It takes discipline, endurance and patience to thrive in the world of martial arts — the same skills you need to run a small business. So when convenience store owner Reginald Stroud was priced out of his home, business and martial arts studio in Over-the-Rhine in 2015, he was equipped for the mountainous challenge of starting over. Now, Stroud is back. He spends nearly every day behind the counter of Anybody’s Dream, a convenience store in Northside featuring a façade painted by local artist Abby Mae Friend. Not that it was easy. It took Stroud two years to secure his new location. He also had to use his house to teach Jinen-Do — his own mix of martial arts traditions he has perfected over the last four decades. And an annual tournament he holds in Evanston skipped a year after the move as Stroud dealt with his new circumstances. But he’s still standing, still teaching, still selling penny candy, knit caps and essentials like toothpaste in a new neighborhood that needs them.
2. TriHealth Fitness & Health Pavilion
3. Tiny Needle Community Acupuncture
Lynne & Lucille artist Kelli Fisher has been “making almost nothings into pretty somethings” since 2013. A transplant from Columbus, Ohio, Fisher specializes in jewelry crafted from the retired gear of local musicians. “I’ve always been a huge fan of music but have never been able to grasp the concept of actually playing it,” she says, “so making jewelry from recycled (and) unusable music materials and instruments is the way I have found to make my own version of music.” Check out her Etsy shop for necklaces and earrings made from shaped guitar strings and polished cymbal segments. She also utilizes hand-tooled leather and, occasionally, remains of the natural world: dig her popular rattlesnake vertebrae hoop earrings and African porcupine quill bar necklace. Lynne & Lucille, etsy.com/shop/lynneandlucille.
The fact that Continuum has held its own on Vine Street in OTR since 2015 is a prime example of the fact that Cincinnati is home to many humans who are interested in innovative, experimental and individual fashion. Shop owner Ericka Leighton is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning with a passion for embracing creativity and creating a space for others to explore their own, whether they’re makers or shoppers. Recently name-checked in Vogue, the shop’s entire vibe — from the neon pink logo to hanging plants and Vaporwave meets Art Nouveau eclecticism — meets the modern woman at the intersection of aspirational and attainable in style, silhouette and price point. Brands range from Paloma Wool and No 6 to Black Crane and Cold Picnic and run the gamut from boxy tops and 1980s jeans to cult mother apparel. Continuum also carries textiles, candles, jewelry, fragrances and artful publications to round out its lifestyle offerings. Continuum, 1407 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, facebook.com/continuumbazaar.
2. Donovan’s Auto & Tire Center
3. AAA | Bob Sumerel Tire & Service
