Taking golf out of the country club and into the urban environment is par for the course at Five Iron, which relocated to Euclid Avenue last year. “We’re the only brand to provide golf in an inclusive, welcoming environment,” says Matt Thrush, regional manager.
The Cleveland outpost is one of Five Iron’s largest — it has locations across the country — with 15 high-tech simulators, shuffleboard, pool, darts, a full bar and restaurant, events capacity and leagues.
No experience necessary. In fact, that’s the fun of Five Iron: exposing anyone who wants to try golf to the interactive sport.
“All different walks of life visit us at Five Iron, and the Cleveland location has been extremely successful in introducing golf to a diverse clientele,” Thrush says.
During Women’s History Month, Five Iron ran a successful program offering $5 memberships and free Wednesday golf for women. An LGBTQ+ league is in the works, and potentially an urban league like at one of Five Iron’s other locations.
Membership has more than tripled since January. “We’ve been wildly welcomed in the community,” Thrush says.
The venue offers lessons, swing evaluations and a PGA Tour Superstore Studio with a certified club fitter on staff — an offering other indoor golf settings do not provide, Thrush points out.
Downtown is embracing the fresh, high-energy entertainment Five Iron delivers, Thrush says, noting a growing number of pedestrians and guests swing by. He travels to Five Iron locations in several urban centers — and remarks on the clean, safe feel of Downtown. “It makes me proud that Cleveland is my hometown,” he says.
Around the World and Back to Cleveland
At Clevo Books, visitors can literally experience the world through the pages it publishes in foreign translations and the titles it acquires from across the globe. The shop only carries books from international authors — a niche that makes Clevo Books a destination.
More than 50 languages are represented in its texts, says owner Cathryn Siegal-Bergman, who started Clevo Books out of her home in 2015. She established a storefront two years ago in the Fifth Street Arcades, and in May relocated to a larger storefront exposed to plenty of foot traffic at 1026 Euclid Avenue.
Siegal-Bergman says she often overhears guests in her shop say things like, “I’ve never been in a book store with this kind of a collection,” and, “Wow — this is amazing,” or, “What an interesting niche; how did you get into it?”
For years, Siegal-Bergman worked for other publishers as a translator, and Clevo Books is a way to support other publishers who require translations, and to make her mark in the industry. “We also want to support international authors through our own publishing and are focused on helping edge up that market,” she says.
Downtown is definitely home base for Clevo Books, she adds. “We are essentially an import shop and we need to be centrally located,” she says, noting a positive momentum in Downtown’s business environment. “Cleveland is leading the way, and I feel a sense of pride toward that and hope it attracts more people Downtown.”
Life is Beautiful — Creating the Amenitized New Office
A shift to hybrid work and more flexible office environments is really nothing new, though the pandemic pushed the shift, leaving an elephant-in-the-room question: What to do with all these big buildings? The answer — reimagine them and prepare for the “new office.”
Warren Blazy III will have lived and worked Downtown 20 years in September. The senior vice president at CBRE realty representing building owners and landlords such as K&D dials back to his first apartment in Reserve Square when this property and the Old Chesterfield offered rentals, and the Warehouse District had yet to evolve.
He stands in the Downtown courtyard of Progressive, noting “the energy outside of their walls,” and anticipates the opening of Sherwin-Williams at Public Square and how its presence will amp up the city center’s energy level from an already strong buzz.
“Companies want amenities that engage their workplaces,” Blazy says, pointing to Key Tower and its strong leasing history. “You want to be in a building that is equally invested in what you are doing.”
The two floors in Progressive dedicated to Level20, a business incubator, are an example of meeting unmet needs and thinking innovatively about what an office does for the people who occupy it.
Blazy considers possibilities in Downtown’s adaptive reuse properties. “You see companies locating Downtown that want something different, the high ceilings, an energy, experiences,” he says.
And with health and wellness a front-and-center focus, more businesses are “working in” ways to offer creative and accessible avenues that equally promote community and connection.
This is what Blazy is doing at LIB (Life is Beautiful) Studio on the lower level of the Warehouse District’s Hoyt Block. The wellness space is designed for residents, employees and businesses, providing classes for individuals and corporate wellness programs. And it’s more than yoga and meditation. It’s a venue for art mixers, “prose + pose” and “vin and yin,” not to mention sunrise salutations with a mimosa toast.
Experiences like those LIB Studio delivers are the connection people are seeking in communities and the office environment. Blazy says, “There are so many different ways to engage and be an active part of the Downtown community with experiences that are also elevated, and that same philosophy is why companies are investing in new amenities.”
Yin-Vin-Yoga Summer
Check out LIB Studio at one of its specialty gatherings.
Aug. 10: Prose + Pose
Aug. 17: Vin + Yin
Aug. 24: Sunrise Salutations with Mimosa Toast
Aug. 31: BOGA (yoga on an aquatic mat)
Visit libstudiocle.com/schedule for the most up-to-date schedule.
