The Top 9 Benefits of Buying Locally

1. Money Spent Here Stays Here:

Out of country retail spending does not benefit our community. If you spend money at a locally owned business, that money is much more likely to be spent at other local businesses, which strengthen’s the local economy.

 

2. Jobs & Wages:

Supporting local businesses provides support to the jobs they offer. Increasing your spending at local businesses will in turn, increase jobs in your community.

 

3. Better Variety:

Local businesses provide a wide variety of products and services. These one-of-a-kind businesses give our community its distinct character.

 

4. Convenience Equals Savings:

Shopping locally saves time and money. Traveling farther to shop at non-local stores costs you more per mile driven and also valuable time spent away from home.

 

5. Green-Friendly:

Staying local decreases your gas consumption and pollution, and sustains vibrant, walk able communities.

 

6. Local Character & Prosperity:

In an increasingly homogenized world, communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character have an advantage in offering quality of life and unique experiences.

 

7. Friends & Neighbors:

Local businesses are staffed by local residents, your friends and neighbors. You get better service from people you know and who know you. And, you can catch up on “what’s new” with other customers as you shop.

 

8. Non-profits Receive Greater Support:

Your support of local businesses helps to ensure that they are able to continue their giving to our local non-profits.

 

9. Buy What You Want, Not What Someone Else’s Wants:

Small businesses select products based not on a national sales plan but on their own interests and the needs of their local customers.

 

Visit www.visitdowntownlima.com for a list of local shops and restaurants in downtown Lima!

Fight Hunger This Friday with the Cotton Patch Gospel at Our Daily Bread Soup Kitchen

Fighting Local Hunger with “The Cotton Patch Gospel”

The Off-Broadway musical, “The Cotton Patch Gospel” is going way off-Broadway to Lima, OH. The purpose is to raise money for local, national and international programs that help fight hunger. This show will be presented on Friday, January 18 at 7pm at Our Daily Bread, 125 South Central Ave. A freewill offering will be taken, with 100% of the funds raised go directly to fight hunger.

“The Cotton Patch Gospel” is a musical, written by Tom Key and Russel Trez featuring the music of singer/songwriter Harry Chapin. The story, inspired by Koinonia farms founder Clarence Jordan’s translations of the Gospels, imagines what it would be like if Jesus were born in Gainesville, Georgia in the 20th century. Those old Bible stories take on a new twist as Mary Hagler and Joe Davidson raise a most miraculous human. What makes this “The Cotton Patch Gospel” truly unique, is the “one man” performance by native Illinoisan, Phillip Kaufmann. With permission from the Chapin family, and through the use of audio and video technology, Phillip portrays over 20 characters, plays 11 musical instruments and sings his own backup vocals. His performance, combined with an excellent script makes this a performance that you don’t want to miss.  The Meeting Place on Market will be providing desserts and coffee for the event.

The show is even more enjoyable knowing that 100% of the proceeds go to fight hunger locally, nationally and globally. 50% of all proceeds stay right here and supports Our Daily BreadSoup Kitchen, an organization that serves an average of 3,411 meals per month to those living in poverty and hardship in Lima/Allen County. 25% goes to WHY Hunger (an organization founded by Harry Chapin and New York radio host & Catholic philanthropist, Bill Ayres – www.whyhunger.org ) and 25% to Mennonite Central Committee food program (www.mcc.org ). Thus far, Phil has taken his one-man show on the road for hunger, raising over $65,600 in its first 61 shows.

See www.cpgfoodproject.org for current information about Phil’s efforts and http://greatlakes.mcc.org/stories/news/toe-tapping-way-address-hunger for a review of his show with Harry’s daughter Jen Chapin. Why Hunger lists Phil and his show along with artists like Bruce Springsteen, Carlos Santana, and Chicago in their efforts to fight hunger. http://www.whyhunger.org/aahp

Visit Facebook: Cotton Patch Gospel Food Project or www.cpgfoodproject.org

For more info, contact Wendy Chappell-Dick at 419-303-9769

Suzanne Kinstle Nocera Art Exhibit December 2012

The Fine Art of

Suzanne Kinstle Nocera

Organic Elements in Contemporary Color

Art Exhibit at The Meeting Place on Market

December 2012

A native of Ohio, Suzanne’s discipline of focus is concentrated in transparent watercolor with mixed media in a contemporary style. Her colorful portrayal of nature and the land that surrounds her, is the reflection of Ohio’s summer gardens and the beautiful textural elements of its grand state parks.

“Bringing the outdoors in, I enjoy taking the ordinary and presenting it as the ‘not so ordinary’. In art circles, I am recognized for my use of color… it’s my passion and I react to it intuitively as I paint, striving for texture and bold, clean luminous color through a flowing, spontaneous application of poured paint”.

