BY JEFF MCKINNEY JMCKINNEY@ENQUIRER.COM

OVER-THE-RHINE - Hoping to prosper from new development and people willing to shop in rejuvenated areas in this neighborhood, specialty home accessories and gift store Metronation is moving to a new site that will triple its size.

The business owned by George Crawford, Jerry Schmidt and Melissa Walters plans to move from Ninth and Elm streets downtown to a 2,650-square-foot space at 1213 Vine St. that’s part of the Gateway Quarter project.

The Gateway Quarter is being marketed as a hub for arts-oriented residential and commercial activity, a roughly $20 million joint development project encompassing properties within a block of 12th and Vine streets.

Crawford says the expansion will allow Metronation to carry larger pieces of furniture, including couches, chairs, dining-room furniture, Murphy-style beds and other items, ranging from $300 to $3,000.

The store also will have an expanded baby and children’s department that will offer merchandise including boys’ and girls’ clothes, educational toys and other items priced from $10 to $80.

The store also will carry a larger selection of existing items such as jewelry, watches and root candles.

Crawford says he’s confident the area will become one of the city’s hottest neighborhoods.

Metronation is timing its opening to the Over-the-Rhine Summer Tour of Homes on June 3.

He is hopeful the expansion from Elm Street will allow Metronation to pick up business from people from the suburbs willing to shop in the rejuvenated area, as well as a growing number of people buying condos there.

“The developers have done a tremendous job of breathing life back into this area,” Crawford says.

Contact: 513-564-0095.

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Today is the 38th annual celebration of Earth Day and the message about making Cincinnati more green and environmentally friendly is making great strides and this past week was no exception.

Downtowners continued to savor the amazing 7,000-square-foot display of 10,000 pansies, inspired by the biannual Floral Carpet in Brussels, Belgium, at Fountain Square. Be sure to check it out before April 29, when people are invited to take flowers home. The remaining blooms are expected to end up at city parks.

Photo credit: Cincy Images

City Beat, the Downtowner and Cin Weekly all featured cover stories on the local environmental movement. On April 16, city leaders discussed the latest proposed routes for the Ohio River Trail, which will connect Lunken Airport with downtown. Advocates behind a plan to get streetcars downtown and in Over-the-Rhine in the next few years gave a dynamic presentation at Green Drinks Cincinnati April 19. And then there was the big annual Earth Day celebration, presented by the Greater Cincinnati Earth Coalition, April 21 at Sawyer Point. The fun included family-friendly activities, educational presentations, an impressive musical lineup, and a dude (pictured below, courtesy of Cory Shafer) who combined earth-friendly messages scribbled on cardboard boxes with “vogue” dance moves. Oh yeah.

At Park + Vine, we’re still on track for a June 1-3 grand opening. The painter and contractor are about finished putting the final touches on the space, while merchandise started arriving last week with plenty more inventory on the way. In the coming weeks, we’ll post photographs and more information on what merchandise customers can expect to see. In the meantime, continue to shop locally and, in the spirit of Earth Day, follow these basic steps to a greener lifestyle:

1. Walk, bike or take public transportation to protect air quality
2. Recycle, recycle, recycle
3. Make your home energy-efficient
4. Plant a tree or garden
5. Support local farmers’ markets (i.e., Findlay Market) and buy organic produce

BY NICOLE HAMILTON | NHAMILTON@TOWNMEDIAINC.COM

OVER-THE-RHINE – Gateway Quarter, the latest Downtown revitalization project, will bring more than 100 condos, new restaurants and retailers to the intersection of 12th and Vine Streets this year. But Jim Moll of Builder Resources says this isn’t the first time Vine Street will be the epicenter of urban development.

“The area was second only to Paris,” says Moll of Vine Street in the late 1800s. “The area was dense and vibrant. It was really at the center [of Downtown].”

Today, the Gateway Quarter development team which consists of Urban Sites, The Model Group, Northpointe Group and B2B Equities – in conjunction with the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC) – is restoring the once-vacant buildings on Vine Street into modern loft spaces.

“We’re breathing new life into the area,” says Moll, who has worked with Urban Sites owner Bill Baum for several years. “And we are doing it right at the nick of time.”

Moll says that although the Quarter is situated in a neighborhood that contains the largest collection of 19th century Italianate architecture still standing in the States. And many of the historic buildings purchased by 3CDC and developed by the Gateway Quarter Group were almost in a state of total disrepair, he says.

But today, as construction workers and electricians put the finishing touches on the new condo units, Moll, 54, and his team are selling the units to an eclectic mix of urbanites. The paint hasn’t dried and people are ready to call Vine Street home.

“We’ve been really successful,” says Moll, about loft sales. “Everyone thought this would be a place for young professionals – and it is – but we’ve sold to a diverse group.”

In one building, Moll says he sold a condo to a young 30-something woman who is finishing an internship at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Her neighbors will be a couple near retirement who want a townhome they can stay at when they are Downtown on the weekends.

Moll attributes the diversity of buyers to the varying prices – the lofts range from $85,000 to more than $300,000. Many feature rooftop decks, elevators and city views.

