College Hill Coffee Co. celebrates the start of the season with its fourth annual Holiday Open House, Saturday, November 13th.  8:30 a.m. until 10:00 p.m.

Again this year, College Hill Coffee Co. (CHCC) continues what Owner Tina Stoeberl has turned into a College Hill tradition - the CHCC Holiday Open House. The all-day event features special sales on brand new holiday merchandise, yummy gourmet food taste samplings, door prizes, gifts with purchase, music - and lots of fun!

 

This year, there are even more unique gifts, homegoods, gourmet treats and decorative items than ever before, including brand new items and some favorites CHCC demand each holiday season.

 

As always, there's live music on Saturday night at CHCC - and to top off this year's Holiday Open House, the Davis & Leigh duo does the honors.  

 

Davis & Leigh is the duo of Mark Davis (vocals and guitar) and Steve Leigh (vocals, bass, and guitar). They perform an entertaining, acoustic mix of songs both old and newer, as well as a few original tunes. Mark has been gigging in various incarnations for the past twenty years with such groups as The Pruett-Davis Group, The Somebody Club and currently with 99iQ, a band that both Mark and Steve play with. Steve has been playing in the Cincinnati area since the '70s in such bands as Bluestone Ivory and Stage Door Johnny.

That's right, Cincinnati's shop local day is returning in 2010 with a vengeance. Help support the local business owners who give flavor to Greater Cincinnati's neighborhoods by starting your holiday shopping on Saturday, November 20th.

Readers of BuyCincy know that locally-owned independent businesses stimulate the economy, with each dollar you spend at a local business providing up to 3 times the impact as a dollar spent at a big box retailer. So, as many local business owners struggle through a tough economy, let's put our money where our hearts are and support local entrepreneurs.

Find the list of over 50 participating local businesses and special deals (and details on the Unchained afterparty at MOTR) at buycincy.com/unchained. Shop local to kick off your holiday shopping on Saturday, November 20!

As always there is a lot happening down at The Market this week.

Head on down as Findlay Market unveils a new business, and a new look for an old friend:

Click the link to read more.

The OTR Chamber of Commerce is planning a Buy Local OTR campaign and would like you to brand it!

Your design could be featured on posters to be hung in OTR businesses, bumper stickers, T-shirts and more!  The goal is to remind consumers of the benefits of supporting the local OTR economy.

Prize: The winning design will receive a $100 gift card to neighborhood businesses as well as the benefit of having her or his design published and distributed.

Design Requirements: Each concept must consist of no more than three (3) colors, and involve a singular theme around the "Buy Local in OTR" idea.  Each concept theme should be able to incorporate different slogans on the benefits of buying local.

All entries are due by 11:59 pm on October 31, 2010

Visit OTRchamber.com for full contest rules!

There will be a youth  "bike rodeo" at the College Hill Farm Market from  4-5 in the parking lot at College Hill Presbyterian Church 5742 Hamilton Avenue.  The market will  set up a bike area and Cincinnati Children's Hospital will be distributing youth safety literature and selling helmets for children and adults

for $10. Team Cycling and Fitness will hold mini bike inspections (air, chain lube) We'll have bike maps from OKI and information on biking to school, work and for fun and recreation.

 

Ride your bike to the market on July 22^nd and get a Cyclebration sticker for your helmet. 

Head down to the square today from 11am until 11pm for the annual T-shirt Market.
We participated in this event a few years back and it was great.
Head down, support some local merchants and buy some Nati wears to sport around town.

New for 2010:
Cincy Apparel
Deadstar Apparel
Southpaw Prints
Rockit, Inc.
Allscreen Image Marketing

Returning:
Park + Vine
Alternative Motive
Wire & Twine
Donkey Ts
Anonymous Skate Shop
Unheardof Boutique
Able Projects
Ski Cincinnati
Proforma Albrecht Co

 

Tis the season for farmer's markets, and the College Hill Farm Market opens today. 

See the following release about "Opening Day".

May 27^th is Opening Day at the College Hill Farm Market.  To celebrate the return of farm fresh produce, we have declared it "Eat Local Day".  The third edition of the Central Ohio River Valley (CORV) Local Food Guide (http://www.eatlocalcorv.org/) has just been released and Deborah Jordan who produced the guide will join us for our opening day. The CORV Guide lists local Farmers' Markets, Farms, Vineyards, as well as Restaurants that try to source locally.  Also included is a Harvest Guide, listing the dates specific types of produce are available in our region. The Guide sells for $1, but we will give a free copy to each of the first 50 customers at the market on May 27 who stop by the Farm Market table. "The College Hill Farm Market is bringing the community out on Thursdays to enjoy the food, music, special events and food demonstrations. It is a great place to meet your neighbors," says Len Webb, coordinator of the markets weekly entertainment.   The Thursday market runs from May 27 through October 7, and is located in the parking lot of the College Hill Presbyterian Church at 5742 Hamilton Avenue (at Llanfair Ave. and Groesbeck Rd.)

 

In only three years, Park + Vine has gone from startup green general store to a neighborhood anchor and Cincinnati institution. To help celebrate the store's third anniversary (a pleather, not leather anniversary for the vegan-friendly store), Park + Vine is throwing a bash with food, drink, music, and eco-friendly demonstrations.

The store is also using the event as a fundraising opportunity for the Cincinnati Zoo and Keep Cincinnati Beautiful. Buy yourself something pretty, and ten percent of that purchase will go to Keep Cincinnati Beautiful's community beautification project, Future Blooms. The store will also tell you how you can make a cell phone donation to the Zoo for gorilla habitat conservation.

Events:
Join Joy Lohrer for a tour of her veggie car from 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m,. and learn how to use waste fryer grease to fuel diesel cars.

Music:
7:00-7:25 Honneycombs
7:30-7:55 Liz Bowater
8:00-8:25 Brandon Dawson
8:30-8:55 Peter Adams
9:00-9:25 Doug Kreitzer
9:30-10:00 Fanatics and Traitors

Food + Drink:
Market Wines
Chocolats Latour
Dojo Gelato
Fab Ferments
Five Star Foodies
Grateful Grahams
Green Earth Grill
Melt
Picnic and Pantry
Sweet Peace Bakery
Whirly Girl Coffee
World Peace Jubilee w/ Chef Mark Stroud

Tonight BuyCincy will join several other green businesses and organizations at The Cincinnati Zoo for Tunes and Blooms.  From 6 pm to 8 pm Come and enjoy a free concert by Faux Frenchmen and Pyschodots.  Mix and mingle with several green organizations that will help you be a little more environmentally friendly.

Admission to the Zoo is free after 5pm. Parking is $7.00.

So you might be asking, "How can shopping locally help the environment?"