She is an award winning artist, studying with both national and internationally acclaimed artists since 1998. Her work hangs in private collections across the United States and Europe. Her works of intricate paper collage are represented by Vale Gallery in Chicago’s ‘River North Gallery District’ and 21^st Street Art Gallery in Virginia Beach.

Suzanne is an active member of the Lima Area Watercolor Society, The Visual Artists Network and American Craft Council. She teaches watercolor and mixed media collage in her private home studio where she resides in Lima Ohio.

Suzanne’s artwork will be on display throughout December at The Meeting Place on Market, in downtown Lima, Ohio, 220 West Market Street.

Website:

https://www.facebook.com/TornPaperStudio

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TornPaperStudio

Black Friday & Small Business Saturday Sales

Friday, November 23, open 7:30 am – 5:30 pm
Saturday, November 24, open 9 am – 3 pm

Buy 2 tea tins, get 1 FREE!

Each tin contains 36 to 50 round tea bags filled with premium tea. Regular price is $11.95/tin. Black Teas: British Breakfast, British Breakfast Decaf, Earl Greyer, Mango Ceylon, Ginger Peach, Blackberry Sage
Green Teas: Honey Ginseng, Honey Ginseng Decaf, Ginger Peach, Acai Green Tea
Red Teas: get lost, get gorgeous, get charged, get happy, get wellness, get maternal, get young, get hydrated, get burning, Good Hope Vanilla
Holiday: Apple Cider Tea

All gourmet coffees, 20% off!

Includes a variety origin coffee, including Lima Bean Blend, Big City Blend, Guatemalan, Colombian and much more, as well as flavored coffee such as Cookie Doodle, Crème Brulee, Black Forest, and more!

All packaged Chai tea, 20% off!

Our Chai tea is made in the USA! Enjoy Oregon chai at home (our daily chai brand), or try a new variety with the Enchanted Chai, available in vanilla or spiced, it is quick and easy to make using a powder base. Single Chai packets also available, just $1.00 regularly, $0.80 on sale. Both Chai options are gluten-free.

Oregon Chai ingredients: Water, organic* evaporated cane juice, honey, organic* spices, organic* black tea, ginger, organic* vanilla, organic* natural flavors and citric acid. (*Organically grown and processed in accordance with the California Organic Food Act of 1990).

Caffe D’Vita ingredients: sugar, non-hydrogenated coconut oil, nonfat dry milk, corn syrup solids, honey, imported natural black tea, natural spice blend (cinnamon, anise seed, cardamom, cloves, ginger), Madagascar vanilla, and natural and/or artificial flavors.

Shop ’til You Drop!

Gift baskets start at just $5.95, and include variety gift baskets, tea and/or Chai baskets, gourmet coffee & chocolate baskets, “Made in Ohio” basket, gluten-free basket and much more!

Variety Gift Basket, $34.95

Tea Sampler Gift Basket, $5.95

Happy Baskets, $10

Download the Downtown Lima Holiday Shopping Pass!

Downtown Lima Shops and Restaurants Offer Prizes for Shopping

Twelve downtown shops and restaurants are offering a fun and easy way to support your small businesses during this holiday season, while shopping for quality gifts!

The Holiday Shopping Pass lists twelve downtown shops and restaurants that offer fun and unique holiday shopping experiences. As customers visit the shops, they can present the pass and get a special sticker for each location. Once a customer has filled the pass with stickers from at least nine retailers, it can be turned in for the prize drawing. Winners will be drawn on December 22^nd. Three prizes are available:

Family Fun and Games Package:
Sunpak 8001 UT Tripod from Mack Camera, $60 value, Collector’s Edition Spider-Man Monopoly game, Wonder Woman bag, and gift card from Alter Ego Comics, $50 total value, a $50 gift card from the Fat Cat Diner, and a gourmet coffee and chocolate gift basket from The Meeting Place on Market, $50 value.

Shopping Spree Package:
A $50 gift certificate from each: Don Jenkins Jewelry, Nitza’s, Hofeller, Hiatt and Clark, and The Met.

Trendy Shopper Package:
Unique home and gift items from Pears Avenue, $50 value, plus a $50 gift card from each David’s Finery, Vivace Café, ArtSpace Lima.

The shopping pass not only offers a fun way for people to find the perfect gift, it also benefits our community. Based on the Civic Economics Andersonville Study of Retail Economics, if every family in the country spent an extra $10 a month with a locally-owned, independent business instead of a national chain, over $9.3 billion would be directly returned to local economies.

