Over-the-Rhine)
8. Redtree Art Gallery and Coffee Shop (Oakley)
9. The Mustard Seed Boutique (Clifton)
10. The Wine Merchant (Oakley)

There are plenty of ways to enjoy an eco-friendly holiday. Here are five that immediately come to mind. In the meantime, here’s to longer days. Happy Winter Solstice

1. Shop and eat local: It’s easy, more beneficial to all and more fun to shop and eat at locally-owned and operated stores and restaurants. It’s extremely rewarding to buy from businesses in your own neighborhood and from people you know. It just is. If you’re looking for a little more encouragement, check out BuyCincy, the best source for all things local. Check out CityBeat’s Last-Minute Gift Guide for meaningful gifts at a bunch of locally-owned stores
2. Use a reusable bag as gift wrap
3. Walk, bike, take the bus, or carpool to Nana’s house



Bicycle Santa, courtesy of little Allee Thompson

4. Recycle your tree
5. Give to local charities: There are way too many to list here, but here are some of the local charities we supported this past year: 89.7 FM WNKU, 91.7 FM WVXU, Cain-Churches Active-Northside, The Cincinnati Waldorf School, Cincinnati Zoo, Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati, Community Shares of Greater Cincinnati, Foundation for Findlay Market, Imago Earth Center, Mill Creek Watershed Council, MoBo Bicycle Cooperative, Ohio Citizen Action, Over-the-Rhine Community Housing, Sierra Club Miami Group, UCAN Cincinnati

Are you looking for a one-of-a-kind gift for someone special? Avoid the traffic and crowds and start your search at our very own neighborhood’s Holidays in the Bag 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 27. Grab a Gateway Quarter shopping bag on the corner of 12th and Vine streets and shove as many goods as you can in the bag to receive 20 percent off your purchases. Participating stores include Park + Vine, Mica 12/v, The Little Mahatma, Switch, Incredible Creations, Metronation, Joseph Williams Home, A Lucky Step, Outside, Atomic #10 and Ensemble Theatre.

Photo credit: Randy Weeks

Santa will be riding through the streets on a Segway, courtesy of the Segway Store located at the corner of Central Parkway and Vine Street. Look for Santa riding a bicycle and distributing organic candy canes, too. After shopping, grab something to eat or drink at Lavomatic, Venice on Vine, Coffee Emporium and Below Zero Lounge, and enjoy the beginning of the holiday season.

The biggest local shopping event of the year, BuyCincy’s Cincinnati Unchained, takes place the Saturday before Thanksgiving, Nov. 21. Stores citywide are offering deals, gifts and charitable donations during this annual campaign that highlights locally-owned businesses. Park + Vine is donating 10 percent of all purchases to Enright Ridge Urban Ecovillage 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Meet the potters from Plasket Pottery 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at a mini in-store pottery show.

Shopping locally has real economic benefits and is far from being elitist or anti-corporate. It’s about our city’s economic well-being. The fact is that local businesses use goods and services of their peers and, therefore, recirculate money an estimated 3.5 times longer than if it’s spent at a chain store. It’s really simple so be sure to do your part.

Cincinnati Unchained sponsoring businesses:

• Atomic Number Ten – 1306 Main St., Over-the-Rhine
• Blue Manatee Children’s Bookstore & Decafe – 3054 Madison Rd., Oakley
• Bromwell’s – 117 W. 4h St., Downtown
• Chicken Lays an Egg – 1608 Chase Ave., Northside
• College Hill Coffee Co. – 6128 Hamilton Ave., College Hill
• Contemporary Arts Center – 44 E 6th St., Downtown
• Dojo Gelato – 1801 Race St. (Findlay Market), Over-the-Rhine
• Essencha Tea House & Fine Teas – 3212a Madison Rd., Oakley
• Field of Vue – 334 Fairfield Ave., Bellevue
• Findlay Market- 1801 Race St., Over-the-Rhine
• indigenous – 2008 Madison Rd., O’Bryonville
• Litwin’s – 7565 Kenwood Rd. Suite 204, Kenwood
• Joseph Williams Home – 1232 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine
• NVISION – 4577 Hamilton Ave., Northside
• Park + Vine- 1109 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine
• The Spotted Goose – 3048 Madison Rd., Oakley
• Switch – 1207A Vine St., Over-the-Rhine
• Yottaquest – 7607 Hamilton Ave., Mt. Healthy

Pedal into fall on Cincinnati’s third Queen City Bike + Dine noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10 starting at Park + Vine, 1109 Vine Street. This 20-mile bike tour includes vegan options at three local restaurants, The Hideaway, Five Star Foodies Commissary and Green Dog Cafe. The ride ends at Grammer’s Bar in Over-the-Rhine.