But there are other reasons the area is attractive to so many people.

“A strong Downtown environment attracts not only young professionals but other members of the creative class,” says Moll. “Some people want to live here so they can walk to work and be close to the arts community.”

Although the developers are “meticulously maintaining the architectural integrity of the community,” Moll says, the lofts were restored using eco-friendly materials such as bamboo flooring. The developers have also found creative uses for abandoned and recycled products.

Moll wasn’t surprised at how easy it has been to find new loft owners. He was surprised at the interest people have shown in opening up new businesses in the Gateway.

“It’s amazing how many people want to start a business in this part of Vine Street,” he says.

In addition to Dan Korman’s green general store, Park + Vine which will open this summer, Lisa Yunker’s urban gardening store Urban Roots, will also take up residence on Vine Street. MetroNation will move to the Gateway area of Vine as well and will feature home accents and décor.

“I never thought of opening a store Downtown,” says Yunkers, 38. “But I visited Vine Street about a year ago and I thought, ‘Wow, there is really something going on here.’”

A friend told Moll that she was interested in opening an urban garden store, and soon, Moll was showing her available storefronts.

“Vine Street is like one huge, open canvas,” she says.

According to Moll, the Gateway Quarter team is working with a restaurant to finalize a deal that will bring them to the ground floor of the Duveneck Flats at 1214-1220 Vine St. And although he cannot name that restaurant yet, he says Jean-Robert de Cavel – owner of a handful of French restaurants Downtown and in Northern Kentucky – is very excited to open another restaurant, at 1211 Vine St., later this year.

He says that when de Cavel first visited the Gateway he remarked about how much it reminded him of his hometown, Roubaix, France.

“This is really exciting,” says Moll, of the Gateway Quarter development. Eventually, 3CDC plans to extend the revitalization all the way to Liberty Street, by developing 100 loft spaces every year for the next five years.

“This is such an important time on Vine Street,” Moll says. “If we can carry this all the way to Liberty Street just imagine how great that would be.”

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One of last week’s highlights happened after the Reds’ Opening Day Parade April 2 when two guys walked toward the store on a mission to shop. They quickly realized that they were almost two months early upon seeing the “coming this spring” sign in the window (minus the guy standing in the window). On top of that, good friend Melody Geraci from Chicago got a sneak preview while visiting family for Easter. She’s organizing a caravan of other Chicagoans planning to attend the grand opening June 1-3. Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come. Bring on the Park + Vine lovefest.

The contractor made significant headway in the space last week. The most notable difference is that the bamboo flooring is almost completely in place. It has completely transformed and brightened the space. One of the four windows overlooking the enclosed courtyard is now repaired and back in line with its three sisters. As a result, there’s even more natural light pouring into the space. The painter, downtowner Chris Wiedeman, starts working on the walls this week. We’ve picked out some vibrant colors that we’ll post here in the coming weeks. All of this construction work is possible due to the loving support and intellect of longtime friend Deanna Heil, an architect at Brashear Bolton, 1106 Race St. Expect more on Deanna in the coming months.

As always, mark your calendars for the grand opening June 1-3. In the meantime, visit the lovely Crow Grando at her newly relocated jewelry store, Mahatma, at 639 Main Street beginning April 9. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. This wonderful downtown retailer specializes in items from India, Tibet and Nepal. For more information, call (513) 723-1287. Mahatma’s grand opening is 4 to 9 p.m. April 21 alongside the Downtown HopAround.

It’s Opening Day for the Cincinnati Reds and the air is alive with spring and positive vibes. The energy level in this city is very high. It feels great to be a part of the renaissance of our hometown.

The big news in our corner of the city was unveiled last Friday when Over-the-Rhine resident and Cincinnati Post contributing writer, Joe Wessels, was the first (blogs aside) to report that Cincinnati restaurateur Jean-Robert de Cavel plans to open a new restaurant late this year or early next in the 1200 block of Vine Street. De Cavel joins Park + Vine and a growing group of other local businesses giving our emerging neighborhood a chance.

The owner of popular downtown restaurants JeanRo Bistro and Jean-Robert at Pigall’s said he plans to open a café akin to his Greenup Café in Covington’s. De Cavel’s new venture follows the announcement of two Park + Vine friends moving into the neighborhood. MetroNation is relocating to 1213 Vine St., next to de Cavel’s business, while former Hamburger Mary’s/Universal Grille co-owner Nigel Cotterill is opening Below Zero, a martini and piano bar, in the location of the former Alchemize Bar on Walnut Street early this summer. Can you say momentum? We’re ecstatic.

In other news, it looks like the space is going to be done earlier than expected. Give or take another two or three weeks, passersby will see white paper in the windows as we take the place of contractors and start transforming 1109 Vine Street into a store.

Planning is underway for the big grand opening weekend June 1-3 and we’re considering a private party to shower supporters and other loved ones with gratitude for all of their support. The luminous Nyah Higgins (picture below) of Madison’s at Findlay Market is catering both affairs. Stay tuned here for more details in the coming weeks.