Monday, January 28, 2008

Waterloo Art Mystery Solved! (almost)

For many of you that read yesterday's Plain Dealer or watched most local news channels this weekend, the following is no longer news. For those of you who missed it, the Waterloo Art Mystery was solved! On Friday, a man was arrested on East 152nd attempting to sell the art stolen from True Art out of his home.

So, the mystery of the lost art is over, but not quite completely yet! Only 8 of the 33 missing paintings were recovered. It would be great if the remaining paintings also were returned to True Art. If you know anything about a painting's whereabouts, please let us know so that we can recollect the pieces.

If you missed the Plain Dealer article, here is a link to the story:
http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/other/1201253479124200.xml&coll=2

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Pick up Winter Newsletter Now!

The Winter edition of the Northeast Shorelines newsletter is distributed and waiting for you! If you are a member of Northeast Shores, the newsletter was mailed directly to your home. If you aren't a member, feel free to pick up a copy of the newsletter at many neighborhood businesses, including Chili Peppers, Arabica, Cafe Marika, and Shoparooni!

Our newsletter is only possible due to the support of our advertisers. Please support these businesses and let them know you saw their ad in the newsletter.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Please Solve the Waterloo Art Mystery

On the morning of Friday, January 18th, Joanie Deveney (also known as Joan of Art) pulled up to her True Art Gallery located at the intersection of East 156th and Waterloo Road. Joanie immediately witnessed that a small pane of storefront glass was broken. Concerned, she opened the door to find that the gallery was swept clean. True Art was ROBBED!

But this wasn't a common robbery. Instead of just grabbing the stereo or computer and bolting, this robbery was much bolder, much stranger. Everything was taken. Not only were all the paintings stolen, but also all the little name tags that indicate the name of the pieces and the artist. Now, fencing a stereo or computer makes sense. A stereo or a computer can get you $10 or $20 on the street. Fencing art is a much more difficult event. Who would buy such pieces?

Even stranger is that many of the pieces stolen were larger than the hole in the broken glass. But, both the front door and back door were still locked! So, how were the pieces removed?

Unfortunately, the gallery was not alarmed so we are having a hard time pinning down the time of the crime. If you have ANY information that may be helpful, please call (216) 623-5618 and report what you know! There is a $500 reward for information that leads to the return of the paintings. If you want to stay completely anonymous, call Brian Friedman at (216) 481-7660. He will take any useful information and promises to leave you completely out of it. We just want the art back!

A Plain Dealer article in the Metro Section provides more details. To read the article, click the following link:
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1200821433103690.xml&coll=2

Thursday, January 17, 2008

East 185th Save-A-Lot is now hiring!

We recently had the opportunity to see the construction status on the new Save-A-Lot and we were just blown away! Save-A-Lot is doing a fabulous job of improving the old Tops Site and we are very excited for their late February opening.

We also learned that the new Save-A-Lot is staffing up and they are looking for strong applicants!

If you are interested in working at Save-A-Lot, there are two ways to apply. Either travel to the Euclid Save-A-Lot (located at 27591 Euclid Avenue) and complete an application. Please make sure that you mark on your application that you are applying for the East 185th and Neff Store.

The other way to apply is to have a telephone interview. If you are interested in that option, call (866) 420-5627. The application system will ask for a store number. When prompted, dial 646 then hit the pound (#) key. You will need to have your social security number handy when you call.

Hope this information is helpful and happy job hunting!

Monday, January 14, 2008

Demolition starts for new Rite Aid!

We have received many calls about what is going on at the corner of East 185th Street and Lakeshore Boulevard. Well, the answer is Rite Aid is coming to the neighborhood! Several buildings are being razed to make way for the nearly 15,000 square foot building.

Northeast Shores is very excited to see work finally start on this project. When Medic Drugs closed across the region, East 185th Street was left without a pharmacy in the neighborhood's main commercial district. As soon as the Medic announcement occurred, we sprung into action in seeking a new pharmacy to East 185th Street.

We created an aggressive marketing piece to convince Rite Aid to take a strong look at the street. After several conversations in May 2006, it was clear that Rite Aid would start a campaign to find an appropriate site. Many of the sites shown to the Rite Aid representative were dismissed, because they were too small for their footprint. Frankly, we did not appreciate the amount of land necessary to construct a 15,000 square foot building with appropriate parking.

Thankfully, a site was achieved in July 2007 (after more than 14 months of negotiating various locations)! After a site was selected, Rite Aid moved towards getting appropriate city approvals. Now, after two years of work, the community can finally see something tangible regarding the new Rite Aid site.

With the new Fifth Third Bank, rehabilitated Save-A-Lot, and new Rite Aid, East 185th is experiencing some major investment by national brands. This development comes at a time that the regional economy is sluggish. So, please note the strong vote of confidence this investment represents. I hope you will join our excitement as we move forward in keeping East 185th Street a vibrant commercial district that meets the needs of our residents.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Come VOTE at the Northeast Shores Annual Meeting!

All this conversation about a new President have your voting finger anxious? Just want some practice voting to stay in shape for the March primary? Only believe in the most local of local elections?

Come to the Northeast Shores Annual Meeting next Tuesday at 6:30 pm. Our annual meeting is held each January at the Memorial Nottingham Library located at 17109 Lakeshore Boulevard.

At the annual meeting, the general membership of Northeast Shores elects one-third of our board of directors. This year, we have eight neighborhood residents and businesses running for seven openings. Six candidates are seeking reelection and they include: John Copic (resident), Caroline Peak (resident), Joe Radisek (resident), John Bausone (Arabica Coffee House), Celeste Frollo (Slovenian Workmen's Home), and Jim Rowe (Grovewood Heating and Cooling). Seeking election to the board for the first time are David Mitchell (resident) and Fran Tomba (National City Bank). The membership also needs to approve many proposed improvements to the organization's bylaws.

While the voting is tallied, our Executive Director, Brian Friedman, presents the 2007 results and successes of Northeast Shores. Attendees receive an update from Councilman Mike Polensek.

We hope to see everyone on the evening of January 15th for what should be a very exciting and democratic night.