Organic Growth: Roggenburk never had a business plan. It all started when she rented a helicopter to capture a now-iconic aerial view of the Cavs 2016 championship parade. "It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing," she says. "Over time, we moved into apparel to serve our growing fan base of Cleveland sports fans."
Fresh Fits: While photography brought her notoriety, Roggenburk actually studied Fashion Merchandising at Indiana University. So, in 2018, her brand pivoted to focus on apparel. Now, she offers stylish, trendy clothes, which range from upcycled vintage fashion to monochrome athleisure, with a Midwest lean for all ages and genders. Peek inside her shop here.
Brick-and-Mortar: In 2019, Roggenburk opened a storefront in Crocker Park. "Crocker has a great mix of young people, families, different demographics and everybody from this side of town loves it here, so it made sense for our business."
City in the Suburbs: Crocker Park is part of a larger trend to create walkable, mixed-use spaces in the suburbs. "A lot of people don't realize that in Crocker Park there are a lot of businesses above the retail shop, so you have a corporate community, you have a neighborhood here and then obviously the shoppers, so there's a lot of busyness all the time. It does feel like a mini city."
That 'Burb Life: "We initially lived in Tremont and I was a little apprehensive [to move to the suburbs]. I'm not originally from the Cleveland area; I'm from Indiana. So i wasn't familiar with the suburbs as much and I wanted to live in the city. I wanted to be close to Downtown. I wanted to live that city life. So i was definitely apprehensive myself. But when we finally did make the move over the Westlake, I realized there is so much going on. There are a lot more young people than you think. It's just so easy. It's beautiful — a lot of greenery compared to concrete. So we ended up really liking the suburbs more than we did initially.
Local inspiration: As a designer and owner of a retail shop, Roggenburk finds Crocker Park to be a hub of creativity. "We love so many of the boutiques around here. There's a lot of local places opening in Crocker Park. It's nice to be in a community like that. There's really a thriving social scene here all the time."
It's All Cleveland: "Cleveland is so much bigger than just the city of Cleveland. I think of it as all of Northeast Ohio. So, I definitely identify as a Clevelander. To me, it's all one big thing. I'm sure there are people that would disagree, but I think it's great that there's a big community around the city that sort of ebbs and flows between the suburbs and the city."
