2012 Neighborhood Launch Winter Newsletter Is Here

Great things are coming to Neighborhood Launch this spring including the Hills Market Downtown!  Read all about it by downloading the latest Neighborhood Launch newsletter. Also featured are a list of new restaurants that have opened in downtown and other amenities nearby Neighborhood Launch.

Read the newsletter now by clicking on the link below. 

DOWNLOAD WINTER 2012 NEWSLETTER »

DOWNLOAD WINTER 2012 NEWSLETTER »

Gay Street Unveils Banners in time for Holidays

Businesses along Gay Street have been working together since the first of the year to increase visibility and viability of the Gay Street corridor downtown.  

One of their first projects was to brighten up Gay Street with colorful, impactful banners to lure and keep visitors on Gay Street all the way from High Street to Grant Street.  The banners were installed the week of November 21.

According the Chad McCoury, owner of J. Gumbo’s, who has spearheaded the Gay Street Collaborative, “Visitors can now enjoy the colorful banners that adorn Gay Street. They add such a wonderful element to the area and will help with its continued growth and vibrancy.”

Members of the Gay Street Collaborative and other banner sponsors who contributed to this effort include:

• E.V. Bishoff Company
• Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP
• James Ford, D.D.S.
• Residence Inn
• Rinkov Eyecare Center
• Renaissance Hotel/Latitude 41
• Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District
• Sugardaddy's
• J. Gumbo's
• Neighborhood Launch
• Telhio
• City of Columbus
• Tip Top Kitchen and Cocktails
• Sprint
• The Neighborhood Design Center donated all design services.

Liz Lessner to add restaurant at Neighborhood Launch

 Elizabeth Lessner, co-founder of the Columbus Food League, is adding a sixth eatery to her portfolio in spring 2012.

The Grass Skirt, to be located at 105 N. Grant Street, seeks to revive the fire-and-tiki kitsch of tiki bars of yore with Polynesian fare. “We all grew up loving the Kahiki,” she said of the once-popular Columbus restaurant that lives on as a frozen food brand.  

Part of the South Pacific plans — steaming drinks, a waterfall, Spam, pineapples and maraschino cherries. “We’re working on a volcano,” Lessner said. “We can’t promise it yet because it may not work.” 

The restaurant will be located in old MadLab Theater and Gallery space, which features a high-ceiling and open space.  That allows the Columbus Food League the freedom to be more creative, not just with the Polynesian decor but also the ability to build the kitchen from scratch. 

Menu details still are in the works, but pricing will be affordable, Lessner said. 

The Grant Street location will be next door to the new Hills Market, which also opens next spring.  The Grass Skirt hopes to draw students and staff from the nearby Columbus State Community College and the Columbus College of Art & Design.

Downtown Grocery Market to Open at Neighborhood Launch

The Hills Market will open Hills Market Downtown, at 95 North Grant Avenue, in the spring of 2012. The 12,000 square foot store will be a full service grocery and is a key element in the advancement of Neighborhood Launch, which began in 2007. 

The market will reside in a building currently owned in partnership between Randy Walker of Randy Walker Real Estate Services and the Edwards Companies.  Randy Walker said, “We see this as an opportunity to spur redevelopment of Grant Avenue, which is an important link between the Discovery District and Neighborhood Launch, and to continue to encourage a neighborhood to emerge in downtown.”

“We’re thrilled to be a part of the great work that Edwards Companies and Randy Walker are doing to change the face of downtown, and we’re excited to meet our new neighbors. As one of the finest grocers in the Midwest, we plan on bringing our commitment to food, Ohio and our community to the residents of Neighborhood Launch and beyond,” said Kyle Baker, co-owner of The Hills Market and managing partner for The Hills Market Downtown.

The Hills Market Downtown will feature local and organic produce, a wide variety of wine and beer, specialty cheeses from around Ohio and around the world, a full service delicatessen featuring Boar’s Head Brand meats and cheeses, a Chef’s Case featuring 24 feet of prepared foods including hot ready-to-go main courses and side dishes, all made in house by the store’s Professional Foodies. The store will also have a wide selection of seafood and a butcher shop emphasizing locally-produced all-natural meats and more than 426 linear feet of grocery, pantry and household items. The store’s full service bakery and coffee shop will be available to customers, and dining areas and bars are planned for both inside and outside the store. The Hills Market Downtown will also offer catering from Hills Own Catering Shoppe and grocery delivery from hillsonthego.com.

The Hills Market Downtown plans to bring their commitment to local foods downtown, continuing relationships with the same producers that service their northern Columbus store. Cooking classes, wine tastings, and special events such as their famous Salmon Roast and Ohio Hog Roasts will exist at The Hills Market Downtown, all with an urban twist.

Neighborhood Launch is a vibrant new downtown neighborhood featuring parks, water fountains, decorative wrought iron fencing and tree-lined boulevards. Designed to be a pedestrian-friendly streetscape, the residential buildings are two or three stories in height with distinctive facades.  When completed there will be nearly 300 units. Neighborhood Launch encompasses nine city blocks that include Gay, Fourth, Long and Grant streets, and is adjacent to Creative Campus that interconnects the Columbus College of Art & Design, Columbus State University and the Columbus Museum of Art.

The Hills Market is a locally-owned specialty grocer on the north end of Columbus, at the bottom of the Worthington Hills and the top of the Olentangy Bike Path. Since 1993, The Hills Market has provided the best of Ohio and beyond with high quality meat, seafood, produce, bakery, wine, beer and cheese departments, as well as more than 40 feet of in-house prepared foods, a delicatessen featuring custom sandwiches and pizza, full service catering and floral shops and a state liquor agency.

All the renderings of the new market call be found under the Amenities tab on the Neighbhor Launch.

Neighborhood Launch-Hill Celebration - Saturday, October 22

Celebrate with The Hills Market and Neighborhood Launch at a special open house this Saturday, October 22 from 12 to 4 p.m. The open house will take place at the new Bishop's Walk condominium building, 244 East Gay Street and will feature adult beverages and a wide array of the The Hills Market's favorite hors d'oeuvres. Professional Foodies from the new store will be on hand to answer questions.