For many, the Short North is thought to be the heart of Columbus. The city’s arts district attracts people of all ages and interests, providing a creative community in which restaurants, retail, and galleries may all coexist. Some individuals love the area so much that they have made it their livelihood. These people are those serving you your decadent drink at a bar, or hosting exhibitions at your favorite gallery. These people are the entrepreneurs of the Short North.

You all have your favorite aspects of the Short North, be it the atmosphere, the convenience, or that bakery with the best cupcakes- but what about them? What is it that they love about Short North, so much that they decided to build their business here?

Charly Bauer, of Jeni’s Ice Cream: “I love walking under the arches at night in the snow with my wife after dinner and a glass of wine.”

Sevell, of Sevell + Sevell: “A sense of Gemeenschap!” (Which means “community” in Dutch).

Misty Linn, of Keller Williams: “I love that I can live, work, walk, and play in an area that offers a safe and diverse environment. No matter how you would like to spend your evening, there is something to do for everyone.  You can throw on your favorite jeans or your fanciest dress, create an unforgettable evening, or have a great day shopping with friends. It’s all here!”

The Short North has such a unique variety of shops, one for every mood, craving, or occasion, and Valentine’s date night is no exception. With many restaurants to choose from, this year we’re longing for DeepWood. Whether you would like to make formal reservations in the refined Dining Room, or lighten the mood and relax at The Tavern, Executive Chef Brian Pawlak will create a special holiday menu just for the occasion. Be ready for an extraordinary treat from this al la carte menu either Saturday, February 12th, or Monday, February14th.

After your delicious dinner, don’t forget to pick up a few treats for a romantic evening at home.
Perfect for a festive dessert, grab a pint of Jeni’s Kir Sorbet. The reinterpretation of the classic French cocktail, the Kir Royal, this delightful combination of raspberries and currants is a must to be paired with a bottle of bubbly. Simply combine in a champagne flute and viola!

Many will argue it’s not Valentine’s Day without chocolate! If you are of the same mind, Le Chocoholique is nothing but paradise. Beautiful pieces of chocolate are more like works of art than confection, and the flavor profiles are exceptional.  The fabulous boutique sells their delicious and creative chocolates until 10 pm, which is perfect for those late night cravings. Try the Cayenne Pepper Truffle to warm up on a cold night.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Installation of the first 1,000 new smart meters in Columbus has begun. The Short North is one of the first areas to receive these new meters accepting all major credit cards as well as coins and parking cards sold by the city. 1,000 new smart meters will be installed annually until all of the city’s 4,000 meters are replaced. Thirty-five of these new meters were tested on East Gay Street in 2009 and received positive feedback from patrons.

The city plans on refurbishing 500 of the old meters that are being replaced with smart meters and installing them in locations that currently do not have meters. Some of the money received from the recent change in meter prices is being used to fund these smart meters.

Other areas in Columbus to receive the first set of installation include The North Market area, Gay Street, Grandview Avenue, and the Arena and Brewery Districts.

Parking meters are mechanical entities that are known to break down from time to time. If you park at a meter that won’t accept your payment or register time on the meter, please report it so that it can be repaired and move your car to a working meter.  Cars parked at broken meters can be ticketed.

You can report a broken meter by calling the 311 line (645-3111) Monday through Friday, 7am-6pm or online: http://publicservice.columbus.gov/Forms.aspx?ekfrm=31888. Make note of the meter number that appears on the meter head and the meter location. It will be part of the report.

The best way to describe Hubbard Grille, the newest restaurant to open in the Short North, is “unscripted,” says General Manager Daniel Morris. Morris would like for people to think of Hubbard Grille as a place that they can come and create their own unique experiences.

Hubbard Grille prides itself on being a place that isn’t set to a certain kind of feel or a certain type of guest, but a place for everyone: the PBR drinker eating black and tan onion rings or the person ordering a bottle of wine and a filet.

The menu is filled with polished American classics that are sure to please.  “We are serious about the food, but don’t take ourselves too seriously. The food is approachable but well thought out,” says Morris.  The restaurant features private tier tap tables which allow customers to operate the taps, serve themselves, and get a digital read of how much they have drank right at their table.  Located upstairs is a lounge area overlooking the tables below in addition to a private dining area which can be rented for customers to relax and enjoy.

Taste Hospitality had a strong desire to open Hubbard Grille in the Short North for a while, so naturally when the space became available it felt right to open. “The bar is set really high in the Short North- we’re in the big leagues now. The people here do what they do very well,” says Morris, who was anxious to be a part of the Short North community. Hubbard Grille is thrilled to be in the Short North and complement its’ neighbors while offering something very unique.

Morris says the best part about opening in the Short North are his fellow Short North Business owners. “We are extremely proud to be a part of this neighborhood. We’ve had nothing but great experiences and have been very welcomed,” says Morris. The welcoming effort has been so great, in fact, that Hubbard Grille is now working with Middle West Spirits, Le Chocoholique, and Vino 100 to feature OYO vodka and chocolates on the menu. Vino 100 and HG will offer monthly wine or beer tastings as well.

