Soapbox - Features

Livin' La Vida Scooter

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

So maybe you�ve heard that gas prices have gone up some? While many have adopted scooters and mopeds to counteract petroleum woes, for groups of scooter and moped enthusiasts, their rides are about more than a gas pump alternative � they�re a way of life.

Soapbox Picks: July 22-29

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

There's so much happening in the 'Nati, the Soapbox staff has added a new feature that highlights events that influencers like you need to know about. So take a look each week at these two or three things you should know about your great city on the river.

Adventures in Cincinnati's Blog Land

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:06:39 GMT

From the comfort of your laptop, you can explore people�s bona fide opinions, their favorite eateries, their fears and their passions all through the power of Cincinnati�s far reaching blog-o-sphere. But beware � it may be more addicting than reality TV.

Cincinnati: Convention destination

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The beginning of the century marked a low point for Cincinnati race-relations, but things are slowly changing. And after years of being shunned by ethnic conventions and performers, the city once again is welcoming high-profile events like the 99th Annual NAACP convention and others.

100 people. Three days. One new company.

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

A hundred or so entrepreneurs, students, corporate refugees, budding entrepreneurs and the just plain curious came together in a big room Friday afternoon and were challenged to dream up, build and launch a new enterprise by Sunday night. They not only did it, they generated enough energy to keep the entrepreneurial buzz going for a long time.

Soapbox Picks: Don't miss these events!

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Soapbox Profile: LeBraun Colvin

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

LeBraun Colvin had a vision: custom sneaker and clothing art exclusive to Cincinnati. Vision now reality, Colvin's art tells his story, speaks to the revitalization occurring downtown, and gives a glimpse into a quirky, popular form of wearable urban art.

Queen City's red carpet is ready for NAACP conference

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The hard fought and highly anticipated NAACP conference is about to thrust Cincinnati into the national spotlight and the city is ready for the attention.

SoapDish: the latest scoop on Cincinnati's favorite ground breakings

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Soapdish checks in on Cincinnati's latest development developments: The Banks and Queen City Square.

Regaining our Competitive Advantage: A National Blueprint for Prosperity

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

It's a different global world today and yet our federal government is still stuck in the '80s, argues Bruce Katz of the Brookings Institution. More than a bold plan for big themes like transportation, his national Blueprint for American Prosperity is a call to action for those who care about their cities. Are you game?

Three Cincinnati companies that can change the world

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

What rapidly growing Cincinnati companies have what it takes to reshape the global marketplace in a positive way, improve lives and, in short, change the world? Soapbox produces the first list of three companies that have the power to do just that.

Soapdish - It's easy, it's clean, it's safe

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Soapbox is proud to introduce Soapdish - a new feature from our very own loose cannon, columnist Casey Coston. Twice a month he'll dish - in his own way, on all things Cincinnati.

A vinyl daze is returning

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The vinyl record is making a comeback, fueled by the MP3 generation re-discovering the classic LP. That�s good news for the neighborhood record store, like Everybody�s Records in Pleasant Ridge celebrating its 30th anniversary this month.

Virtually working

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

As more and more Cincinnati entrepreneurs start their own businesses, the face and place of the typical work day is changing radically. Gone are the Dilbert style cubicles as small business owners place flexibility and mobility over traditional bricks and mortar. These days, business is just as likely being conducted from lap tops and smart phones in coffee houses than from downtown high rises.

Powered by design

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Cincinnati has emerged a center for advanced brand design, with companies ranging from Fortune 500 giants to small, independent studios creating the look, feel and emotion behind some of the world's best-known products. A gathering of influential leaders of the international brand design industry is confirmation of Cincinnati's place in this creative, growing business and an opportunity for the region to burnish its own brand.

Soapbox Profile: Chris Milligan, A man for all opera seasons

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Cincinnati Opera's director of marketing and audience development, Chris Milligan blurs the line between art and marketing in his unique and incredibly successful approach to branding the Cincinnati Opera as a world class institution.

Do you know where that's been?

