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Velvet Dog’s Last Howl 🐕—What Happened?
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Good morning, Cleveland! This is The 216 Scoop, reminding you that winter in Cleveland is like that one friend who’s always late—cold, but eventually shows up with a bang. ❄️😅 So grab a blanket, because we’ve got some spicy news coming your way that’ll warm you up faster than a hot cocoa! ☕🔥
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In today’s 216 Scoop Edition:
Velvet Dog closing marks end of era in Warehouse District
Ohio, the heart of Bitcoin? New bill would wed Ohio to crypto
Seasonal and retail trends conspired against City Goods
Cavs’ struggles fuel trade rumors: Do they have enough to deal?
A second high-profile restaurant closes in Lakewood: El Tango
Anniversary of the Great Blizzard of 1978
By John Petkovic, Mark Espinosa, Victor Takakura
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IN THE NEWS
28 years later: Velvet Dog closing marks end of era in Warehouse District
Photos courtesy Velvet Dog
From Browns tailgates to bachelorette parties, the Velvet Dog has been the ultimate woohoo parlor in Cleveland’s nightlife.
The bar and dance club has anchored the Warehouse District nightlife scene since 1997 -- with its themed parties, stellar rooftop views of downtown and party-hearty attitude.
Those days are coming to an end. The Dog stops barking on Feb 1.
“After more than 25 unforgettable years, it’s time to say goodbye,” Velvet Dog management announced in a statement. “Join us for our final last call as we close the doors for good.”
Why did it close? The real question is: How did it stay open so long?
The Velvet managed a 28-year-run – remarkable in the club business and one that spanned financial meltdowns, real estate crashes, a credit crunch and Covid. And, perhaps most importantly: a shifting entertainment landscape.
West Sixth dominated Cleveland nightlife when Velvet Dog opened.
West 25th and East Fourth were mere streets, not entertainment districts. The old Flats was on its decline and its rebuild was decades away. Michael Symon had just opened his first restaurant (Lola, in Tremont).
The Warehouse District is very different now – and not just because of competition from other districts.
Popular clubs that once defined the area -- Mercury Lounge, Liquid, Wish, Spy, Funky Buddha and Cloud 9 – are all long gone. And changing nightlife trends have resulted in fewer dance clubs overall.
Velvet Dog hung in there, in large part due to the popularity of its rooftop patio and special events. But it increasingly became an outlier.
A sprawling dance club over three floors, each featuring bars, is a rare animal these days. The Dog lived 28 years, which is a long, long time in club years.
Its closing marks the end of an era in the Warehouse District.
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Ohio, the heart of Bitcoin? New bill would wed Ohio to crypto
Photo courtesy Satoshi Action Education
A bill just introduced into the Ohio House of Representatives that creates a ‘Strategic Bitcoin Reserve’ could have massive implications for state and for digital assets.
The Ohio Strategic Cryptocurrency Reserve Act would allow Ohio’s treasurer to allocate up to 10 percent of state’s general fund, budget stabilization fund, and prizes trust fund into a reserve of digital assets, including Bitcoin.
HB18 was introduced by Steve Demetriou, Republican, of the 35th District, which covers parts of Geauga, Portage and Summit counties. It is backed by six co-sponsors.
“By allowing an option to invest in a strategic Bitcoin reserve we can hedge against inflation and keep Ohio on the cutting edge of monetary and technological innovation,” Demetriou wrote on X.
The bill already has the backing of Vivek Ramaswamy, who is planning to run for governor of Ohio.
“A thoughtful & powerful bill here in Ohio. We need to think creatively about hedging against government-created inflation risks & keeping our state at the cutting edge of innovation, rather than playing from behind,” he wrote on X.
HB18 follows President Trump’s executive order to create a working group on the creation of a national Bitcoin reserve.
Seasonal and retail trends conspired to bring down City Goods in Hingetown
Photo courtesy City Goods
City Goods was seen as a new way for retail when it opened 30 months ago in Hingetown.
The unique collective of local artisans and makers featured 30 vendors selling everything from albums to skin care products to jewelry to soaps in what looked like mini airplane hangars (or, perhaps, giant mail boxes).
It wasn’t meant to be.
“Ohio City Incorporated will be ending the current structure of City Goods on Jan. 31,” announced the community development corporation that over the complex 18 months ago. “Stay tuned on what's next for The Creative Hangars… as this space will continue to be a source of inspiration and creativity.”
Expanding retail – especially small business activity—in urban areas such as Cleveland has been a challenge across the country in recent years. Online sales increased 8.7 percent year-over-year during the 2024 holiday shopping season and 18-20 percent of all of 2024’s retail activity occurred during the last six weeks of the year.
