As summer fades in, Northeast Ohioans are being greeted by warm weather, but are likely still cautious about classic summer social activities like sharing a meal with friends or exploring new neighborhoods together. Local dining and retail spots, such as Zhug, Luna Bakery & Cafe and Appletree Books in Cleveland Heights’ Cedar Fairmount district, are slowly returning to normalcy, although with some necessary social distancing alterations. By sharing our photoshoot from the neighborhood that took place just before the pandemic hit Ohio, Jstyle is looking forward to the return of such activities and is hopeful for the continued success of the local businesses that let us stop in.
Madison wears a one-button jacket by Willow and Wrigley, necklace by Julio, and Midrise clean hem jeans by Stonefield all from Knuth’s in Pepper Pike. Black heels from DSW are her own.
Madison Cannella
Age: 23
City: Newbury Township
Synagogue: Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple
Work: Business development assistant at Jones Day in downtown Cleveland
Madison wears a black faux wrap jumpsuit by Karen Kane, and style ANK019 and ANK003 necklaces by OMG, and holds a tortoise clutch by Sea Lily, all from Knuth’s. Black heels from DSW are her own.
Rachel wears a leopard windbreaker by Veronica Beard, black silk cami by L’AGENCE, black jeans with raw hem by Hudson and ivory handbag by Rag and Bone all from Kilgore Trout in Woodmere.
Rachel Gulko
Age: 34
City: Cleveland’s Gordon Square Arts District
Work: Regional sales manager at Avigilon
Rachel wears a floral dress by Veronica Beard and jewelry by Gai Russo, and holds an ivory handbag by rag & bone, all from Kilgore Trout. Pink heeled sandals by Jessica Simpson are her own.
Bobby wears a light weight perforated suede biker jacket with knit sleeves in navy by Gimo’s, washed cotton navy T-shirt made in Italy by Drumohr, black studded belt by Mangini and selvedge stitched jean by Eleventy, all from J3 Clothing Company in Moreland Hills.
Bobby Bodner
Age: 26
City: Downtown Cleveland
Synagogue: Park Synagogue
Work: Founder/CEO at Breadify Financial
Bobby wears a silk dinner jacket with silver leaf motif by Pal Zileri, white shirt by Eton and black jeans by PAIGE, all from J3 Clothing Company. Dress shoes from Nordstrom are his own.
Elyse wears a navy patterned dress by Ulla Johnson from Two French Blue in Chagrin Falls.
Elyse Frank
Age: 27
City: Downtown Cleveland
Work: Senior account executive at Wyse Advertising, A Falls Company
Elyse wears a colorful, graphic dress by Ulla Johnson from Two French Blue. Black peep-toe heels from DSW and earrings from Nordstrom are her own.
Zack wears a linen mini floral print shirt by Nove and active business tech pant by Alberto, both from Ticknors Men’s Clothier in Beachwood.
Zack Edelsberg
Age: 34
City: Shaker Heights
Synagogue: The Temple-Tifereth Israel
Work: Personal trainer and founder at ZEE FITNESS
Zack wears an unconstructed travel blazer by Michael Kors, active business tech pant by Alberto and
buttonless V-neck polo by
Robert Barakett, all from
Ticknors Men’s Clothier. Brown dress shoes from Nordstrom are his own.
Zhug
Bobby wears a silk dinner jacket with silver leaf motif by Pal Zileri, white shirt by Eton and black jeans by Paige, all from J3 Clothing Company. Dress shoes from Nordstrom are his own. Zack wears an unconstructed travel blazer by Michael Kors, active business tech pants by Alberto and buttonless V-neck polo by Robert Barakett, all from Ticknors Men’s Clothier. Brown dress shoes from Nordstrom are his own.
Rachel wears a leopard windbreaker and belt by Veronica Beard, black silk cami by L’Agence, black jeans with raw hem by Hudson and ivory handbag by Rag and Bone all from Kilgore Trout.
The Middle Eastern-inspired restaurant in Cleveland Heights’ Cedar Fairmount neighborhood opened last year, named after the Yemeni hot sauce that pairs with the menu. The space is open and sunny, with a minimalistic, modern yet earthy look.
