Park + Vine, the little green store that could, is celebrating its two year anniversary as the region's premiere location for all things friendly to the planet.
The Over-the-Rhine, ecological general store is the brainchild of the enigmatic and indefatigable, Dan Korman. "As far as the store is concerned, I feel like a proud papa," says the charismatic proprietor as he takes a break from rearranging the layout of his Vine Street shop with a coconut-based smoothie. "There's a pretty good love-fest happening within these four walls."
And one can see why only a few minutes after entering the celebrated Gateway Quarter anchor. Filled with every eco-friendly product imaginable, as well as some you may have never considered (where else are you going to find your Lullwater Soap Nuts), the shop boasts an impressive client base with over 5,000 registered visitors over the past year alone.
That steady growth has resulted in an overall increase of jobs to OTR including a bookkeeper, two part-time employees and the company's first full-time employee who came online just last week.
The store is a magnet to both the hard-core patchouli wearers as well as the eco-curious.
"We have a healthy balance between those that are already sold on the idea of cloth diapers – which can be a pretty big commitment, to those that are just beginning to swear off plastic bottles," says Korman. "There's a full spectrum of those that are going green in little chunks and those that are living the lifestyle."
And that's why the success of this green patch of curiosity suddenly becomes so understandable. No matter where you are on that green spectrum, Park + Vine feels like a natural (no pun intended) fit. Even the coldest global warmer can find something useful, new or intriguing at P+V.
The store got its start thanks to a generous supply of sweat and personal equity from Korman as well as the help of the Over-the-Rhine Chamber of Commerce and their Business First Grant.
The store, through the efforts of Korman, has done a remarkable job of connecting to the surrounding community. Success doesn't occur in a vacuum and Korman understands this concept better than most.
"We have a love fest with our neighbors – from the other retailers to the residents to the theatres, we all depend on one another," says Korman. "It's especially great when Ensemble Theatre has a show. We get really busy when they have a show and we love it. It brings in newer faces."
A special anniversary party is planned for Park + Vine's supporters and fans the last weekend in May and will feature live music by Brandon Dawson, Fanatics and Traitors, and Ethan Philbrick and Isaac Hand.
Do yourself, and the planet, a favor and check out this one-of-a-kind Cincinnati success story.
Writer: Jeff Syroney
Source: Dan Korman, Park + Vine
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.