Entrepreneurship : Development News

Looking for a place to let loose and dance? Then The Shakti Factory is for you.
 
The Shakti Factory is a movement studio, gathering place and dynamic learning community that is focused on creativity, freedom, embodied spirituality and evolutionary human potential. Owners Meredith Hogan and Lisa Stegman wanted a place for themselves to dance and gather, but they couldn’t find anywhere that fit their needs in Cincinnati. They opened their business in December near Xavier University.
 
“We want to continue to build a tribe of dancers and help set our bodies into a healing, natural rhythm,” says Hogan.
 
“Shakti” is defined as the divine, feminine power that animates and brings life to everything that is.
 
But The Shakti Factory isn’t just a place for performance artists. The studio is currently displaying a print show by Hans Waller; he also painted a mural on one of the walls. In the future, Hogan and Stegman want to host art shows regularly.
 
“It’s about pushing boundaries, and offering things that aren’t found elsewhere in town,” says Stegman. There are plans for salons that will create conversation about subjects like sexual health.
 
The Shakti Factory currently offers three dance classes each week. In July, Hogan will be adding a yoga class to the studio’s offerings. There will also be one-time workshops, such as the Warrior 101 yoga class in August that will be taught by a friend.
 
“Our vision of the space is a flexible concept that is always evolving,” says Stegman. “It might not be the same next year because it will always be changing.”
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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Rash, LLC, a design and fabricating studio in Bellevue in Northern Kentucky, offers a 360-degree cycle of design-related services to local artisans. Rash helps with everything from consultation to concept to construction.
 
Rash was founded in 2012 by Timothy Rives Rash II. He received a BA in architecture form the Architecture School of Design at the University of Virginia and a masters in architecture from Southern California Institute of Architecture. For the past 10 years, Rives has worked on similar projects with other companies and partners. He’s also currently teaching at the University of Kentucky’s College of Design.
 
Mostly, Rash completes the projects for clients, including drawings and any necessary extra design, says Myra Rash, Rash’s media manager. “But there have been a few times where the client is crafty and will help out to learn, or to just get dirty.”
 
The majority of Rash’s projects have been out-of-state, but they did complete the large red oak cross for Belleview Baptist Church’s façade. Rives also collaborated with students from UK’s College of Design and St. Elizabeth Hospice Center in designing and fabricating a concrete base for an I-beam from the World Trade Center to commemorate the 10^th anniversary of 9/11.
 
“We hope to bring eye candy to the area, plus some good designs of our own and, most importantly, great collaborations with local firms, contractors, artists and designers,” Myra says.
 
Rash is currently working on the Speechbuster for the Storefront for Art and Architecture in New York City. It’s a 54-foot long table that is put together like a giant jigsaw puzzle and upholstered with neoprene with a rainbow gradient for indexing the 36 parts that make up the table.
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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Cincinnati is home to a number of breweries, but this summer, beer lovers will be able to experience these breweries in a new way. Starting in July, Tonic Tours, a new alcohol-based tour company, will start offering public tours of microbreweries every second and fourth Saturday of the month.
 
“I want to show off Cincinnati’s beer scene to both locals and tourists,” says Rachel Dean, aka Ginny Tonic, the mastermind behind Tonic Tours. She originally thought about hosting a local alcohol convention, but figured tours would be more fun.
 
Tonic Tours is about more than just the brewing process, Dean says. She plans to introduce her clients to the beer-tasting process, including what flavors to look for and how to identify flavors in different beers.
 
“I plan to infuse art and science into the tours,” she says. “I don’t want people to get bogged down on the brewing process, but I want them to see the art in it. Flavor is a very underappreciated sense, but it’s just as engaging as visuals.”
 
Each tour is $90, and includes transportation to a handful of breweries, plus drinks, water, a snack and a commemorative glass. For the first few tours, the itinerary will remain much the same, but Dean wants to mix things up a bit so people see different breweries and get to try different beers. Tonic Tours will also be available for private tours and tastings.
 
Dean will also be teaching a class at the Bird Haus on June 20 on how to make four local summer cocktails.
 
“A lot of people don’t realize how many great beers are based in Cincinnati,” Dean says. “When you go to a tap room, you might see beers but not know they’re from here—there might not be anything that says ‘Cincinnati proud.’ I want people in Cincinnati to appreciate the great beer makers who are revitalizing Cincinnati’s beer history.”
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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Starting this summer, those with sweet tooths will be able to get Holtman’s Donuts in Over-the-Rhine. Holtman’s announced last week that they’ll be opening a location on Vine Street on the ground floor of the Trinity Flats building.
 