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Summer in Cincinnati means locals can dig into fresh berries bursting with flavor, or plump and juicy tomatoes plucked straight from the vine. But where does the food come from and how can we take advantage of the local stuff rather than importing food from far away lands? The answer may be closer than you think.

It's more than a gallery hop - It's WAAM!

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

When is a gallery hop more than just a gallery hop? When you add writers, actors and musicians into the mix. Newport is celebrating its grand opening of WAAM on June 6 � a multimedia mix of local talent that gives a new creative buzz to the entertainment district.

Why I won't live in a city without a Fringe Festival

Tue, 27 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Fringe cities are inherently more open to taking a chance on its collective creative capital which is why Soapbox's Managing Editor has decided he won't live in a city that doesn't have its own Fringe Festival.

Where coffee meets community in Cincinnati

Tue, 27 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Cincinnati has its fair share of fine coffee houses, but small independents have discovered that it's a good cup of coffee served with a strong dose of community involvement that spells success in this competetive business.

Summer Service in New Orleans: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Tue, 20 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Summer's almost here � and with it, a very atypical vacation for 120 local young professionals: a week of manual labor in the hot July New Orleans sun. Find out what motivates this group to spend their vacation time sweating on a construction site rather than a beach � and why they keep going back for more.

New Cincinnati music venue sets tone for next wave of live concert experience

Tue, 20 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

With the music world getting more fragmented and niche-oriented, fewer groups are capabale of selling out the big arenas. The mid-size venue is becoming where the action is. Enter the 4,100-seat National City Pavilion at Riverbend, which could energize the local concert scene filling a void in the market for a unique theater-amphitheater hybrid venue.

Grab your Soapbox gear

Tue, 20 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Feeling like you want to take Soapbox with you wherever you go? Check out our new line of Soapbox products at www.cafepress.com/soapboxmedia. Hats, t-shirts, polos, clocks and bags, it's all there waiting for you.

Local Lessons Help Guatemalan Poverty

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Cincinnati has a long history of philanthropy. Two local brothers have discovered a way to creatively export that good will by founding Cooperative for Education, a non-profit that raises $2 million a year to improve the lives of Guatemalan children from our own backyard.

Driven to the brink

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

A new study finds that the value of suburban homes is dropping fast, while urban home values are appreciating. One reason is because it�s such a long, expensive drive to work from the suburbs. The group CEOs for Cities, which advocates for revitalizing our core urban areas, just released a white paper that links plummeting suburban home values to the spike in gasoline prices. That, in turn, has made investment in a home in the city more attractive, the study says.

Cincinnati Architectural Foundation honors development pioneer, Arn Bortz

Tue, 06 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Towne Properties Partner, Arn Bortz is scheduled to receive the Alice and Harris Weston Apple Award in recognition of his contributions to the reinvention of downtown as a place to live. This week, Bortz reflects on how the downtown residential climate has changed during his time as a developer.

Upcoming Soapbox Sponsored Events

Tue, 06 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Soapbox is proud to sponsor the Cincinnati Soap Box Derby �Build-A-Box� competition at the BMW store in Silverton on May 18. Assemble your car faster than the other competing teams with the assistance of a helper from the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Cincinnati. Think you've got what it takes to challenge the Soapbox team? Find the details here.

King Records symposium helps revive another Cincinnati brand

Mon, 05 May 2008 13:24:28 GMT

Those attracted to the urban authenticity of Cincinnati � the unique businesses and traditions that helped define and make it unique � are hoping to revive interest in King Records, a post-World War II company whose early rhythm-and-blues and country recordings were precursors of rock �n� roll and its attendant pop culture.

Rockers who run

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Some rockers in the Cincinnati area are truly born to run, countering the popular image of the slacker musician. At least three well-known Cincinnati musicians will run the Flying Pig Marathon Sunday saying the running-rocker culture is a a lot more helpful for the creative process than a bottle of Wild Turkey.

Cincinnati arts marketers rely on innovation to drive sales

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Gone are the days when arts organizations can rely solely on posters and word of mouth to sell tickets. Cincinnati is seeing a surge of creative marketing experiments such as Know Theatre of Cincinnati's Fringe Festival video trailers in an effort to reach out to a blossoming YouTube generation.