If you’ve ever found your living room too crowded with video game consoles and accessories (you nerd), you’ve likely wondered how to reduce the clutter and earn a bit of cash or credit toward your next gaming purchase. Of course, there are pawn shops and other avenues for reselling, but for the best deal it’s advisable to consider Arcade Legacy’s two retail spots. (They also have a bar and arcade space in Northside for drinking and gaming sans selling.) The original location at Cincinnati Mills is literally one of the only reasons to visit the vastly vacant skeleton of the once thriving mall. Upon entering Arcade Legacy, the nostalgic audio/video overload of a classic arcade boasting more than 70 cabinets envelops your senses. To your left is the beautiful sight of Nintendo and Sega cartridges on display, along with all the generations of gaming you could hope to find under one roof. The Newport location is equally impressive in its retail and arcade inventory and is perhaps more accessible in its more populated strip mall. Arcade Legacy is the central resource for retro and modern video game enthusiasts in the city. Arcade Legacy Cincinnati Mills, 662 Cincinnati Mills Drive, Springdale; Arcade Legacy Newport, 1765 Monmouth St., Newport, arcadelegacyohio.com.
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
