By Claudia Taller
The best thing about pop-ups is how unusual they are. And the best way to find them is to be walking around Ohio City or Gordon Square or Coventry and discover one, a nice surprise. The stores are jolly, and the gifts are one-of-a-kind. But we don’t have that kind of time now—the holidays are upon us.
Photographer Anthony Scaravilli, who once owned a gallery on Mayfield Road in Little Italy, brings his fine art photography prints produced with archival inks to the public this Christmas. His images of Italian villages, bicycles in Cleveland, and Christmas in Lakewood can usually only be viewed by appointment, but we can browse his work now at his temporary location at Gordon Square. Scaravilli is also known for his creative portraiture and digital design, including collages. Check out his art at 6604 Detroit from now through December 31.
You can also find Two Girls From Cleveland/The Foundry at Gordon Square (1392 West 65th Street). This seasonal shop features photographic images of Cleveland on wood panels, coasters, shirts, books, greeting cards, stickers, and magnets. Owner Jim Lanza also took the time to decorate his store window, just as his uncle Alfred Lanza did at Higbee’s downtown. It’s a jolly place to shop, and you’ll find more on the Facebook page.
Ohio Knitting Mills (OKM) is back again at 1983 W. 28th Street in Cleveland. The store showcases clothing from the 1940s and into the mid-1970s. The concept is enhanced by its nod to the old Ohio Knitting Mills, a visionary Cleveland garment district manufacturer, and by the book The Ohio Knitting Mills Knitting Book written by owner Steven Tatar.
Pop up retail has been happening at local malls for years—those calendar and scarf stores are good examples. The artsy popup stores like OKM and Scaravilli show up at Gordon Square and Ohio City, but the popular concept is helping with urban renewal in neighborhoods from Lakewood to Cleveland Heights.
Powder Puff Boutique popped up in Old Brooklyn at 2020 West Schaff Road and is only open in December 2012. It popped up at All Things for You, an interior design, gifts, and antique shop and promises lots of magical holiday gifts. Catch the enthusiasm on the Facebook page.
And in downtown Cleveland, Collective Upcycle, which shows off upcycled gifts conjured by local people, is open at 530 Euclid Avenue (Colonial Marketplace) in what is also being called the Fifth Street Arcade. Open Wednesday until 8 and Thursdays through Saturdays until 5. They truly do create treasures from trash.
Time’s short. Drive directly to these pop-up stores and shop for all those people whose tastes are too refined for J. C. Penney sweaters. Have fun.
Claudia Taller is the author of Ohio’s Lake Erie Wineries and has been a Cool Cleveland contributor for many years. She helps writers and other creative people discover possibilities for their lives through Igniting Possibilities events, including Word Lovers retreats. She has written articles for numerous publications over the last decade and blogs at http://ClaudiaTallerMusings.blogspot.com. Her book can be purchased at http://OhioLakeErieWineries.blogspot.com and makes a perfect gift for history buffs and wine lovers.