Advance tickets are available for $30 at Park + Vine (513-721-7275). A portion of ticket sales goes to participating restaurants, with the balance benefiting Queen City Bike, our region’s bicycling advocacy organization.

“From Cincinnati To You” features photography by Artist Judy Zirkelbach at Park + Vine, 1109 Vine Street. Zirkelbach documents a range of iconic Cincinnati images, including a Graeter’s sign and a stone bridge in Spring Grove Cemetery. This show opens 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28 and continues through Sept. 20.

Park + Vine keeps its doors open late the last Friday of every month, along with other spots on Vine and Main Streets and at the Pendleton Art Center, as art lovers get a close-up look at the artists and artisans at work in Cincinnati.

“20th Century Theatre, Oakley” – Judy Zirkelbach

Vine Street north of Central Parkway in Over-the-Rhine has evolved into a multi-store collection of “eco-friendly sensibility and local craftspeople,” according to Joy Kraft. Nine stores–including Park + Vine–are strutting their stuff with a three-day clearance sale beginning Friday, July 24. Hours vary somewhat, but most stores are open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Participating stores include City Roots, Iris Book Cafe (Main Street), Little Mahatma, A Lucky Step, Metronation, MiCA 12v, Outside, Park + Vine, and Switch. Shop local and support neighborhood commerce.

Markdowns at Park + Vine July 24-26:
50% off Mad Mats
50% off Boob nursing wear
50% off apparel from DreamSacks, Harlot Wear and prAna
25% off indoor/outdoor dinnerware from Stalk Market, Verterra and more (Sat. only)
25% off all wooden toys
25% off Simple Shoes and Vegetarian Shoes
25% off artwork by Cory Shafer
Take $1 off any bottled drink, including GT’s Kombucha, Izze and Oogave

Park + Vine is celebrating a birthday today. We–the little green general store with lots of reusable bottles, cloth diapers and vegan junk food–are two-years-old. There are some people out there who are intrigued that we even survived our first day. They’ve likely never graced our front door. So it’s great to tell the world that business is good and that small, independently owned stores are thriving here in Cincinnati.

We’re celebrating from 6 to 9 p.m. tonight (Friday, May 29) with fare from Green Earth Grill, salsa sampling courtesy of Sustain Brand, and beer from Christian Moerlein.

Sharon Udoh has put together a nice little musical lineup: Brandon Dawson, Fanatics and Traitors, and Tumeric. Be sure to catch Jim Taddeo of Imago Earth Center as he demonstrates how to run a diesel vehicle off used vegetable oil.

There are tons of exhibit openings tonight in Over-the-Rhine, including David Brantley’s “African American Life” at Venice on Vine, so make a night out of it.

Come back Saturday, May 30 for a collage-making class with Grace Gravelle at 11 a.m., a musical performance by April Eight (a music project of April Combs and her two daughters) at noon, and more good eats from Green Earth Grill until 3 p.m.

In the tradition of two-year anniversaries, we’re taking 25 percent off all cotton goods, including apparel, bedding, and stationery, May 29-31.

Thanks for all the love and support, Cincinnati. It means a great deal.

The guys behind Nati Evolvement just rolled out two reissued favorites and we have them here at Park + Vine. There’s the super-soft Find Your Soul in the City T-shirt, screened on a short-sleeved blue American Apparel shirt. And then there’s the brown Nati Baseball Cap. Add both of these to your wardrobe for $25 each.

One of our startup lines when we opened June 1, 2007, Nati Evolvement designs T-shirts, hats and jackets that convey a pro-Cincinnati message in a youthful and creative way. Nati Evolvement is awesome.

Cincinnati’s second annual Queen City Bike + Dine kicks off at noon Saturday, June 6 at Park + Vine, 1109 Vine St. This 22-mile, five-hour bike tour highlights some of Cincinnati’s best vegan options at four local restaurants (Speckled Bird Cafe, The Loving Cafe, Maribelle’s Tavern, Otto’s), while emphasizing the ease of getting around on a bicycle. Advance tickets are $35 and available at Park + Vine (513-721-7275). Cool ride T-shirt available during the ride for an additional fee. Proceeds benefit Imago Earth Center in Price Hill. Hurry, because space is limited.