Embrace your inner treehugger and save a little green while stocking up on daily essentials at our first Food+Clothing+Shelter Sale 11 to 7 Nov. 1. Save 25 percent off ALL food items, clothing and bedding. No coupon is necessary.

Coincidentally, World Vegan Day is the same day and this year’s theme is improving the quality and availability of vegan food.

It was easy to say “yes” to Maya Drozdz and Michael Stout of Visualingual when they asked us if we’d carry their new T-shirt for Over-the-Rhine’s littlest residents. Maya and Michael developed these cute OTR Block T-shirts in sizes 12M to 4T. They’re printed with love and silliness on 100 percent cotton, heather grey Precious Cargo shirts, and available exclusively here at Park + Vine for $20. We’re waiting for Maya and Michael to print them in sizes suitable for the rest of us.

Cincinnati Enquirer

A free exhibit, Great Cincinnati Families at Home, will move Friday from the Betts House Research Center to the Park + Vine general store at 1109 Vine Street in Over-the-Rhine.

Take in a little architectural history while you shop.

The exhibit, which runs through Jan. 4, showcases the private residences of the Taft, Probasco-Rowe, Hauck and Huenefeld families, and shares stories about these well-known Cincinnatians.

The historic prints and photographs, along with recent photos by Alice Weston, illustrate a range of architectural trends and styles and the work of renowned local architects, including Samuel Hannaford.

While mostly photos of the homes’ facades, there are some interior shots as well as photos of the hunts at what is now the Carmargo Club and one of William Howard Taft as a little boy in front of the Taft house.

The store’s hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Cornelius W. Hauck Summer House

Queen City Bike’s goal was to fill Cincinnati City Hall’s council chambers Oct. 22 for a special hearing of city council’s transportation committee. We came close with more than 125 people.

Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee Chair Roxanne Qualls–the lone council member in attendance–heard testimonies from 31 people of diverse backgrounds and varying bicycling experience. Cincinnati’s neighborhoods and several Northern Kentucky cities were well-represented. The “fixi” crowd was impressively large. There was an equal number of women and men. The testimonies were mostly upbeat, but there were stories of ignorant motorists yelling at bicyclists riding legally on local roads and far too many injuries caused by crashes.

In all, bicyclists just want to make sure that they’re included in all future transportation projects, including a rebuilt Brent Spence bridge and other enhancements along the I-75 corridor. As local bicyclists know, more people are riding, but we still have a long way to go when accommodating two-wheelers. Let’s hope this is the start of something big and that bicycling numbers continue to swell.

Tonight is the city of Cincinnati’s big transportation and infrastructure committee hearing 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 22 at Cincinnati City Hall, 801 Plum St. Queen City Bike’s goal is to fill council chambers with at least 200 people. So ride your bike to City Hall and speak up for bicycling as the committee discusses the I-75 corridor reconstruction project and how it affects two-wheelers.

There is a secure parking corral in front of City Hall. Bring your lock.

Rides leave from these near-downtown spots:

Reser Bicycle Outfitters
8th and Monmouth, Newport
859-261-6187
Ride leaves at 5:30 p.m. sharp

Art Academy of Cincinnati
12th & Jackson
Rich Bitting, Ride Organizer
Ride leaves at 5:30 p.m. sharp

MoBo Bicycle Cooperative
1415 Knowlton Ave.
Ride leaves at 5 p.m. sharp

Unable to ride? Take Metro or TANK, ride your scooter, or carpool. Tonight is about improving the city for all modes of transportation.

Natural-minded families in the Cincinnati area know that there are very few places where one can find items such as cloth diapers, comfortable baby carriers, and toxic-free baby gear. We decided shortly after opening that this was a niche Park + Vine could help fill. Baby items now consume the store’s midsection.

Cloth diapers form the core of our baby offerings, and are a big hit with local mamas and papas. We continue to tweak our selection to accommodate customer preferences. The popular bumGenius and FuzziBunz compliment other user-friendly diapers and accessories that will soon include uber-cute Tinkle Traps sewn by a local work-at-home-mom. Due to an increasing level of interest, we’re offering a cloth diaper discussion the first Sunday of each month at 2 p.m.