Charles Holtman started his donut business in 1960—he opened a location in Loveland in 1964, and his daughter and son-in-law, Toni and Chuck Plazarin, opened another in Williamsburg in Oct. 2009. The Plazarin’s son, Danny, and his fiancé, Katie Willing, will operate the OTR location.
 
“Danny and I started coming to OTR on dates and saw the energy and excitement of the neighborhood,” says Willing. “We searched for the right space for about two years, and we knew OTR was the right place for us.”
 
Holtman’s has always been a family-run, mom-and-pop shop that bakes from scratch. The OTR location will continue that trend, and will make donuts on-site daily.
 
“We want to continue the uniqueness of OTR,” says Willing. “We’re really excited to be part of such a great community that is constantly growing and thriving, and we hope to be the neighborhood’s bakery.”
 
Holtman’s wants to be the place in OTR where families can create their own memories over donuts, she says.
 
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West Chester is now home to Elements Therapeutic Massage, a massage studio that customizes services to clients’ needs. Owner Pam Garrett opened her Elements franchise April 13.
 
“West Chester shows great opportunities for growth,” says Garrett. “There are connections to healthcare, and up-and-coming neighborhoods. We want to help people with their own wellness program, and help them to live more comfortable lives.”
 
Garrett has spent more than 25 years working in retail, but she most recently worked for a company that combined retail and healthcare. After working with a franchise broker, she was matched with Elements.
 
“I want to contribute to the community in a way that makes it easier for people to thrive,” she says. “I hope to offer partnerships with other businesses that have the same goals and vision as Elements, and help grow employment.”
 
The goal of Elements is to make therapeutic massage more affordable and available to time-starved customers who recognize massages connection to overall health and wellness. Elements focuses on the healing aspect of massage and pain relief—from deep tissue to stress relief massages.
 
Elements was founded in 2006 by a licensed massage therapist in Highlands Ranch, Colo. It is one of the fastest growing providers of therapeutic massage in the United States, and has more than 100 locations in 26 states.
 
The West Chester location is open seven days a week. Walk-ins are welcome, and there’s a membership program that allows clients to receive discounted massages on a monthly basis. Elements’ 14 masseuses are licensed massage therapists.
 
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Three weeks ago, K9 Social Club opened its doors in Western Hills. The doggie daycare offers grooming and boarding, and plans to add training to its repertoire soon.
 
Owner Jamie Stenz used to take her border collie to the daycare when it was under different ownership. When it closed, she decided to lease the space and start her own doggie daycare.
 
“As far as I know, it’s the only daycare for dogs in the largest neighborhood in Cincinnati,” Stenz says.
 
While at K9 Social Club, dogs get their own lockers and interact with other dogs and staff members. They also receive a daily, complimentary organic treat and can watch Animal Planet on TV. The Club also has kennel-free boarding, which includes free daycare during the day and a staff member on-site at all times.
 
And all dogs who stay at K9 Social Club get their photo on the wall in the lobby, like club members.
 
Stenz plans to have a webcam service up and running in the next few days so owners can check in on their dogs while they’re away.
 
“We want to bring a sense of community to Western Hills and be a service that pet owners can rely on,” Stenz says. “We want K9 Social Club to be a fun, safe place to bring your pup. A social pup is a happy pup, and that makes for an even happier pet owner. That’s our goal—happy pups and pet owners!”
 
Daycare starts at $22 per day, and boarding at $38 per day. Before being allowed to be in daycare or board at K9 Social Club, dogs go through behavior evaluations. They also must be up-to-date on all vaccinations.
 
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Beef, lamb, turkey, chicken and duck are all graze happily at the Mohr family livestock farm in Urbana, Ohio—Mohr Animal Acres. Now, not only does the farm provide retail cuts of meat to farmers' markets in Cincinnati, owner Trudy Mohr recently launched a food truck business.
 
This past winter, Mohr decided her family needed to start a food truck—Bistro de Mohr—to better serve their customers.
 
“I saw food trucks on TV, and it made sense with what we were doing,” Mohr says. “We’ve been selling cuts for a while, and we do a lot of specialty sausages, and we cook those sausages, so it seemed like a natural progression for us.”
 
