This Week’s guest blogger is Marianne Lannan, owner of The Lamp Shade.

Looking out my window in the Short North, on the southeast corner of Second Avenue and N. High St., I enjoy the ever-changing windows of the Flower Child across the street.  Joe Valenti and his staff are masters at displaying mid-century furniture, décor and clothing in a colorful, fun and funky way.  Currently the combination of the royal blue vinyl sofa, the small orange Solid State TV with coordinating blue, orange, and lime green wallpaper is perfect for your rumpus room.  His other windows in yellow, black and white featuring contemporary art, Knoll glass and chrome table and chairs that are bright enough to stop traffic.  Mannequins are all tastefully dressed to impress the leisure suit crowd. Flower Child also has vintage outdoor furniture on the sidewalk, where you can stop and lounge for a few minutes, while the machine above the door sends a fountain of bubbles floating down the street.

There’s a metered public parking lot directly across the street.  It has a salmon-colored arched entrance that is hard to miss.  But when someone says to me, “You can’t miss it”, I most certainly can!  Still lots of people are excited to find such convenient public parking right on N. High St.

There is always a diverse mix of pedestrians on High Street.  Visitors from all over Ohio and beyond, newer residents exploring the area and the locals who have lived here for years navigate the sidewalks from morning to night.  Together they are young, old, black, white, straight and gay, of all socio-economic and cultural backgrounds.  The Short North is truly a melting pot that is a joy to experience firsthand from our window.

For years, the Short North has been heralded for its art, culinary and entertainment offerings… all steeped in a healthy appreciation of independence. Over the last few years, however, the Short North has been quickly building a strong reputation on a different front, fashion.

It seems there have always been fashion offerings in the district (Columbus Barber and Beauty began in 1936, Byzantium is fast approaching their 25th anniversary, Loot just crossed the 20-year mark, and Torso and The Garden are celebrating 10 years of success). The Bohemian spirit and artistic flair of the Short North nurture the expressive nature of fashion… and the adventure of defining personal style.

In the last few years, however, fashion has really begun to make a visible impact on the Short North mix. Today, scores of boutiques pepper the strip. On the clothing side, the list now includes Rowe, {Milk Bar}, Paradise Garage, G&Co, Loot, Substance, Emperor’s Newest Clothes, Flower Child, Torso, Tiger Tree, Lady Bird, Saavy On a Shoestring, Measure of a Man, Take 2 Apparel, American Apparel, Lululemon and Jinny. The roster has become synonymous with the Columbus fashion scene. Keeping pace with the clothing, a formidable ensemble of accessories, cosmetics, beauty care and salon businesses has also developed, including: Byzantium, Collier West, Columbus Eyeworks, Image Optical, Global Gallery, Max the Salon, Waldo’s On High, Lai Boom, Phia Salon, Mukha Custom Cosmetics & Medi-spa, Luxe de Vie and Columbus Barber & Beauty.

That’s nearly 30 fashion destinations, and I’m sure I’m missing a few. It seems new boutiques are opening monthly… next on the block is “Go Figure” at the old CounterCulture space.

The Short North’s stature as a fashion destination made headlines nationally not too long ago in the New York Times Style Magazine. Headline: “Columbus Cool” The article spotlighted a host of the District’s boutiques and touted Columbus as the new “Style Capital” of the Midwest. In the latest issue of Columbus Monthly, Short North fashion takes up a full 7-pages in “Shop Talk: Spring Fashion 2009.” The article features shop owners modeling their own fashions and sharing tips on current fashion trends. Jin Fillinger (Jinny), Cindy Zafar and Goutam Biswas (G&Co.), Christina Getachew (Substance), Michelle Woljevach (The Emperor’s Newest Clothes) and Maren Roth (Rowe) are spotlighted.

If you haven’t been in the Short North for a while, or haven’t taken a stroll from end to end, you might be surprised by the changes. You might also be surprised how well the fashion scene fits you.

Morgan has put together a bit of an overview of the boutiques with a spring fashion series of her own which is now posted on shortnorth.org. You can take a peek with a click. Enjoy.