Other staples include the super comfortable MobyWrap and Ergo Baby Carrier, miYim organic cotton stuffed animals, fashionable organic baby and kid clothing from Kate Quinn Organics, and non-leaching kiddie-size water bottles by Sigg and Kleen Kanteen. We love the stylish and eco-savvy diaper bags from Fleurville. If your tot needs a good excuse to run around, he/she can do it in eco-comfort with our Simple Shoes. As in all areas of the store, we balance the “big names” with as many USA-made, local and handmade items as possible. One of our sweetest new offerings are little local baby shoes made by Burkeheart Baby.

Whether you’re looking for Bisphenol A-free and phthalate-free baby bottles and pacifiers, natural baby skin-care products, an organic gift for a baby shower, or non-toxic wooden toys, we have it. Did we mention that we offer baby registries?

As usual, we’re always looking to add more. If it’s cute, made with a conscience, and screams “natural baby,” it could very likely end up on our shelves. E-mail your feedback, class requests and suggestions to info[at]parkandvine[dot]com.

Our favorite new piece of clothing is this graphic shirt, a tribute to Rosa Parks, from Sameunderneath in Portland, Ore. It gives the wearer a chance to show his/her appreciation for Ms. Parks’ bravery. It has long sleeves and is great for everyday wear.

On Dec. 1, 1955 in Montgomery, Ala., Parks refused to obey bus driver James Blake’s order that she give up her seat to make room for a white passenger. While her action was not the first of its kind, Parks’ action sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Sameunderneath L/S Rosa Shirt – $68

When we first opened in June 2007, it was obvious that our customers liked the idea of adding a bottle of Izze (hello, Jenny Kessler, Brian Mehring and many others) or a nutty snack bar to their tab. So we gradually added more snack foods, including the raw organic bars and breads from Love Force and Lisa Burke’s vegan baked goods.

A couple months ago, after the effervescent Julianna Bloodgood innocently attempted to buy our personal stash of Melt buckwheat noodles, we started offering sandwiches, noodles and other vegan fare from this Northside comfort food haven. They’re housed in our refrigerator, along with vegan marshmallows, kombucha, locally-made ginger cider from Five Star Foodies and other bottled drinks.

Far short of becoming a health food store–and completely in line with maintaining our “green general store” descriptor–we’re gradually expanding our selection of vegan non-perishable foods. Looking to add strand-like chains of protein enzyme molecules to your salads? Try Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar. Looking for a low-glycemic natural sweetener? Try Wholesome Sweetners’ Organic Raw Blue Agave or SweetLeaf’s Stevia, a naturally sweet plant native to Paraguay whose leaves are 30 times sweeter than sugar.

Other foodie items include hemp oil, lemon and lime juice, hemp milk, quinoa, olive oil, sprouted-grain cereal and pasta, organic pasta sauce and the best mayo on the planet: Vegenaise. Now in our cooler: tofu (bean curd).

E-mail us at info[at]parkandvine[dot]com with your suggestions on what you’d like to see in our foodie section

Typically, a new parking lot might not bring much cause for celebration. They’re usually ugly, dead spaces. The reality is that even a walking paradise such as Over-the-Rhine requires some parking. As long as parking is located to subordinate the car, people on foot, bicycles and wheelchairs remain the centerpiece of the neighborhood.

This brings us to the city of Cincinnati’s new parking lot at 1521 Vine Street. It’s just north of the Joseph House and now features a new ArtWorks mural and the city’s first permeable surface in a parking lot.

New ArtWorks Mural: “Over-the-Rhine: Into Its Renaissance”

The Central Vine Street Business Association in cooperation with the city of Cincinnati is holding a “green” parking lot dedication 10 a.m. Oct. 28 at 1521 Vine Street, across from Crossroad Health Center. Central Vine Street Business Association community development committee chair Greg Smith is leading a 15-minute ceremony that includes brief remarks from City Manager Milton Dohoney and representatives from ArtWorks and Crossroad Health Center. The dedication concludes with a demonstration of the parking lot’s aforementioned permeable surface.

Queen City Bike is urging anyone who is concerned about bicycling in the region to attend the city of Cincinnati’s transportation and infrastructure committee hearing 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 22 at Cincinnati City Hall, 801 Plum St. The goal is to fill council chambers with at least 200 people. So ride your bike to City Hall and speak up for bicycling as the committee discusses the I-75 corridor reconstruction project and how it affects two-wheelers. If you ride anywhere in Cincinnati, this hearing will give you the chance to let city officials know what they can do to make your ride better.