Morris would like to especially thank Le Chocoholique, Middle West Spirits, Vino 100, Da Levee, Press Grill, The Rossi, The Wood Companies and DCI for the amount of time, insight and support they have shared with him.

When Brad Howe decided to open Short North Fitness, he was looking for a community atmosphere that was hip and energized. Landing that business in the district, directly below The Jackson, provided him just that. Howe chose the Short North because of its community appeal, however he was also hoping to cater to what appeared to be an under served area in terms of gym availability. Residents of the district were previously limited in choice between a variety of corporate gyms that were further away. Now, residents have the opportunity to develop their fitness close to home and in a more urban setting.

The Short North Fitness Team has a deep background in personal training and unique class offerings.  SNF is combining with muliple fitness trainers who have experience in various fitness regiments.  Limiting their membership to around 1,000 member, the Short North Fitness team is hoping to foster an individual relationship with every member through their classes and training sessions.

Currently, SNF offers classes ranging from Power Yoga to Rock-n-Abs to Zumba, in addition to regular personal training sessions and a full gym. Furthermore, the classes are available to those who choose to forgo a gym membership but want to indulge in a specific class. In the near future, Short North Fitness will be adding a mind & spirit, spinning and high intensity section of their facilities.

SNF is going above and beyond their fitness initiative. Collaborating with Level, Short North Fitness continues their dedication to community in creating a healthy menu option for members. Food from the menu will be available via direct catering to the gym. In addition to their partnership with Level, Short North Fitness is also heavily involved with the Jackson. Residents have the opportunity to have a one-year free membership to the gym.

With their focus on individuals and community, what’s not to love about the district’s newest workout facility, Short North Fitness?

If you take a stroll down through the Short North Arts District you will quickly notice the creativity and originality that flows through the street. But this creativity doesn’t end with our businesses because now it can be your turn to get creative! In the Short North you can learn to design and reinvent your own works of art.

Substance Design Lab Workshops: For those of you who are inspired by shows like Project Runway and want to customize your clothes the design lab workshops at Substance are a great way to get started.  The shop offers three different design labs: The Tee Shirt Renovation, which you will learn to deconstruct and redesign a Private Label tee, The Antique Block Printing workshop which teaches hand painting techniques and stamping on a Private Label tee and the Re-Design an Old Favorite Workshop, which allows you to re-work one of your own pieces to make it feel new again.

The best part of these workshops is that they are flexible to your schedule. All you need is a minimum of three participants (or you can make some new friends by joining another group) and to call 72 hours before your desired day and time. It’s that easy! Participants even receive a 10% discount on all purchases made on the day of the workshop.

Learn to Paint at Terra Gallery: If you are looking for a romantic way to get creative Terra Gallery now offers a date night of painting lessons. The lesson includes snacks, wine and basic painting instruction.  Lessons can also be done independently as well.  It’s the perfect way to not only get to know yourself or your date but also to tap into your inner creativity. No skill is required but that doesn’t mean that if you already have painting experience that this lesson wont be fun.

Camelot Cellars Experience: Created for those who know nothing and those who know everything about wine, Camelot Cellars has created a unique experience: wine making. Through Camelot Cellars you can create your own private reserve (28-30 bottles). You will follow your wine through the whole process beginning with fermentation and ending with designing a label for your wine.

Creating your own wine is not your only option in getting creative with wine. Camelot Cellars offers wine tasting, tips on how to store your wine, and recipes that incorporate different wines.  This allows you to get creative even during your busy workweek.

Adore House of Bloomsbury Loft: If you are looking to create that touch of something special for your home, Adore is the place to go. Currently specializing in a handmade holiday wreath workshops, Adore can teach you to make all kinds of fun things from necklaces, to personalized pillows all in their own workshop.

In both movies: “It’s a Wonderful Life”, and “Back to the Future 2″, there were parallel universes that showed what those respective communities would look like if a difference sequence of events happened.

And in both movies, the alternate reality wasn’t pretty. Curiously, both had striking similarities showing their alternative futures consisting of greed, corruption and really bad signage.

Why was I thinking of this? Well, in an alternate reality, the Short North could’ve been a very different place as well.

If the Short North Business Association didn’t (or didn’t continue) to exist, we would all see very different views outside our front windows than we do now. That alternative reality would be one where blatant commercialism takes over the Gallery Hops, homeless folks begging on High Street would be more prominent, the cost of parking meters would be more and, oh yes, really bad signage would be the norm.

Every day the folks at, and volunteers of, the SNBA work to make a difference. But unfortunately, it seems like not every Short North business owner sees the benefits… unless they’re paying close attention. I’m not sure everyone realizes just how much the SNBA does on their behalf, because if they did, way more people would be involved. At a minimum, simply by supporting the SNBA by being a member.

As Collin Castore, owner of Bodega, puts it: “For a relatively small contribution there is an entire staff of talented individuals who bring publicity & opportunity to the neighborhood.”  So obviously, Collin is paying attention. And granted, so are lots of other businesses, but not enough, because I think only half of the business in the area are supporting the SNBA by being members.

The SNBA works to make the Short North better, safer, and more prosperous for the businesses here. The work they do benefits all our futures.

So if we want to continue having a wonderful life right here in the Short North, let’s support the SNBA.

And that’s the view from my window…