Participating retailers are:
Alter Ego Comics, comic books and movie and TV collectibles, 230 N. Main St., facebook.com/alteregomaniacs, 419-224-6700

ArtSpace/ Lima Gift Shoppe, hand-made art work and gifts, 65 Town Square, http://www.artspacelima.com, 419-222-1721

David’s Finery, gifts for all occasions, 115 N. Elizabeth St., http://www.davidsfinery.com, 419-222-7089

Don Jenkins, fine jewelry, 117 N. Elizabeth St., facebook.com/don.jenkinsjeweler 419-224-3211

Fat Cat Diner, ridiculously good food in the heart of Lima, 312 N. Main St., www.FatCatDiner.com, 419.879.1277

Hofeller, Hiatt, & Clark, menswear specialists since 1898, 237 N. Main St., http://www.hofellers.com, 419-228-5621

Mack Camera, for all your photo needs, 119 N. Elizabeth St., 419-225-5876

Nitza’s, ladies boutique and tailor shop, 300 N. Main St., http://www.facebook.com/nitzasinlima, 419-227-3877

Pears Avenue Boutique, unique gifts, furniture and home décor, 300 N. Main St., www.pearsavenue.net, 567-825-8822

The Meeting Place on Market, gourmet coffee, tea and gift baskets, 220 W. Market St., http://www.meetingplaceonmarket.com, 419-222-0985

The Met, wine, beer, spirits, small plates , desserts, 306 N. Main St., www.TheMet306.com, 419.999.WINE

Vivace Café, great food made fresh to order and very healthy options, 59 Town Square, www.vivacecafe.com, 419.204.9364

Holiday Shopping Passes can be picked up at any participating retailer, or downloaded from www.visitdowntownlima.com, or by clicking the image, below. Completed passes must be turned in by Friday, December 21^st, 2012, at the Civic Center Business Office, 7 Town Square, open Monday – Friday, 12 – 5 pm.

Downtown Lima Holiday Shopping Pass

Carl Rust “State of Zero” Live Music & Video Show July 21

State of Zero has arrived! Saturday, July 21^st, the State of Zero Live Music and Video Show rolls into The Meeting Place on Market in Lima, Ohio. Doors open at 6 p.m. for dinner. Show starts at 7:30!

The latest album by singer songwriter Carl Rust explores the boundaries of soul, spirit, and sound. The album includes 12 original songs that range from quiet acoustic to driving rock, to rhythmic jazz, to spoken word with influences ranging from the Beatles to Tom Waits to Cat Stevens.

Carl is a singer/songwriter from South Bend, Indiana.  He was born in Kentucky and grew up in northwest Ohio. He graduated from Lima Senior High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Ohio State University Lima branch. He has been a newspaperman, a factory worker, a teacher, a chef, a bottle washer, a dog walker, and an author, singer, songwriter, filmmaker. He has been writing and performing music for 20 years. He has produced 7 albums of original music. He currently lives in Indiana with his wife Robin, a dog and a cat. He loves his job as an assistant principal at an elementary school and plays music as often as he can. He and his guitar will be performing on Saturday, July 21st at The Meeting Place on Market, 220 West Market Street, downtown Lima, Ohio. Free and open to the public.

Visit http://www.carlrust.com for more info and song samples.

Live Music & Movies July 6th-8th

You’re going to have a hard time choosing what to do the weekend of July 6-8. Check out these fun activities involving music and movies!

The Northwest Ohio Independent Film Festival

The Veterans Memorial Civic and Conventions Center along with other venues in downtown Lima, Ohio are proud to host the Northwest Ohio Independent Film Festival on July 6-8, 2012.

The festival screenings will be a combination of 8 Feature Films, 20 Short Films, and 8 Student films. After each film a brief filmmaker’s introduction will follow along with a Q&A session. The short films will be played in groups with a 30 minute Q&A open to audience afterwards. Between films, attendees will be able to purchase copies of the films as well as other merchandise.

Friday, July 6, 2012:

• Panel Discussions and Q&A with the filmmakers

• Karma: The Movie – Experimental

• We Can Do This In Stanford – Documentary

• Absent – Documentary

• 2012 Celebration of Shorts – Short Films
• Midnight Screening – The Selling

Saturday, July 7, 2012:

• Films nominated by the Selection Committee for the 2012 Grand Prix (Outstanding Feature Film)
• Celebration of Shorts: Judges’ Choice
• The Future – Short Films
• 2012 NWOIFF After Party

Sunday, July 8, 2012:

• Films nominated by the Selection Committee for the 2012 Grand Prix (Outstanding Feature Film)
• Celebration of Shorts: Director’s Choice
• Awards GALA

