A Neon Pink Sore Thumb

The difference between a cute little place like let's say Amish Country vs a big city like New York are vast but there are similarities that make parts of both places work. For this particular thought, I focus on small businesses. Mom and pop stores and local businesses help create a certain experience for residents and visitors that they relate back to the area as a whole. If supported correctly, small local businesses can provide your city or town with a unique personality when it comes to the customer experience. That uniqueness is vital when competing with cookie cutter malls and big box stores.

There's my college term paper opener...but basically it boils down to me being tired of places like Walmart and wanting cities to start having local hardware stores again. I'm not even tired of big box stores being the "giant evil blah blah". I just think they're boring. I'm not a huge fan of cookie cutter and enjoy a good neon pink sore thumb house or business just because it breaks up the same old same old experience. Go to any strip mall. You got a Target, Walmart, Home Depot, Best Buy, Bed Bath and Beyond... It really is like the participation trophy in kids sports. Yeeeaaaa your city has the same businesses as countless others in your state or even sometimes county but who gives a f*ck? I mean is that really the thing that makes you swell up with civic pride? We were lucky or awesome enough to get this region's Sam's club!?!

I guess it's even kinda the same when you say you have a brewery and Columbus has a brewery and Cincinnati has a brewery for example. Ya they're in the same industry but at least they aren't selling the exact same recipes and won't always have a Kay Jewelers to the left of their building and a Panera to the right of their building. There's some sort of difference between the breweries and what they make and where they're located. Sure there are industry standards but you are allowed to be artistic with your vision. That's what you lose when you get a strip mall and big box malls. You lose that artistic experience. You lose that neon pink sore thumb. You could literally live in any town in the US. I hate that thought as much as I hate when I see someone out wearing the exact same shirt as me. I instantly want to burn it at my feet. There's a huge difference between having a burning desire to express yourself through your craft and just wanting to make millions of dollars. Most people don't understand needing to make something to express a feeling. Most people can however relate to wanting to make a quick and easy million. I'm afraid we've just lost that understanding...that concept. That makes me sad...

Arch 2! Electric Boogastabmurder!

You want examples?!? I've got examples! How about this...I want to build an exact replica of the St. Louis Arch in Cleveland. Have it go right over the river or be an excuse to bulldoze some crack houses on the east side but I want it. I think it's nice and it really fills a landmark hole that Cleveland has. I'm sure the architectural drawings are still around so it won't be hard to reproduce PLUS we could probably do it cheaper and faster now-a-days because technology! Yup, no "of". Just Technology. People would come to see Arch 2 and pay money when they're here and take pictures and buy souvenirs. How is that so different from both of our cities having a Walmart. Why does your douche meter go off when you think about Arch 2 but you praise and patronize businesses that out of the kindness of their hearts bring their cheap labor force, Chinese goods, and acres of parking lots to your city? Come on...it doesn't validates you and your city... it's already great somewhere else and you're just getting a copy of it. They didn't even change the design of the building. Know why? Because no matter how many local whatevers they sponsor... they don't care about you.

Let's drive it into the ground shall we?...

When you think of vacation cities anywhere in the world do you wonder if they have a IHOP just like the one that's a 7 minute drive away so you can get breakfast? or a Giant Eagle so you can get your fuel points? or a Dick's Sporting goods just in case you forget your swim suit?...Do you eat McDonald's in Italy over eating a locally made pasta dish? This is fun and I really could go on and on but the answer is "No". You go to see or experience something that you couldn't experience where you live. All those businesses I listed are nice-ities but if they aren't there, something else will be. Now I'm going to circle back to my college term paper opener or it wouldn't have been necessary to even write it to begin with. You go to Amish country because it's a unique destination that contains things and experiences you can't find where you live or really most anywhere else. You go to New York City for the exact same reason...the details of the reason are night and day but that's why you go to places like that. Cities that have all-year-round Christmas or white sandy beaches or legalized prostitution all have something that you can't drive to the local strip mall to experience and that's what you should be striving for! A unique experience!...or fake it and trick us! Who cares!?!

Now think of your city or town. Do you really have anything worth visiting? Oh by the way and along the same thought, picking an area to live based on "living close to your parents so you can have built in babysitters" is just lame. I don't normally say it out load because parents LOVE to tell me that I don't know what I'm talking about because I don't have kids. After the red anger leaves my face, I think about never talking to them again, and then think this...

