If Downtown Cleveland is seeking a retail revival, the initial steps are intentionally small — about 160 square feet at a time. Last month, three diminutive stores opened in repurposed shipping containers plopped into a parking lot at West Sixth Street and St. Clair Avenue. "You need anchors to drive traffic," says Tom Starinsky, associate director of the Historic Warehouse District Development Corp. "But their challenge was downtown's large, expensive spaces. How many pairs of jeans do you have to sell in order to make rent?" Dubbed Small Box, the Warehouse District and Cleveland Container Structures venture hopes to balance that sales equation. Here's a peek into each pint-sized store.
Mini Marts
Downtown retail embarks on a comeback with three small additions.
