The former Woodburn Brewing space in Walnut Hills will soon have a new tenant that isn’t just a bar, a restaurant, a retail space or a botanical garden, but all of the above when it opens in December.
The Gardens, a new ‘experiential third space’ from Walnut Hills resident Jen Ciolino at 2800 Woodburn Avenue, is trying to be all things for all people — but she’s keeping her cards close to her chest on how, exactly, it’ll all work.
“We want to create something unique and special that is alive. The reason for the name ‘The Gardens’ is because gardens are always changing,” she said. “Things grow, things die, new things grow. And so what we’re building is an experience not only where everyone feels like it was made for them, but where it’s different every time you come in … I’m being cautious about revealing what it is because it’s so hard to explain. But I want people to be proud that it’s here, and I want people to feel like this place is part of the neighborhood’s identity.”
Ciolino has worked as an IT professional for decades, but decided to take a leap of faith, leave the corporate world and embrace her creative side after a heart issue in February that sent her to the emergency room. While hospitalized and “surrounded by love,” she decided she wanted to spread that love throughout her local community.
“The doctors were working on me for hours, and we thought I might die. And I really grabbed onto all that love and thought, ‘Wow, if I die, it’s okay, because there’s so much love around me,'” she said. “It was something that made me reflect on what’s the most important thing for me to do, and what I want my impact to be … And, so, I want to give a lot of love to the community.”
Ciolino worked with 3CRE’s Olivia Page and Pesola Advisors Group’s Nick Pesola to lease the space. As a teaser, she’s been putting up different objects in the windows of the space to clue people in on what to expect. A lot of the space’s future fixtures — whether it’s a “raucous” space to watch Bengals games or a hidden library full of free books — have come from walking around and asking local community members what they’d like to see. Some of the teasers have even come from online feedback, like when a Reddit commenter said there was “no way they’ll serve drinks,” so Ciolino “stole my husband’s best bottle of tequila and cognac and put it in the window so people will know we’ll have liquor.”
Of course, a place called ‘The Gardens’ is nothing without a garden, so there’ll be plenty of plants to go around. The inside will host a year-round botanical garden, while the outdoor space will come alive in the warmer months with greenery of all sorts. The menu will change seasonally, as well, with frequent changes to the venue’s food and drink options — including pop-ups from local chefs. Ciolino described the space as a “choose your own adventure.”
“There’s so much different stuff that goes on there in a garden. There’s never just one thing, whether it’s flowers or vegetables. But yet, when you look at a garden, you know it’s a garden, right?” she said. “You can walk into a garden and go, ‘Oh, that flower wasn’t there yesterday.’ That’s really why it’s called ‘The Gardens.’ We have things to make, to eat, to drink, to do, to read, to sit, to get loud, to be quiet, but it’s never the same experience.”
For Ciolino, she hopes the space reflects the diversity of the neighborhood, which she says is what she “really loves” about Walnut Hills.
“All of it. The socioeconomic diversity, the racial diversity, the religious diversity, everything … I really want the neighborhood to understand that we all belong here, and that we’re all cared for,” she said. “And I want this to be a place where people tell their friends ‘We have to go to The Gardens.'”
The Gardens is slated to open in December at 2800 Woodburn Avenue in Walnut Hills. For more information on The Gardens, visit the official Instagram page.