"Just because you screwed and created life, it doesn't make you a goddamn genius."

Honey-boo-boo exists. Would you let her parents do your taxes because they're parents?...just like you wouldn't take parenting advice from them no matter how many kids they've reared. I take what you have to say into consideration BUT in no way take it as the god's honest truth. Don't fool yourself. Babies don't fix stupid.

With that being said - I love all of you and there's nothing you can do about it. God I'm so tired this week...

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I'm nuts for BREWNUTS!

There's so much going on this week but I have to focus on my favorite meal of the weekend. Gina's Aunt Julie texted her out of the blue early Sunday morning and told her that we should pop into Brewnuts for breakfast and tell her how it was. Of course I was saving Brewnuts for when Gina finally moved in so she could experience it with me but it's moving week and this was as good a time as any... plus it's doughnuts made of beer for goodness sake! We threw on some clothes for the day and headed over. We were planning on getting a couple of goodies 1st and then stopping in at Press for some brunch. You know, like French do it! Dessert before the meal... or maybe it's the Chinese... or maybe it was in Star Trek but either/or, it's a great idea! Well after that fun word play sentence, we never made it to Press. Hell we almost didn't make it back home. Wanna know why?...

Meet owners of Brewnuts, Shelley Fasulko and John Pippin. No, seriously. Go in to Brewnuts and chat them up. Ask them about their business or the city in general. They are the nicest, most down to earth people we've met here so far and if I failed to take one delicious bite of their product that day, I'd go back just for the conversation. I'm just so fascinated with the way they started their business, how it's working out so far, and where they are going with it. They're small business owners who took a great idea and are running with it. This is the story Clevelanders want to follow. We want to cheer for them and find out where the snags are so we can try to help eliminate them. We want to know if the city/state is inviting to new small business or if they set up miles of red tape. We want them and good people like them to succeed so we can believe that Cleveland is continuing to get better.

First Impressions - I loved the whole look of the place! Right when you walk in you'll notice how the colorful furniture and decor pop from the grey walls. If you know me, that's right up my alley. Gina noticed the old hand picked furniture right away as she has a nose for it. Most pieces in the store have a Pintristy re-use look to them which adds that Tremont art dimension to your experience. It's a cozy space which does lend back to the bakeries of our youth but they also have some window seating for you. It comes in handy for when you're too far away from home to carry these delicious little things for fear that you'll eat through the box to get to them. Instant gratification opportunity!

The Food - Brewnuts are doughnuts made with local beer that have icing on them made from local beer. I'll wait for the college students to regain consciousness... OK. They start the morning with quite a variety but don't get there to late because you'll be out of luck. These things sell out and they only make as many as they can fit onto the flat surfaces in their condo. Yes people, homemade! Gina and I are adventurous but we are trying to slim down so as much as we wanted to buy all of them, we settled for 2 a piece and a cup of coffee.  I had a chocolate with caramel and salt icing and a blueberry with poppy seeds. I can't quite remember what Gina had but one thing is for sure... we loved the doughnuts. The addition of beer made the flavors uniquely stand out but didn't give it that bitter beer taste or dominate the flavor like liquor in cupcakes. Replacing some of the milk with the beer didn't change the consistency either. These were honest to goodness doughnuts... and they were great!

I can't say much either way about the coffee since I'm not much of a coffee connoisseur but it was a fitting and traditional pairing. It could have been any brand at any price and I'd have no idea. That one you'll just have to check out for yourself.

Overall - I love this idea! It surfs the tsunami that is the craft brewery revolution in Cleveland but also fills a very basic need in this city... Normal everyday businesses that you'd think would be abundant in an urban area but aren't for some reason. It's a small locally owned business which is what neighborhoods like Tremont are in the business of kick starting and supporting. It puts a new-age twist on an all time favorite which gets you in the door and allows you to stand out and get noticed. It has all of these things going for it and that's why you want it to succeed. Plus Brewnuts taste delicious! Every once in awhile, especially by us, you just want some coffee and a great doughnut and not a full out brunch. This is my new go to place for that.

You can visit them at 2406 Professor Ave in Tremont, the Cleveland Flea, or grab some at Rising Star Coffee Roasters in Hingetown. I personally recommend stopping into their store in Tremont for their great personal service.

Look for Gina & my's polaroid on the map in the bathroom under Spokan and the fish :) 

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Leave me comments on 
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