NOTE: This is our final Final Friday at 1109 Vine Street before relocating to 1202 Main Street in late September

Breastfeeding in Public opens Aug. 27

OTR anchor moves to LEED certified Belmain after three years on Vine Street

CINCINNATI, June 30, 2010 – Dan Korman announced today that he intends to move Park + Vine, Cincinnati’s green general store, from its original location at 1109 Vine Street two blocks east to the former Kaldi’s space, 1202 Main Street, at the Belmain in Over-the-Rhine.

Park + Vine, which opened in June 2007, is among a wave of stores nationwide focusing on ecologically friendly and environmentally sustainable merchandise. It is the first retailer in Cincinnati to specialize solely on these products.

Park + Vine offers a broad mix of products that minimizes the use of natural resources, toxic materials and animal by-products. The store carries reusable bottles, bags and food carriers, non-toxic cleaning and paint supplies, natural baby and parenting supplies, and a growing selection of foodstuff. Korman plans to continue offering programming on sustainable living, such as cloth diapering, composting and rainwater harvesting.

A major focus of the new space is a full vegan grocery store with bulk grains, local produce, bulk cleaning supplies, and a food bar with Fab Ferments Kombucha, fresh pressed juices and single-cup drip coffee and espresso from La Terza. The new store will feature a book wall, indoor and outdoor seating areas, bicycle parking, and a separate room for classes.

Korman looked at a variety of spaces before choosing the Belmain. Park + Vine is lining up next to new and established businesses along a resurgent Main Street, including Another Part of the Forest, Atomic Number 10, Fitnext, forkheartknife, Iris Bookcafe, Jack Potts Tavern, Mixx Ultra Lounge, Mr. Pitiful’s, Neon’s Unplugged, Original Thought Required, Shadeau Breads, Urban Eden, You Do Yoga, and other galleries and offices.

The Belmain condominium project, developed by Urban Sites, achieved a LEED Certified Silver Rating for Homes Mid-rise pilot program through the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED certification is a nationally recognized benchmark for high-performance environmentally friendly buildings, and through this pilot program, Urban Sites and the Belmain are leading sustainability of future mid-rise (4-6 story) residential buildings.

New Park + Vine at Belmain, 1202-04 Main Street, Over-the-Rhine

“This is a beautiful and culturally alive area–full of people who see potential in every corner of the neighborhood and are doing something about it,” said Korman, an Over-the-Rhine resident. “It’s an ideal place for budding entrepreneurs.”

Park + Vine is one of several successful developments near the intersection of 12th and Main Streets timed to capitalize on the significant redevelopment and extremely high occupancy rates in this section of Over-the-Rhine.

Greg Olson of Urban Sites said, “Park + Vine is a great addition to historic Main Street. It is exactly the type of retail business meant for the LEED Certified Silver Belmain Building. It will help us turn the corner and bring sustained economic vitality to one of Cincinnati’s finest commercial streets.”

In its first three years of business, Park + Vine has received awards from Cincinnati CityBeat, Cincinnati Magazine, Greater Cincinnati Earth Coalition, Hamilton County Solid Waste Management, and Sierra Club Miami Group, and has been featured in national publications such as The New York Times and VegNews.

Park + Vine will continue to do business at its current Vine Street location until its grand opening on Main Street, scheduled to coincide with the Midpoint Music Festival Sept. 23-25, 2010.

Press contact:
Dan Korman
Park + Vine
(513) 721-7275
dan@parkandvine.com

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Hamilton County Environmental Services is accepting these items at no charge: CPUs, hard drives, mice, keyboards, lap tops, docking stations, back-up batteries, power cords, speakers, modems, external hard drives, memory chips, storage chips, cellular phones, printers, scanners, and desk top fax machines.

Proof of residency, such as a driver’s license or utility bill, is required. This program prohibits participation from businesses, churches, schools and non-profit organizations. For more information, call 513-946-7766.

• City Crews will collect properly prepared yard waste for composting, separate from regular residential garbage
• Residents should set out properly prepared yard waste on the same day as their regularly scheduled garbage collection
• Yard waste should be placed in biodegradable brown paper yard waste bags or cans clearly marked “Yard Waste” or 90 gallon toters
• Yard waste stickers are not required. Registration for this service is not necessary
• Yard waste in plastic bags cannot be collected or received at composting facilities. Yard waste in plastic bags will not be collected
• Branches and brush should be tied (with cloth rope-not plastic cord) into bundles no larger than 4’x2’. Individual tree limbs should be no longer than 6” in diameter
• All types of yard waste are accepted, including: grass clippings, leaves, branches and brush