So far, Bistro de Mohr has only set up one time, but Mohr recently joined the Cincinnati Food Truck Association and will be at an event in Washington Park on May 17.
 
Along with her two sons and daughter, Mohr serves up grass-fed beef, pastured lamb, turkey, chicken and duck on the food truck. Their meats contain no MSG, and their homemade sausages are all hand-mixed.
 
“We try to be as environmentally friendly as we can,” says Mohr. “We want to educate people and cook new and different things.”
 
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About a year ago, Cincinnati native Mic Foster started thinking about opening a craft beer and cocktail bar in town. In the end, he decided to open a Brass Tap franchise at U-Square at the Loop.
 
“Cincinnati is having a craft beer renaissance, and I felt Brass Tap was a good match, and this was a good place to start developing the bars,” says Foster.
 
Jeff Martin founded Brass Tap in Tampa, Fl., and traditionally, most of the bars are in Florida. But soon, a few of the beer and wine bars will start cropping up in the Midwest, Foster says.
 
Cincinnati’s Brass Tap doesn’t have an official opening date yet, but Foster hopes to have it up and running by the time University of Cincinnati students return for classes in August.
 
Brass Tap will focus solely on craft beer—there will be 80 craft beer taps, with 20 of them designated for local brews. The bar will also offer 300 bottles of craft beer. While the menu doesn't include liquor, there will be a wine list for non-beer-drinking patrons.
 
The beer-centered bar will also have a limited food menu that includes pretzels and mini pizzas on pretzel crusts. Patrons can also catch live music at Brass Tap Thursday through Saturday.
 
“Brass Tap is a bar bar where people can go for happy hour,” says Foster. And if you want to catch a game, Brass Tap will have 25 hi-def TVs and a projector, he says.  
 
Foster also wants to bring more beer education to Cincinnati. “There are lots of educated beer drinkers in town, but craft beer can be an intimidating situation for someone who doesn’t know what they’re looking for,” he says.
 
Foster is spending a lot of time educating his staff and hiring knowledgeable people who can help patrons learn more about craft beer in a relaxed environment.
 
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On April 3, former Montgomery knitting store Fibergé moved to 1407 Vine Street in Over-the-Rhine. It will be hosting its grand opening event May 17.
 
In September of 2010, the year Fibergé owner Norma Lawrence Knecht moved to Cincinnati, she left her corporate job and opened the Montgomery location. She decided to move her store to OTR because she wants to contribute to the revitalization efforts in the neighborhood, says Margaux Ayers of MCA Marketing.
 
“Norma wants to contribute to the arts community in OTR,” Ayers says. “She likes OTR because of the established arts community. People already have an appreciation for the arts here.”
 
Lawrence Knecht started to knit a few years ago and found she was good at it. The artsy craft also helped her better control her anxiety and quit smoking, Ayers says.
 
Ayers says Lawrence Knecht is excited to bring beginning knitters into Fibergé and help people understand the art of knitting. Beginning knitting kits start at $20.
 
Fibergé sells Spud & Chloe, Blue Sky Alpacas and Rowan yarns, and offers hundreds of patters for one-of-a-kind garments and accessories. Lawrence Knecht also offers knitting classes, private lessons and daily project assistance—no appointment needed.
 
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The Mobile Food Vending Program began as a pilot program in 2010, with food truck zones at Fifth and Race streets, Court Street and Sawyer Point. Since its inception, MFVP has expanded to Fountain Square, the University area, and most recently, Washington Park and Over-the-Rhine.
 
Last Wednesday, City Council passed MFVP into law. In 30 days, there will be new breakfast and lunchtime food truck zones at Washington Park for three trucks, a nighttime zone in OTR at 12^th and Clay streets for two trucks, plus a streamlined application and easier payment options for vendors.
 
“This is great news for food trucks,” says Emily Frank, president of the Cincinnati Mobile Food Truck Association and owner/operator of C’est Cheese food truck. “It shows that City Council supports food trucks and wants to see them around for many years to come.”
 
Frank says CMFTA targeted OTR for two reasons. The organization has a great working relationship with 3CDC, and they want to help promote Washington Park as a lunch spot. Bistro tables and chairs will be set out so customers don’t have to sit on the ground.
 
Food trucks have wanted to vend in OTR at night for several years, but haven’t been able to. The Night Owl Market sets up in a parking lot some weekends, but food trucks were looking for other places to park to reach a wider customer base.
 