After closing for dine-in service due to the pandemic in March, Zhug switched to curbside pickup and delivery – all via an easy-to-use online platform. The restaurant also made some minor menu changes to highlight foods that travel best and are more home style, and different specials.
Zhug owner and chef Doug Katz says the restaurant’s staff is talking dates for reopening for table service.
“It sort of just depends, but we are thinking maybe the next four weeks we would consider it, but we just want to make sure everything is stable and we didn’t want to be the first ones,” to reopen, Katz says.
On top of making sure Zhug continues to cook delicious takeout – food emphasizing spices and strong flavors – Katz opened a new ghost kitchen in Cleveland Heights for South American-inspired takeout. Chimi, named after chimichurri, an Argentinian herb relish, opened June 12 for curbside pickup and delivery only – summery food for a different kind of seasonal dining experience.
“It’s certainly not like being open, but it feels safe for our employees, it feels safe for the community. It’s a small team and we’re able to really prepare great food and the system is just working well. So we are enjoying doing it – we are excited to come back one day, but we’re not ready yet.”
Doug Katz, owner
Madison wears a one-button jacket by Willow and Wrigley, necklace by Julio, and Midrise clean hem jeans by Stonefield all from Knuth’s in Pepper Pike. Black heels from DSW are her own.
Rachel wears a leopard windbreaker and belt by Veronica Beard, from Kilgore Trout.
Ivory handbag by Rag and Bone all from Kilgore Trout.
Elyse wears a navy patterned dress by Ulla Johnson from Two French Blue.
Zack wears an unconstructed travel blazer by Michael Kors and buttonless V-neck polo by Robert Barakett, both from Ticknors Men’s Clothier.
Bobby wears a silk dinner jacket with silver leaf motif by Pal Zileri, white shirt by Eton and black jeans by Paige, all from J3 Clothing Company.
Bobby wears a contemporary cut navy suit by Corneliani Academy and violet shirt by Eton, both from J3 Clothing Company. Brown dress shoes by ECCO and sunglasses by Ray-Ban are his own. Elyse wears a colorful, graphic dress by Ulla Johnson. Black peep toe heels from DSW and earrings from Nordstrom are her own.
Madison wears a black faux wrap jumpsuit by Karen Kane, tortoise clutch by Sealily, style ANK019 and style ANK003 necklaces by OMG, all from Knuth’s. Black heels from DSW are her own.
Luna Bakery & Cafe
Elyse wears a lavender top by Ulla Johnson and light wash denim by Moussy Vintage, both from Two French Blue. Shoes from DSW are her own. Zack wears a linen mini floral print shirt by Nove and active business tech pants by Alberto, both from Ticknors Men’s Clothier. White sneakers from Target are his own. Bobby wears a selvedge stitched jean by Eleventy, light weight perforated suede biker jacket with knit sleeves in navy by Gimos, black studded belt by Mangini and washed cotton navy T-shirt made in Italy by Drumohr, all from J3 Clothing Company. White sneakers from Nordstrom are his own.
The bakery known for its delicious cakes and pastries, as well as coffee drinks, crepes and more, has been a growing presence in the Cleveland Heights community since 2011. But when the pandemic hit, it converted to takeout only.
Luna reopened its patio for dining once Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine allowed it, says owner Bridget Thibeault. And around June 1, indoor dining reopened at Luna, although due to the nice weather, most customers have elected to munch on treats and sip coffee outside. The bakery’s Moreland Hills location – which had been closed since March 18 – also reopened in early June, with limited hours.
Elyse wears a lavender top by Ulla Johnson and light wash denim by Moussy Vintage, both from Two French Blue. Shoes from DSW are her own. Madison wears an Elan lightweight Camo print jacket, Toni midrise straight-leg stretch denim jean with unfinished hem by AGOLDE and necklace in style 338/87 by Joy Accessories, all from Knuth’s. Black heels from DSW are her own.
