what's new at the 5th street arcades: upcycled art, tacos, popcorn and a side of steampunk


With the addition of four new tenants expected to open over the coming weeks, 5th Street Arcades is celebrating a significant milestone.

"We're basically fully leased," says Lauren Wiant, marketing and community relations liaison at the 5th Street Arcades for Cumberland Development. She recalls what the space looked like only two years ago. "It was like a mausoleum. It was dead enough that you could hear yourself talk."

With a veritable reanimation of this historic Cleveland space, those days are gone.

The four new businesses include Sandy Buffie Designs, which will be taking over the former Baseball Heritage Museum space—a whopping 5,467 square feet—to showcase Buffie's contemporary handcrafted jewelry and sculpture. All of her creations are made from found and recycled objects.

"In addition to a gallery space, she'll be doing classes," says Wiant.

The arcade will also soon welcome the area's third Barrio location, which will front on Prospect in a 4,478-square-foot space. The custom taco eatery will employ 50 and seat 200, excluding the patio. Other locations include 806 Literary Road in Tremont and 15527 Madison Avenue in Lakewood.

Yet another food attraction will be popping up on the other end of the arcade. Kernels by Chrissie will occupy a 752-square-foot storefront facing Euclid. Helmed by entrepreneur Christine Fahey, the shop will offer handcrafted gourmet popcorn.

"We found her at the Downtown Farmers Market," notes Wiant. "She was a vendor there looking for a permanent storefront. She's going to do some of her popcorn production in the shop as well."

With more than 20 flavors to choose from, heaven help hungry passers-by trying to resist that aroma.

Lastly, 10PM Studio will be occupying a 535-square-foot interior space. Proprietor and artist Patty Mcphillips will offer steampunk-themed jewelry crafted from vintage timepieces.

"She was an artist featured in one of our other shops, Fra Angelica, who was interested in having a permanent space as well," says Wiant.

Wiant credits the frenetic wave to Cumberland owner Richard Pace.

"(The 5th Street Arcade) is something he took a risk on because he believed in these entrepreneurs," she says, adding that the Arcade had an occupancy rate of less than 50 percent when Cumberland took over and now boasts 45 businesses. "(Pace) provided them with incentives to get their businesses up and running."

The group's next step will be to extend shopping hours in an effort to attract the after-work crowd.

"It's a great model for the entire city," says Wiant. "It proves retail can work downtown."

Erin O'Brien
Erin O'Brien

About the Author: Erin O'Brien

Erin O'Brien's eclectic features and essays have appeared in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and others. The sixth generation northeast Ohioan is also author of The Irish Hungarian Guide to the Domestic Arts. Visit erinobrien.us for complete profile information.