annual report

2016

short north allianceMy favorite Short North moment in 2016, possibly in my entire life, was when Nina West and her crew invited the entertainers from Pulse Night Club to Axis. They had hopeful messages for the families of those killed in Orlando.

Jeni Britton-Bauer Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams

Through promotional events and the monthly Gallery Hops, the Short North Alliance helped connect my business to residents in the area as well as other businesses in the District. It’s comforting to know they are just a call away.

Kate Stevens Red Giraffe Designs

Regular updates and communica-tion on conventions, events, and promotions keep us ahead. I love how the Alliance comes and pays personal visits and checks in on [my] business.

Melanie Hutchins Chunky Armadillo

The SNA is a constant source of relief and strength for us, whether it’s Ambassadors helping us or their leadership fighting for us at the city level.

Josh Quinn TigerTree

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The SNA is constantly helping small businesses and making sure everyone is in a working community and getting to know and support one another.

Travis Samson Samson Men’s Emporium

Our People Are The Secret To Our Success

Just about every week, I get a phone

call from another community inquiring

how we have done it. How did we create

this amazing neighborhood? What did

we do to create one of the country’s

greatest success stories for urban

revitalization? How have we attracted

private investment? What are the

guarded secrets that they can glean

in hopes of recreating the authenticity,

vibrancy, and culture we all love about

the Short North Arts District? While the

process to get to where we are was

complex, the secret to our success is

quite simple, it isn’t so secret, and is

right out there hiding in plain site.

It is our people.  

The Short North Arts District is home

to one of the largest communities of

independently owned, locally headquar-

tered businesses in all of Ohio. We’re a

breeding ground for entrepreneurs and

creatives. We showcase and celebrate

the work of literally thousands of locally

loved and internationally respected

artists each year. And it is those people

who own shops, offer services, show-

case artists, and create our favorite

beers, spirits, and meals that make the

Short North Arts District so special.

LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

BETSY A. PANDORA, MCRP EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SHORT NORTH ALLIANCE

Letter from the Executive Director 1

Short North by the Numbers 2

Clean & Safe Programs 3

Beautification & Public Art 5

Business & Visitor Services 6

Advocacy & Neighborhood Development 7

Events & Initiatives 9

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Short North Alliance (SNA) is a

501(c)3 nonprofit organization serving

both the property owners and business

owners of the Short North Arts District. It

is funded in large part by the Short North

Special Improvement District and is con-

tracted annually to fulfill the Short North

Special Improvement District’s Plan of

Services.

The mission of the Short North Alliance

is to nurture the Short North Arts District

as a vibrant, creative, and inclusive

community and leading arts destination.

The Short North Alliance will:

v Advocate (for the SNAD’s success)

v Improve (the SNAD’s public spaces)

v Engage (the SNAD’s unique stakeholders)

v Sustain (the SNAD’s resources and supportive relationships)

v Market (the SNAD’s success and opportunities)

ABOUT THE SHORT NORTH ALLIANCE

The Short North Alliance is here to to

help all those special people thrive. We

spend considerable time and resources

thinking about how we can improve our

business environment and improving

it; we dream about better amenities,

events, and activities to attract visitors

and deepen their experience in the

Short North Arts District and do them;

and we spend hours on the phone,

convening meetings, and beating the

pavement from shop to shop all to foster

a spirit of community and collaboration

among everyone who lives, works,

and celebrates in the Short North Arts

District.

In 2016 we more than doubled our social

media reach and visitors to our website,

created new resources and programs

designed to help our small businesses

thrive, secured and increased our base

of funding for the next five years, sig-

nificantly increased the net profits from

our fundraising efforts so that we can

reinvest more back into the District, and

continued to steward unprecedented

business growth and development in our

District along with policies that ensure a

successful environment for all people in

the District.

The pages that follow not only report

how we did in 2016, but they share how

our people did too. The secret to our

success is our people. And that is

something you can’t replicate.

I never take for granted the value of being able to cook in one of the cities great neighborhoods. The Short North has such great energy and a wildly creative culture.

Bill Glover Executive Chef Hilton Columbus Downtown and Gallerie Bar and Bistro

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WHO LIKES THE SHORT NORTHARTS DISTRICT?

