A new Cincinnati business aims to clean up in Over-the-Rhine, literally. As part of the movement to attract more service-oriented businesses to the Gateway Quarter, On the Run Cleaners, a dry cleaner, will occupy 1332 Vine St. in the Gateway Quarter.
Owned by Paul Nguyen, who grew up in Bond Hill and currently resides in the Pendleton district of Over-the-Rhine, the shop will be a full-service drop-off and pick-up point for OTR residents needing dry cleaning – a service Nguyen decided to bring to the neighborhood after talking to residents and hearing about the demand for it, he says.
"I thought, 'Why don't we open something that the people of OTR can use and cater to the residents of OTR?' " Nguyen says. "Why not start now, while OTR is in the rebuilding process?"
Nguyen will move into the Vine Street space Oct. 1 and hopes to have the business fully operational by mid-November.
"It's a good opportunity to give back to the community," he says.
The drycleaner joins Capital Shoe Repair and Shine Parlors at 1344 Vine St. as the newest service-oriented businesses in Over-the-Rhine – part of the plan, says Christy Samad, spokesperson for the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC), to revitalize Over-the-Rhine and turn it into a mixed-development, mixed-income neighborhood.
"The whole goal is for it to be an area where you can essentially work, live and play," Samad says.
The news of On the Run joining the Gateway Quarter community is one step in that process, she says.
"We definitely want all of that mixed development," she says. "We have lots of commercial interests, restaurants and service-oriented businesses interested (in Over-the-Rhine)."
Roughly 68 percent of the 91,000 square feet of commercial space in the Gateway Quarter has been leased to this point, she adds.
"Hopefully there will be more (service-oriented) businesses moving into the area," she says.
Brian Tiffany, president of the Over-the-Rhine Chamber of Commerce, praises development efforts by 3CDC to make the neighborhood one of a diverse, mixed-income population.
"We're embracing that diversity as our strength," Tiffany says.
The makeover of Over-the-Rhine was needed, he adds.
"We needed to see a total paradigm shift (regarding the neighborhood)," Tiffany says. "We realized we had to do something."
Tiffany cites the store MiCA 12V, located at 1201 Vine St., as an example of what the revitalization efforts in the neighborhood has accomplished.
"It used to be a convenience store that had 400 calls for service (to police)," Tiffany says. "Since MiCA opened, it's had none."
But while such niche businesses as MiCA 12V are vital in creating a shopping destination for visitors in the city, developers cannot forget about attracting businesses that provide services for the residents of the neighborhood, Tiffany says.
"Be aware of the folks that have lived here for 30 or 40 years," Tiffany says.
Eateries, delis, clothing stores and a grocery store besides Findlay Market are just some of the examples of businesses Over-the-Rhine could use, Tiffany says.
"I still think that on the south side of Liberty Street we could still use those types of goods and services that really serve the neighborhood," Tiffany says. "We're doing well on coffee shops."
Regardless of the type of business, however, all new business has played a role in the neighborhood's makeover, Tiffany says. "Clearly revitalization has been the most effective tool in making the neighborhood safer and cleaner."
By James Sprague
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