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Good morning, Cleveland! The 216 Scoop is stepping up to the plate, delivering news faster than a José Ramírez home run. Let’s hit it!⚾
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In today’s 216 Scoop Edition:
Here comes the Snake; break out the the lions
Let’s Riot: Cleveland guitar shop celebrates opening
Home sales plummet; Cleveland price increases top nation
Check out that crazy basement: Former Brown is selling his mansion
Black History Month: Celebrate with three events
John Petkovic, Mark Espinosa, Victor Takakura
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IN THE NEWS
Here comes the Snake; break out the lions
Photos by John Petkovic
Hello, snake. You are intelligent, resilient and loving. You are also cunning and mysterious -- able to hide your emotions to conceal your passion and intensity.
Slither on, this is your year. Wednesday marked the beginning of the Year of the Snake, according to the lunar calendar.
The year is said to bring new transformations that could impact relationships and, more broadly, financial markets and geopolitics.
It will also bring celebrations to Cleveland’s Asian restaurants and cultural hubs.
On Monday, we’ll roll out a guide to AsiaTown. For now, here are some events this weekend:
Asia Plaza, 2999 Payne Ave., Cleveland: Break out the Kwan Family -- it's lion dance season! At 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, the mall will host a celebration that features the Kwan Family Lion Dance team, musicians, martial arts performers and food. The events run until 4 p.m. Free. For more info, go here.
Asian Town Center, 3820 Superior Ave., Cleveland: At noon Sunday, the sprawling mall with host a Year of the Snake party with performers and the Kwans. The celebration also gives you a chance to check out Asian Town, which boasts a huge grocery store, art galleries and Asian restaurants. For more info, go here.
Li Wah, located in Asia Plaza: The restaurant is renowned for its dim sum menu year-round. It will also roll out a special menu during Year of the Snake celebrations -- not to mention Kwan lion dances and performers: 7 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more info, go here.
Let’s Riot: Cleveland guitar shop celebrates opening
Photos courtesy Guitar Riot
It was more than a decade ago that Cleveland guitar hounds Brent Ferguson and Tim Parnin started talking. Yes, the conversation started with their love of six strings – vintage and new, electric and acoustic, obscure and classic brands and models.
Then a light bulb came on: Why not open “the best guitar shop between New York and Chicago.”
Ambitious, no doubt, but what the hell: Bring on Guitar Riot.
At 11 a.m. Saturday, the co-owners of the Cleveland guitar shop will celebrate the grand opening of their new space at 4517 Lorain Avenue, on the near West Side.
“We have a much bigger show room, acoustic room, three isolation rooms, a lot more amps and more than 500 guitars,” says Parnin, who holds a day job at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. “And it’s much more accessible than our first location.”
Guitar Riot debuted 11 years ago downtown at the Artcraft Building. While the shop attracted touring musicians -- Jack White, J Mascis, Clutch and Bad Religion – it lacked street visibility and walkability.
“Now, with our new location, we’re part of a growing neighborhood,” says Parnin.
The area has seen a growth of new businesses. Guitar Riot investor Dave Ferrante will be moving his Visible Voice Books, currently in Tremont, to the building next door. He also purchased the former Nick’s Diner, which is now the home of Proof BBQ, 4116 Lorain, in which he is an investor.
Home sales plummet; Cleveland price increases top nation
Photo courtesy National Association of Realtors.
Housing prices are rising across the country and Cleveland is leading the way. Prices in the area jumped 15% year over year – the biggest increase in the most populous metro areas.
“Places that have long been known as affordable places to live, like Cleveland and Milwaukee, are now seeing double-digit price increases,” according to a new report by Redfin.
The median sale price here is $229,900 – far below the national average of $427,670. Cleveland was followed by Milwaukee (14.5%), Philadelphia (14%), Miami (11.8%) and Chicago (11.1%).
“Cleveland may still have a reputation as an affordable-housing haven among out-of-staters, but not so much among locals,” says Bonnie Phillips, a Redfin Premier agent. “Many families have been priced out, and those who can still afford to buy move to neighborhoods they don’t really want to live in.”
Price increases and high mortgage rates have conspired to create the slowest housing market in five years.
On Thursday, pending home sales plummeted 5.5% from the previous month and fell 5 percent from the prior year – far lower than expectations for a flat month, according to the National Association of Realtors.