That, and rising rents, has had a disproportionate impact on shopping districts that focus on artisans and makers. They have increasingly opted for holiday pop-up shops and seasonal markets to take advantage of high-sales periods for gift-oriented objects, and avoiding having to pay rents during downtimes.
Cavs’ struggles fuel trade rumors: Do they have enough to deal?
Photos courtesy Cleveland Cavaliers
The playbook for defeating to the Cavs is out and the NBA is studying it carefully: Pressure the ball; rely on athleticism; unleash the long wings.
The team has lost three in a row and five out its last eight games. Even in wins, the Cavs have looked a step slow and sloppy on both ends of the floor against athletic, physical teams like Oklahoma City, Houston and Indiana.
Enter Cam Johnson?
The struggles have increased rumors that General Manager Kobe Altman is focused on trading for the Brooklyn Nets small forward, who would bring length, versatility and perimeter shooting to the team.
“League sources with knowledge of Cleveland’s internal discussions say Johnson has been discussed as a potential target and say the franchise has done its due diligence in inquiring about the availability of Johnson,” the Athletic reported. “Rival team officials, however, believe the Cavs’ interest to be more serious than that.”
The Nets (14-32) are in rebuild mode and Johnson’s age – he will be 29 in March – makes him available at the right price.
That’s where it gets difficult: The Cavs have a 2031 first-round pick, six second-rounder picks through 2029 and 2024 first-round pick Jaylon Tyson to offer.
They would also have to ship out some combination of Caris Levert, Isaac Okoro, Georges Niang to match Johnson’s $22.5 million contract to satisfy NBA trade rules.
Brooklyn is said to be asking for two first-round picks, which would make a deal difficult for the Cavs. The trade deadline is Feb. 6.
At 7 tonight, the Cavs face the Detroit Pistons at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
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The 216 Rundown
A second long-running Lakewood restaurant has closed: El Tango
El Tango made the winters warmer and summers seem like a trip to some Mexican outpost. The cactus and bric-a-brac, the candles and ornate painting and, of course, the menu made it a charming stop.
No more. Antonio Carafelli is closing the beloved Lakewood eatery.
“After 32 years, El Tango is closing its doors. Antonio has been running restaurants for over 50 years and has decided it's time to relax and focus on painting and music,” read an announcement. “We’re truly going to miss seeing all of our wonderful customers, friends stopping by each week.”
I’ll miss the vibe, decor and novel menu, from the ornate walls to the Cuban lime pie to seeing Carafelli working in his cowboy hat.
This is the second closing of a high-profile restaurant in Lakewood – behind Melt -- this month.
NOTES ON A COCKTAIL NAPKIN
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
Photos courtesy National Weather Service
Anniversary of Great Blizzard of 1978: It makes this winter seem like sunshine
Maybe it’s because it makes us feel better about the cold and snow we’re dealing with now. But Clevelanders love to look back at more treacherous winters we’ve dealt with in the past.
The anniversary of the Blizzard of 1978 does just that. Forty-seven years ago, Cleveland was overwhelmed with 82 mph winds – which turned 5 to 15 inches of snow into 20-foot-high snow drifts and buried cars and trucks on area highways.
Considered the worst storm to have hit the area, it started on Thursday January 26 and crippled Northeast Ohio for five days.
Thousands of trees and miles of electrical and telephone wires were blown down, leaving hundreds of thousands of homes in Northeast Ohio without power in the area. The entire Ohio Turnpike was closed.
More than 90 inches on snow fell on Cleveland during the winter of ’77-’78 – a record for the city until it was broken in ’81-’82 (100.5); ’91-’92 (101.1) and ’04-’05 (117.9).
VINTAGE CLEVELAND
Where are the flashing lights and sirens? The first ambulance service in Lakewood, 1900.
Cleveland Memory Project
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WEATHER
Monday
38°F 🌡️ 26°F | 🌤️ | 0% | 💨 W 15 mph (13 knots)
Tuesday
37°F 🌡️ 34°F | ❄️ | 50% | 💨 W 15 mph (13 knots)
Wednesday
36°F 🌡️ 24°F | ❄️ | 50% | 💨 W 15 mph (13 knots)
Note: This forecast is based on data from weather.com
Live Shows in the 216
Monday - 01/27
Tuesday - 01/28
Wednesday - 01/29
The 216 Sports Area
Upcoming Games
Cavaliers
Home vs. Detroit Pistons, 7 p.m., Monday, Jan. 27
Away vs. Miami Heat, 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 29
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