Zack wears a linen mini floral print shirt by Nove and active business tech pant by Alberto both from Ticknors Men’s Clothier. White sneakers from Target are his own. Bobby wears a selvedge stitched jean by Eleventy, light weight perforated suede biker jacket with knit sleeves in navy by Gimos, black studded belt by Mangini and washed cotton navy T-shirt made in Italy by Drumohr, all from J3 Clothing Company. White sneakers from Nordstrom are his own.
“Our sales are definitely down – we are probably doing about 50% of what we normally would do this time of year,” Thibeault says. “But we have seen an increase over the last couple weeks, so we are hoping it will just continue to grow as the summer goes on.”
Another downside for the business is as people avoid big gatherings, they also aren’t ordering wedding cakes from Luna Cake Shop. The bakery is well known for its colorful, intricate and tasty designs. And there is the loss of catering orders for other large parties, like graduations, that are typical this time of year. The bakery also had to lay off staff, but has now been able to bring most back.
Thibeault says as the weather warms and the state relaxes orders, “some confidence is coming back” for people looking to go out and visit local spots like hers. She says the bakery has also started offering decorating kits for cakes and cookies, as well as take-and-bake sticky buns and cookie dough to aid customers with their home baking endeavors that may have become a hobby during the quarantine.
“I’m thinking more about wholesale and how can we sustain ourselves if something like this were to happen again,” Thibeault says.
“It’s just so odd that you can’t plan for it – we had no idea what was coming. We were coming off of like our best year ever – we’ve grown every year. So we definitely had to change how we are doing things.”
Bridget Thibeault, owner
Rachel wears a copper silk cami and white jeans by L’Agence, leopard belt by Streets Ahead and jewelry by Gai Russo, all from Kilgore Trout. Metallic heeled sandals from Amazon are her own. Bobby wears a nylon and knit baseball style jacket by Eleventy, white polo by PYA, Italian summer jeans by Telerai Zed and multi-color woven belt by Andersons, all from J3 Clothing Company. White sneakers from Nordstrom are his own.
Elyse wears a cropped pink jacket by LTH JKT, white T-shirt by ATM, light wash denim by Moussy Vintage and mixed-material necklace by Mignonne Gavigan, all from Two French Blue. Wedges from DSW are her own.
Madison wears a French terry sweatshirt in pool color, crystal wash tie dye by Michael Stars and Toni midrise straight-leg stretch denim jean with unfinished hem by AGOLDE, both from Knuth’s. Black booties from DSW are her own. Elyse wears a cropped pink jacket by LTH JKT, white T-shirt by ATM, light wash denim by Moussy Vintage and mixed-material necklace by Mignonne Gavigan, all from Two French Blue. Wedges from DSW are her own. Zack wears a short sleeve aqua soft stretch button down by Raffi and light wash denim by Alberto, both from Ticknors Men’s Clothier. White sneakers from Target are his own.
Appletree Books
The independent neighborhood bookstore that has been in business for 46 years shut its doors when the pandemic hit Ohio in March. Since then, it’s slowly coming back to life in a new form.
“It’s really a mainstay in the neighborhood, and I really hope that we are able to maintain it,” says owner Lynn Quintrell. “We are working very hard because it’s been such a community presence for so many years.”
Zack wears a textured, updated navy sportcoat by Paul Betenly, patterned striped sport shirt by Bugatchi and light wash denim jeans by Alberto, all from Ticknors Men’s Clothier in Beachwood. Brown shoes from Banana Republic are his own. Rachel wears a floral halter by Veronica Beard, black jeans with white stitching by L’Agence, earrings by Gas Bijoux and snake clutch by Claris Virot, all from Kilgore Trout. Black heels from Amazon are her own.
Quintrell says the store first reopened around April 15 to accommodate curbside pickup and home delivery of email and phone orders. It has since increased its hours due to strong business.
And one new service the bookstore developed to prevent physical contact between people and items is referred to as the book guru. A customer can make an appointment with a staff member knowledgeable about books who – from at least 6 feet away and outside the store – will make recommendations based on the reader’s interest. The book guru will then sell the customer the books they choose.
“It’s a way to bring the merchandise to the customer without the customer coming all the way into the store,” Quintrell says.
“Every week we tweak what we are doing. It’s like a whole new world – what worked maybe last week could be improved this week.”
