Brian Friedman, director, Northeast Shores Development Corporation which serves North Collinwood which includes Waterloo Road arts and entertainment district. The district includes 11 arts locations (and three more to come). None of them existed before 2000.
We have a whole neighborhood of artists already established, married, maybe with a spouse who had a job with benefits. They like the traditional amenities like a house with a yard. Many predate this new growth.
The CDC helps entrepreneurs walk through the building ownership process so that they take title to buildings and stabilize the neighborhood.
Branding challenges:
- Where is it?
- Extending awareness beyond Beachland Ballroom (the "anchor")
Branding rules
- Know your niche -- an indie rock scene
- Lead your category -- we're the second neighborhood that the city of Cleveland has designated as a neighborhoo-based arts and entertainment district (Playhouse Square is the other).
- Keep it authentic
- To be successful, brand can't be wholly inclusive (the non-arts retailers: "In a branding context, that has to be a spin off opportunity for them, but I'm not going to attract anyone there because of a used car lot. That's a challenge to manage.")
We let artists control agenda in monthly steering committee. You might get public art going up without permits and CDC gets permits after the fact. ("We have to let that happen and not get in the way.").
Advertising: in local independent paper, the Free Times, with a different weekly tag lines like "Art so good it's worth stealing" referring to a recent gallery break-and-entry.
Advertising successes like attracting Azure Stain Glass Studio (tagline: "Hell yeah we're taking your artists, they like us better.").
Future plans:
- Residential development. North of Lakeshore has been thriving for years, but trying to push for more residential development in the streets directly adjacent to Waterloo.
- Streetscape development
- We need some guerilla marketing, maybe stencils of Waterloo District logo in unexpected places
What community development corporations need to establish arts districts:
- Dedicated staff person (we dedicated some time of community outreach coordinator)
- Dedicated money that you won't touch
- Need creative people to help
- Your CDC is not the brand for the arts district
- Experience matters
- Tools don't matter "You can't advertise that you've put in your live/work zoning variance, most artists haven't gotten a loan. So, those aren't a marketing tool for artists."
- Living creatively in Cleveland. "Most of us are bombarded by messages of where to live -- move to where the new Target is! -- we have to combat that. Testimonials that brand urban living in general like the "got milk" campaign (the Mile Processor's Board doesn't want you to just drink milk, but dairy of all kinds.")