Eco-friendly alternatives

• Compost yard waste at home whenever possible
• Grass clippings can be left on the lawn instead of bagged
• Citizens are encouraged to use yard waste drop off sites to minimize the amount of yard waste that is sent to solid waste landfills (see below)

Four sites located across Hamilton County:

• East: Bzak Landscaping – 3295 Turpin Lane (off Rt. 32), Anderson Township
• West: Kuliga Park – 6717 Bridgetown Road, Green Township
• North: Rumpke Landfill – Struble Road and Colerain Avenue, Colerain Township
• Central: West Fork Solid Waste Facility (Cincinnati Residents Only) – 3320 Mill Creek Road, Cincinnati, OH 45225. Only for Cincinnati residents, this location is accessible off of Spring Grove Avenue and off Beekman Street.

Call 513-352-6397 for more information

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HAPPENINGS AT PARK + VINE

Building Ability Product Brainstorm at Park + Vine. 9 a.m.: Love the environment? Looking for fun, quality items for your toddler? Building Ability, a job-training program of Easter Seals Work Resource Center, is seeking parents of young children to help with a new product launch at Park + Vine. Join Building Ability staff for a fun brainstorming discussion on product design and pricing 9 a.m. Saturday, March 27 at Park + Vine. Space is limited to 25 people. RSVP 513-721-7275 or info@parkandvine.come before March 26. All items are handcrafted from recycled and reclaimed materials and built by individuals with disabilities receiving paid work experience.

Signing Safari Sampler. 11:30 a.m.: Imagine if your toddler could tell you when he or she were ready for a nap, or where something hurt. Join Signing Safari 11:30 a.m. Saturday, March 27 at Park + Vine and learn how easy it is to incorporate signs into everyday communications and reap the many benefits as early as nine months. Attending families will receive discount coupons for classes at the Cincinnati Family Enrichment Center and a free gift. RSVP info@parkandvine.com or 513-721-7275 before March 26.

HAPPENINGS ELSEWHERE

Wood Windows Work! 10 a.m.: Cincinnati Preservation Association presents “Wood Windows Work! Restoring Your Historic Wood Windows” 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 27 at the Westwood Branch of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, 3345 Epworth Avenue. Ken Hughes of Oakley-based Decorative Restorations will give a hands-on demonstration of wood window repair and maintenance, examine different window types and kinds of window hardware, and provide suggestions on how to improve the windows’ energy efficiency. Reservations are required. RSVP (513) 721-4506 or info@cincinnatipreservation.org.

Hamilton County’s Yardwaste Drop-Off Sites Open. 11:30 a.m.: The Hamilton County Solid Waste Management District’s free yardwaste drop-off sites open Saturday, March 27. This program is for Hamilton County residents only. Residents who drop-off yardwaste must bring proof of residency. Landscapers and commercial establishments are NOT eligible to participate in this program.

The locations for the yardwaste drop-off sites are:

• East: Bzak Landscaping, 3295 Turpin Lane (off Rt. 32), Anderson Township
• West: Kuliga Park, 6717 Bridgetown Road, Green Township
• North: Rumpke Sanitary Landfill, 3800 Struble Road (and Colerain Avenue), Colerain Township

All sites are open 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday March 27 through Nov. 21. All sites are closed April 4 and July 4. The Bzak Landscaping site (East location) is open for free yardwaste drop-off during regular business hours (7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday) in addition to the above hours of operation. This site is closed May 31 and Sept. 6.

Earth Hour, 8:30 p.m.
On Earth Hour 8:30 p.m. Saturday, March 27, hundreds of millions of people around the world will come together to call for action on climate change by doing something quite simple—turning off their lights for one hour. The movement symbolizes that by working together, each of us can make a positive impact in this fight, protecting our future and that of future generations. Ohio is an official Earth Hour state and will turn off the lights at the Governor’s residence for one hour. Park + Vine is one of 35+ businesses statewide that has signed the pledge. In honor of Earth Hour, we’re taking 20 percent off all in-stock candles 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, March 27. Join the movement!

Authored by the awesome Michelle Balz, it’s updated every other week or so with a new fun post. This week’s post is all about composting beer!

Pictured: Michelle Balz, Community Outreach Coordinator. Solid Waste Management District, Hamilton County Department of Environmental Services

Meet at the Civic Garden Center, 2715 Reading Road, Avondale, and then head out with staff and other volunteers to well-loved community gardens around the city. All levels of gardening experience are welcome. Bring friends, family members or come on your own for a day of gratifying community work. RSVP Jan Kivora-Simms 513-221-0981, ext. 14 or jsimms@civicgardencenter.org before March 18.