When you live in the same building where you work, commuting is not much of a problem. Just ask Cathy Carlson Klemencic, who lives at 1010 Building where she also works at the Heinen’s Fine Foods Grocery store downtown.
“It’s wonderful to know I can literally take the elevator down to work 5 minutes before I start without going outside,” says Klemencic. “It’s great during inclement weather. There’s also a sense of safety and familiarity.”
“As I come and go daily, I see so many people I know, including our Downtown Cleveland Alliance Ambassadors around East 9th and Euclid. It’s a busy area day and night.”
Klemencic moved downtown in 2015 when an employment opportunity opened up at Heinen’s.
“Originally when I returned downtown to help Heinen’s open the new store, I thought I’d just commute from the suburbs as I had done 20 years ago,” says Klemencic. “Heinen’s Downtown opens [its] Equal Exchange Espresso Bar that I was managing at 6:30 a.m. to serve early workers coming into downtown, so I decided back in February of 2015 to look at housing options near the store. Geis Companiesoffered the perfect boutique-style, smaller apartments that I didn’t know existed.”
Not walking back and forth to a parking lot to only end up sitting in traffic during rush hour adds a minimum of one hour every day to do other, fun things that are really close by, she says.
“Attending any sporting or concert event is a breeze because you can spend time with friends — not in traffic,” she adds. And there are plenty of entertainment venues that she can visit without leaving her building, including Adega, the Patio outside The 9, Ledger Bar, Alex Theatre, Azure Rooftop Lounge and the Vault.
Klemencic likes working at Heinen’s because it’s also a destination for many people who work downtown or visit the city for events. Because it caters to an urban customer base, it offers many food items for busy, on-the-go consumers through its “What’s for Dinner” menu ideas and prepared foods. Chefs
even will cook for you
on demand.
“It is also an easy place to meet people for a meeting or just to catch up,” says Klemencic. “I like to grab an Americano in a ceramic cup to enjoy in the beautiful rotunda in the morning or as a mid-afternoon pick-me-up with a friend, or even solo. The tables upstairs near the large windows with great views are a perfect place to watch Cleveland go by.”