“There’s a great late-night scene in OTR, and we’re thrilled to now be able to provide more fast, casual food options for everyone,” Frank says.
 
Changes were also made to the application and payment options for food trucks. First, the $25 application fee was removed. Second, the $1,000 permit fee that once had to be paid in full, can now either be paid in full or be split into two payments of $600. The new option does end cost more, but it allows for flexibility for truck owners, who can now purchase only six months for $600.
 
CMFTA is excited about their new vending opportunities, and later this year, they plan to tackle other areas of downtown, such as the Contemporary Arts Center, the Taft Theatre and the Duke Energy Convention Center, Frank says.
 
On May 17, there will be a press event at lunchtime in Washington Park to kick off the new food truck zones.
 
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On National Grilled Cheese Day, April 12, Tom+Chee founders Corey Ward and Trew Quackenbush announced to the public that they will be appearing on ABC’s Shark Tank. The show features entrepreneurs who pitch their ideas to famous and successful business leaders for investment opportunities.
 
Ward and Quackenbush started Tom+Chee with their wives, Jenny and Jenn, in 2009 when they served grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup to ice skaters at Fountain Square. A year later, they opened their first restaurant on Court Street; they opened a Tom+Chee at Newport on the Levee in 2011, and one on Walnut Street in 2012. They’ve also recently opened two locations in Louisville—a third is under construction—but they want to expand their brand beyond the Tri-State area.
 
On the show, Ward and Quackenbush will pitch Tom+Chee to Mark Cuban, media and sports, and owner of the Dallas Mavericks; Barbara Corcoran, real estate; Daymond John, fashion; Kevin O’Leary, educational software; and Robert Herjavec, technology. Their goal is to secure investment and take Tom+Chee global.
 
Tom+Chee has already been featured in an episode of Travel Channel’s Man v. Food Nation and two episodes of Amazing Eats, and its grilled cheese donut was named one of the Best Sandwiches in America by the TODAY show. It was also featured on CBS’s The Chew.
 
Look for Ward and Quackenbush on Shark Tank May 17 at 9 p.m.
 
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Art appraiser and entrepreneur Morgan Cobb has a vision to turn innovation into an art form. What does that look like?

Imagine a sort of startup pitch day held at an art gallery with photo portraits of entrepreneurs overlaid with QR (Quick Response) codes that link viewers virtually to company founders. Imagine the real-time exchange of art, business and support.

That’s the idea behind “Disruptors, QRtifacts by Peiter Griga,” curated by Cobb, which opens April 26 at Covington’s Artisan Enterprise Center.

“The whole event was designed to encourage collaboration, participation and appreciation,” says Cobb, 28, who founded Newport’s Bryson Appraisals four years ago.

The exhibit started with a conversation between Cobb and fellow curator Cate Yellig, who took over as the city of Covington’s art director earlier this year. Yellig, who works at the intersection of economic development and arts programming, was in search of a way to bring together local entrepreneurs and artists, groups she believes have much in common.

“It was really kind of serendipitous,” Yellig says of the exhibit, which features 10 local startups that have a total of 12 founders, including nugg-it, BlackbookHR, Earthineer and GirlDevelopIt.

Cobb, who has degrees in art history and economics, had become engaged in the local startup ecosystem. She welcomed a chance to connect her two passions.

“Entrepreneurs face the same challenge as contemporary artists,” Cobb says. They strive to remain creative, relevant and “hip.” 

The startups featured in 'Disruptors' are in various stages of development. Some, like We Have Become Vikings, have achieved a level of notoriety, while others, like GamiGen, are less known. 

“They haven’t arrived yet, but they have all this potential to be cutting edge,” Cobb says.

In order to fully experience the opening, Cobb urges potential visitors to bring their smartphones. It will also help to visit
'Disruptors' online in advance and to download QR and Twitter apps. The event also includes a projection of a live Twitter feed.

“The Twitter feed is to encourage feedback and to broadcast the event to an audience that can’t be there,” says Cobb, who has invited venture capitalists and angel investors, as well as a DJ and performance artists, to the opening. 

Even as she works to give entrepreneurs a new platform to communicate their ideas, Cobb also incorporates artistic innovations that have already drawn interest from venues in Austin, Texas. Photographer Peiter Griga, a personal friend, started by photographing each of the entrepreneurs the old-fashioned way—on film.