Visiting artists include:

• Andie Redwine – Producer/Screenwriter
• Crystal Diane Stevens – Producer/Screenwriter
• Glenn Berggoetz – Actor/Screenwriter/Producer/Director
• Gregory Pitss – Producer/Screenwriter/Director/Actor
• Justin Hunt – Producer/Director
• Kevin Interdonato – Actor/Producer
• Lamar Pitts – Student Filmmaker
  
• Nate Simson – Student Filmmaker
• Pierce Austin – Film Hair & Make-Up
• Russ Russo – Actor/Producer
• Tara-Nicole Azarian – Student Filmmaker
• Theodore James – Producer/Screenwriter

For more information please visit: www.nwoff.com

Or Contact:

Len Archibald

Executive Director

director@nwoff.org

419-979-9692

Mennofolk Music Festival

Sixteen bands & artists will be performing in Bluffton, Ohio July 6-8 for non-stop talent and music. Providing a wide range of styles and harmonies, these bands have something in common. They all were a part of the Mennonite church and many of the groups are made up of the same family members.

However, this festival brings more than just sound & lyrics. The musicians have agreed to donate their services and the profit will be used towards healing various aspects of war including: The Iraqi Student Project, The Wounded Warrior Fund, and forms of military counseling

Listed below are the musicians and a brief description:

El Zarpe – traditional, Latin music group consisting of three siblings from Costa Rica, now live in Indiana

Five Times Harder – Wichita, KS made up of Tom and Lois Harder and their daughters

Three of the Mennofolk Bands are married couples:

• Ron Freeman and wife Savannah
  
• Dave and Joanna Woodsmall
  
• Andi and Al Tauber
  

Strange Light – newlyweds Becca and Michael Lachman

Sour Cherry Pie – created by Phil Hart of Columbus, OH playing original folk songs that he started writing in the 60′s

Brad Yoder – amazing guitar skills have earned him “ruling the Pittsburg coffeehouse scene”

Karam Salem – Iraqi refugee performing classical repertory and his own compositions

Elizabeth Pixley-Fink – received a grant from the Kalamazoo Arts Council to produce her first full-length solo album “Bloodroot and the Red Clover Quilt”

The Anabaptist Bestiary Project – rock and roll band as a contemporary bestiary

Heather Kropf – passionate about good health and healing our enivornment

Matt Keeler and band, Blues Reveler – transcendent power of America’s imagined past, understanding America’s history

Cottonwood Jam String Band – blend of traditional Old Time Appalachian, Folk, and Dance music

Andru Bemis – music expressing deepest emotions and entertaining

The Boondogglers – traditional country music and “Americana” genre with album titled “Songs of Life, Love, and Civil Disobedience”

Drop the Dawg – trio from Michiana, mix acoustic, pop, jazz, and gospel

Tickets for the Mennofolk Bluffton Music Festival are $15 and are available at the door. The event will be held at Bluffton University with optional food and lodging for attendees who pre-register at mennofolkbluffton.eventbrite.com

From more information on these artists visit www.mennofolk.org or www.townhallconcerts.typepad.com

The Meeting Place on Market is excited to host two live music events Friday night, July 6^th, and Saturday night, July 7^th! On Friday night we welcome Brad Yoder, who is stopping in Lima for a show on his way to Mennofolk in Bluffton.

Acknowledged by Pittsburgh Magazine as “ruling the Pittsburgh coffeehouse scene,” Brad logs over 150 performances annually, playing colleges, caf‘s, churches, festivals, First Nights, and even the zoo. Brad has opened for a diverse range of artists, including Erin McKeown, Tegan & Sara, the Cowboy Junkies, Lucy Kaplansky, Carrie Newcomer, the Vigilantes of Love, Emmylou Harris, Robyn Hitchcock, Ellis Paul, and Rob Dickinson of Catherine Wheel, plus played the second stage for David Gray, Peter Paul & Mary, and Steve Earle/Jackson Browne.

It‘s Brad‘s unique mix of humorous, poetic, political, funky and edgy original songs, covering a musical range from folk to indie rock (with unexpected musical and lyrical twists), that has earned him a loyal following ranging from kids in single digits through retirees. For more info, visit http://www.bradyoder.com.

Then on Saturday night, Singularity, a 5 piece Indie/ experimental/ alternative band from Lima, Ohio, will be performing at The Meeting Place on Market. They describe themselves as “a four piece band with a love for making sound that is pleasing to the ears, tickling to the heart, and nutrient to the mind.”  For more info, visit http://www.reverbnation.com/singularityband.

Both concerts are free and open to the public at The Meeting Place on Market in downtown Lima.