Right Now Downtown

SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY

After you’ve stuffed yourself full of turkey on Thursday, many of you stuff your trunks with holiday gifts on Friday.  It’s Black Friday!!!  Get up at 3 a.m.!!!  Shop, shop, shop!!!  Then on Monday, it’s Cyber Monday!  Buy, buy, buy (online, of course)!!!

But tucked between Black and Cyber is a new idea called Small Business Saturday.  This initiative is designed to encourage Americans to do part of their holiday shopping at their favorite local businesses.  You can find unique, creative gifts without fighting traffic at the malls, all while helping the local economy.

We encourage you to shop locally on Saturday, and here are some great spots to hit downtown. 

B1 Bicycles
124 E. Long Street
B1 Bicycles offers new bicycles, frames, components, accessories and all the goodies any cyclist you know could want.  You can also have your bike repaired or tuned up.  B1 has expanded their hours this holiday season, now open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (except Thanksgiving). b1bicycles.com

Luxboheme
On Hickory near Lazelle
This beautiful and unusual shop is usually open only on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; but this holiday season, you can drop by on Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m. (through December 11).  Now you may need to work a little to find it (behind a sliding black barn door) but the search will be well worth the effort.  Luxboheme offers unique jewelry and accessories, organic, artistic, vintage or handmade at a wide range of price points.  And their goodies are available 24-7 online.  luxboheme.com

Science2Go Store
COSI
Everyone loves COSI.  So much cool stuff to see and do.  And if you’d like to take a piece of COSI home for yourself or others, stop by the Science2Go store to find unique gifts for your favorite scientist-in-training.  cosi.org

Spoonful Records
116 E. Long Street
Did you know you could still shop at a record store?  A real one, with vinyl records?  If you have a music lover on your list, hit Spoonful and check out their collection of new and used vinyl.  While you’re there, you can relax with a quick game of pinball or a chat with proprietor, Brett Ruland.  Spoonful is open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.  facebook.com/spoonfulrecords

Statehouse Museum Shop
Ohio Statehouse
If there is ever a week to celebrate being a Buckeye, this is it (Go Bucks, Beat Michigan).  This is the place to find Buckeye gifts related to the state rather than the gridiron.  The shop stocks items made in Ohio, about Ohio, about politics and more.  The store is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. statehouseshop.com

Sugardaddy’s
11 E. Gay Street
Sugardaddy’s recently added Saturday hours, and this Saturday is no different.  Stop in for delicious and beautifully wrapped brownies, blondies and other sweet, sumptuous delights.  They make wonderful gifts and can be shipped as well.   Stop in on Saturdays between noon and 4 p.m. or during the week, Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and give the brownie that “Through Down” Bobby Flay.  sugardaddys.com

T. Bears Florist & Chocolatier
237 S. Third Street
Who wouldn’t want to receive the gift of yum?  T. Bears offers a wide selection of baskets and packages of delicious caramel crunch bark, dipping pretzels, peanut clusters, sourdough nuggets, wine and cheese biscuits, as well as floral gifts and arrangements.  T. Bears is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  tbearsfloristandgift.com

Winston Wilson Jewelers
310 S. High Street
Winston Wilson is another great spot to find gifts for anyone on your list.  They offer jewelry, baby gifts, OSU-theme gifts, bar items and more.  They also offer jewelry repair, watch battery replacement, engraving and an on-site goldsmith, not to mention gift wrap and shipping services.  Now Winston Wilson Jewelers will not be open this Saturday, but we want to give them a plug.  They are open Tuesday throgh Friday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Zettler Hardware
101 E. Main Street
Zettler Hardware has been the place to go for hardware needs for many years.  You can find all kinds of wonderful gifts – tools, flashlights, cast iron skillets and grill plans; you name it, they’ve got it.  Zettler is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  zettlerhardware.com

Did we miss any?  Let us know your favorite downtown small businesses by commenting on our post here.  You’ll be entered to win tickets to BalletMet’s Nutcracker or the Columbus Symphony’s Holiday Pops.  Winners will be notified on Wednesday, November 24.

GET IT HERE – BUY LOCAL

What, no Nordstrom’s downtown?  Big deal, most of us can’t afford it anyway.

Sure, we have some vacancy issues downtown, but there are a lot of people working on that.  Given the fact the economy took a nose dive a while back, it’s impressive that people are opening up shop anywhere, so it’s great to see independent entrepreneurs making a go at it downtown.  Before anyone grouches about the stuff we don’t have, check out the diverse mix all within a short walk.