He then prints the images by mixing silver nitrate with organic honey, which is, at the microscopic level, a living thing. The print process then mirrors how technology and life intertwine. “The media was an important component to the concept,” Cobb says. “It’s an artifact, but it’s still a living thing.”

Most of all, Cobb hopes the exhibit helps foster an understanding of the struggles and challenges faced by both artists and entrepreneurs, and an appreciation for their work.

“At the end of the day, isn’t that what we all want?” she asks.

When it came to starting a career, Mary Helen Boeddeker, 24, knew exactly what she wanted to do. As soon as she graduated from the University of Cincinnati’s DAAP program in June 2012, she started her own clothing line for kids.
 
“I knew I wanted to start a brand in Cincinnati to make kids feel great, make moms happy and to bring manufacturing and design back to the United States,” says Boeddeker.
 
Today, much of the clothing bought and sold in the U.S. is created overseas, but Boeddeker didn’t want that for her clothing line, Mary Helen Clothing. She does everything from designing the garments to sourcing fabric, to patterning and creating the clothing.
 
Boeddeker was inspired to start Mary Helen Clothing by her late grandmother, Mary Helen. “She was all about being positive and being yourself,” she says.
 
Mary Helen Clothing isn’t sold in stores. It’s available online and at trunk shows, where Boeddeker goes to customers’ houses and puts on fashion shows with their children.
 
“I love when the girls put on my clothes and their faces light up,” Boeddeker says.
 
Right now, Boeddeker’s main focus is clothing for young girls. But in March, she started a small collection for boys, and she has plans for a collection for moms as well. She also has a collection of unisex clothing in the works.
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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Joe Lanni and his business partners have had great success with their Over-the-Rhine restaurant, Bakersfield OTR. They recently expanded their brand to Indianapolis, opening a second Bakersfield on March 11.
 
And by the end of the dog days of summer, they plan to open another new restaurant on Vine Street: The Eagle Food and Beer Hall.
 
The name directly relates to the new business' physical space. It will occupy a former Post Office. Since the eagle is the symbol for the United States Postal Service, Lanni thought it would be cool to resurrect the symbol.
 
The Eagle will serve American fare, with a specialty in fried chicken, Lanni says. There are also plans for a burger and three or four other sandwiches, plus soups and salads. And as the rest of its name suggests, The Eagle will also serve up great beer.
 
“When we opened Bakersfield, there wasn’t much open on Vine Street,” Lanni says. “We wanted to open there because we liked the plans for the neighborhood, and in time, it did take off. We’ve enjoyed being part of that growth, and want to continue to be part of OTR with our new restaurant.”
 
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Mr. Hanton’s Handwiches started serving up hotdogs out of a food cart to Cincinnatians in 2010. A year later, Brian and Awilda Hinton upgraded to a food trailer; in May, the couple will open a brick and mortar restaurant in Clifton to satisfy late-night cravings as well as devoted followers.
 
Because food carts, trailers and trucks are, for the most part, seasonal mobile restaurants, the Hintons did open a storefront in White Oak a little over a year ago. They then talked to a group of investors and decided to expand Mr. Hanton’s into a chain of restaurants.
 
The Hintons closed the White Oak storefront and are using the space as a commissary to serve as their prep location for the trailer, parties and events. Awilda left her full-time job at P&G to run the restaurant; and Brian will be focusing most of his time on their mobile business.
 
“We had lots of customers in Mt. Adams who were UC students, and they wanted a store in Clifton,” Brian says. So it was an easy decision for the Hintons when a location opened at the U-Square at the Loop development.
 
Mr. Hanton’s is slated to open the last week of May, with an official grand opening around June 13. The menu will be slightly different from the food trailer. For example, they won’t offer a gyro at the restaurant, but there will be a gyro-inspired hotdog, which will feature a sausage made from lamb and seasoned with Mediterranean spices and topped with celery salt, tomato, onion and tzatziki sauce, Brian says.
 
“We’ve been hearing that Clifton doesn’t have a large variety of late-night options, and we plan to bring a new late-night option to people,” Brian says. “And it will be something different. You can get a hamburger, tacos, burritos and cheese coneys anywhere in town, but you won’t find anywhere in Cincinnati with a menu like ours.”
 
Mr. Hanton’s offers around 30 different hotdog options, plus a create-your-own dog.
 
The Hintons also plan on bringing a food truck to the streets of Cincinnati soon, and have big plans for their brand coming next spring.
 
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