In a separate report, Redfin finds that the typical home is taking nearly two months to sell – a week longer than last year. Additionally, there are more than five months of supply on the market, the most since February 2019.
Sales have slowed with mortgage rates sitting near seven percent and home prices up 4.8% year over year.
Nationally, the median monthly housing payment is $2,753, just below of April’s record high.
Other factors such as the snow and frigid colds in the Midwest, South and Northeast and California wildfires have also kept buyers at bay.
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The 216 Rundown
Mourning [A] BLKstar 10th Anniversary
For a decade, Mourning [A] BLKstar has been shoehorning hip-hop beats, hypnotic grooves, acid-jazz flair and R&B vocals into a wondrous mix of sound and soul – one that has captivated music scenes here and across the country. At 8:30 p.m. Friday, the Cleveland group will celebrate its 10-year anniversary at the Grog Shop, 2785 Euclid Heights, Cleveland Heights. Also on the bill is the one-woman ghost choir of Uno Lady and Cleveland’s own Nature Nvoke.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater hits Playhouse Square
Since forming in NYC in 1958, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has been one of premier dance groups in the world – not to mention pioneers in black American culture. At 7:30 p.m. Friday, it will hit the State Theater in Playhouse Square to perform Revelations – its signature work which it debuted in 1960s.
Hitsville U.S.A. comes to Severance
The songs are timeless. So is the soulfulness, the vocals and musicianship. No surprised that Motown remains some of America’s most timeless movement. At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, the Cleveland Pops Crescendos will pay tribute to the songs Motown groups like the Temptations, Jacksons and Four Tops with Music of Motown at Severance Hall, 11001 Euclid Avenue. Bonus: The Crescendos will host a pre-show event at 6:30 p.m.
Beer, pizza and a party
Masthead Brewing, 1261 Superior Avenue, Cleveland, is a pizza and beer lover’s dream. It rolls out some of the most interesting brews in the city, to go with a wide-ranging pizza selection. It will serve up both at 11 a.m. Saturday, when it throws its 8th anniversary party.
Gimme Gimme Disco gets sweaty
Spin the glass ball: The popular disco-themed dance party is back at Mahall’s, 13200 Madison Avenue, Lakewood. 10 p.m. Saturday.
NOTES ON A COCKTAIL NAPKIN
Hot House of the Day🔥
Photos courtesy Realtor.com
Former Brown is selling his mansion: Check out that crazy basement
Former Cleveland Browns safety John Johnson III couldn’t believe his eyes when he went house hunting after arriving to play for the team in 2021.
A mansion for $1.9 million – the same price it would cost to buy a bungalow or a ranch back in L.A.? With an exotic and, let’s admit it, crazy basement that pays tribute to the video game Temple Run?
Well, now it could be yours.
Johnson, who only played for the Browns for a year, has relisted the 10,329-square-foot Brecksville brick colonial. Price: $1,999,000.
It boasts four bedrooms, 5 ½ baths, an outdoor pool, a home theater, a four-car garage, sauna, cigar lounge and, yup, that basement –which once went viral, thanks to the Zillow Gone Wild social media accounts that highlights its eccentric décor.
VINTAGE CLEVELAND
For most of the '60s and '70s, Chinese eateries lined the old Chinatown on Rockwell between East 21st and East 24th streets. It was the epicenter of the Chinese community, which experienced rapid beginning in the 1950s -- coinciding with a wave of immigrants escaping communism. Migration from other parts of Asia broadened not only the ethnicity, but also the flavor of the neighborhood — from dim sum to pho to Korean barbecue to larb. It also led to merchants to rebranding the neighborhood as AsiaTown to reflect its diversity.
Rockwell Avenue, Old Chinatown. Cleveland Memory Project
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WEATHER
Friday
46°F 🌡️ 26°F | 🌧️ | 80% | 💨 SW 15 mph (13 knots)
Saturday
29°F 🌡️ 27°F | ⛅ | 10% | 💨 NW 12 mph (10 knots)
Sunday
32°F 🌡️ 25°F | ☁️ | 20% | 💨 NW 10 mph (9 knots)
Note: This forecast is based on data from weather.com.
Live Shows in the 216
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Saturday - 02/01
Sunday - 02/02
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