Start with bagels and pastries.  Check and check.  There’s plenty to go around from Broad Street Bagels to Dunkin Donuts to Einstein Brothers, and now local businessmen Joe Spinelli and Bill Ward are preparing to dish out some great deli fare at a second Spinelli’s location soon to open on High Street.

Fill your weekly grocery bag at Pearl Market on Tuesday and Fridays and support the toasty business incubator as folks test the downtown market.  Food is always a favorite, and have you tried the crepes yet at Leslie’s Creperie?  Forget the moon, the savory French pancakes will send you to Toulouse.  The Market also hosts vendors who craft handmade soaps and moisturizers and unique casual clothing that will keep you sporting through the day.  Cleaned and coiffed, cash in on the organic cheese, meat and meatless products, bread and fresh produce that all make shopping fun and save you loads of time.

Need to compare prices in the Market, but your arms aren’t long enough to bring the price tags in focus?  Rinkov Eye Center has walls of trendy frames.  Once you can see beyond the nose on your face, walk on over to Chet’s Jewelers, Flowers on Orchard Lane or the Peanut Shoppe, which ante up ample gift choices, and the Peanut Shoppe even provides a nice afternoon tide-me-over snack to boot.  For the record collectors out there, buzz on over to Spoonful for a vintage good time as your peruse through the vinyl offerings or play a quick game of pinball.

You’ve got groceries, snacks and gifts covered, but did you know downtown is the place to be for hardware and office supplies?  Zettler Hardware has been family owned and operated since 1844, and around the corner the folks at Graham’s Office Supply will help you find everything you need to keep your business running smoothly.  Don’t forget to ask them about their price-matching policy.

Has your kid nearly depleted your checking account with all the texting fees he’s accumulated, but you don’t have the energy or time to deal with the automated customer service line?  Talk to a real person at the downtown Sprint and Verizon stores.

Put your cell phone down when you go to talk to the guys at B1 Bicycles on Long Street and they will hook you up with a rockin’ new set of wheels that will make all your friends drool in envy as you whiz by.  And, just think of the money you’ll save if you opt for this green mode of transportation – surely enough to buy a round at the Elevator.

Shop here, buy here.  Keep it local.  Let us know your favorite stores to frequent and what you would like to see in the future.

Spoonful: Lovin’ Vinyl

Brett Ruland is making lemonade outta lemons.  After being laid off from his graphic design job, Ruland decided to follow his passion.  As a lifelong record collector, he was struck by the reemergence of “vinyl” on the music scene and decided that now was the time to open a retail vintage record store.  Spoonful Records opened at 116 E. Long Street on July 17.

But Spoonful is more than just a record store; Ruland envisions a lifestyle store that touches on a number of his interests.  Think vintage pinball, live bands, t-shirts, plus, of course, records.  Though he originally planned to carry only vintage records, he also stocks new music that is being released on vinyl.

“I am just trying to make the store about what I like.  I figure if I like it, then maybe other people will like it too.  I want the store to be a place to hang out, a place to have a conversation.  In a time so focused on technology, this will be a place to hang out, where you don’t know who you’ll bump into.”

Ruland believes that fans of vinyl feel like the music has a warmer sound and that you are “closer to the band.”  He knows others collect records for the covers, many of which are true works of art.  He has already seen a lot of interest in his store, with fans on Facebook and others popping into his storefront asking questions.

Though he looked at locations around the city, he decided that downtown was where he wanted to be.  He noticed the reemergence of retail on Gay Street and hopes that along with B1 Bicycles, Spoonful will ramp things up on Long Street.

“I like all the activity, excitement and buzz.  There’s just something about downtown, and I want to seek that out.  Plus, there’s a good mix of students and business people who want to collect records.”

He has been in touch with Kacey Campbell Brankamp, Retail Recruiter for Capital Crossroads SID who has helped with available resources and promotion of the store opening. After learning about the City’s matching funds for storefront improvements, Ruland is looking into applying for funds, once he is sure what type of signage he would like.

Capital Crossroads welcomes Spoonful and these other businesses that have opened recently:  Si Senor Sandwiches & More, the Downtown Alternative High School Restaurant, Justin Harvey Clothing Store, Verizon Wireless and Pickles Deli.