450,000 website visitors80% Increase from 2015

29,000 Facebook followers7% Increase from 2015

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SHORT NORTH ARTS DISTRICT BY THE NUMBERS

119103811519

Services & Salons

Eating & Drinking

Shopping

Arts & Galleries

Community Organizations

67,000 twitter followers10% Increase from 2015

20,300 Instagram followers137% Increase from 2015

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I feel fortunate to have a creative team working for me on marketing and help-ing to drive customers to the Short North for special events.

Dawn McCombs Glean

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SHORT NORTH SPECIAL IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT BOUNDARIES

113483,900,000+

700+

Lodging & Hotels

Total Businesses

Square feet of residential and commercial building area

Property owners

WHO’S TALKING ABOUT THE SHORT NORTH ARTS DISTRICT?The Short North Alliance helped to generate over 150 positive news stories for the

Short North Arts District in 2016, including stories from these national news outlets

The New York Times, Forbes, The Detroit News, USA Today, Budget Travel, The

Chicago Tribune, Brit+Co, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, The Tampa Tribune and

Southwest Magazine.

CLEAN & SAFE PROGRAMS

CLEAN SERVICES

Event 2013 2014 2015 2016 from 2015

Snow removal (man hours) 150 243.15 145.98 39.87 -72.69%

Landscaping (man hours) N/A 147.4 180.6 112.75 -37.57%

Watering (man hours) 211 114.4 229.18 358.58 56.46%

Gallons of Water Used 6,821 8,302 19,515 135.06%

Graffiti removed 981 1,869 2,952 1,877 -36.42%

Trash cans emptied 2,061 438 219 572 161.19%

SAFETY SERVICES

Event 2013 2014 2015 2016 from 2015

Number of Security Tours 1,344 1,983 2,300 2,205 -4.13%

Security Tours (Miles) 2,016 2,971.6 3,450 3,304.4 -4.22%

Be On The Lookout (Email) 24 38 34 57 67.65%

Be On The Lookouts (Text) 13 26 100%

Business Checks 1,335 1,699 2,212 2,310 4.43%

Hotline calls (Total) 759 286 518 495 -4.44%

Incidents 639 1,982 1,514 1,395 -7.86%

311 requests 31 18 31 18 -41.94%

VISITOR SERVICES

Event 2013 2014 2015 2106 from 2015

Hospitality 636 425 600 258 -57.00%

For many, the Short North Ambassadors

are the first point of contact people meet in

the Short North. They work continuously to

provide information to visitors and serve as

a welcoming voice to our neighborhood.

We recorded less instances of hospitality

service this year. Ambassadors tracked

less visitor initiated questions in 2016. We

attribute this to both a change in reporting

and more public information available to

visitors.

Short North Ambassadors invest a signifi-

cant amount of their time toward crime pre-

vention and safety support. As a result, we

have seen a decrease in the total number

of safety incidents our team records due in

large part to their eyes on the street.

In 2016, we saw very minimal snowfall, we

relied on external vendors to install land-

scape materials, and we saw less graffiti.

However, we invested more time in water-

ing plant material and in trash removal.

My wife calls me the Mr. Rodgers of the Short North. Because of the work of the SNA, it’s always a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

Dave Weibel Edward Jones

Clean & Safe Programs The Short North Alliance runs the Short North Ambassador Program,

which is staffed by a team of five full-time ambassadors who spend over 7,700 hours per year

keeping the Short North Arts District clean and safe. Here are some of their accomplishments

over the last four years.

% Change

% Change

% Change

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INCIDENT LOCATION/RESOLUTION

The Top 5 Locations for Recorded Safety Incidents in 2016

Greenwood Park 133

UDF 117

White Castle 50

Family Dollar 44

Stonewall Columbus 39

Top 5 Types of Safety Incidents in 2016

Open containers 437

Illegal Camping 215

Panhandling 210

Aggressive Panhandling 152

Threatening or Intimidating Behavior 57

Top Methods of Resolution for Safety Incidents in 2016

Ambassador Cleared 70.8%

Cleared by other means 17.4%

Hotline calls - Cleared prior to arrival 4.6%

Information only report 4.4%

CPD engaged & warned the subject 2.8%

Top Method of Reporting Incidents in 2016

Ambassador Observed: 58.71%

Informed by other means: 22.09%

Hotline calls: 16.85%

Walk up: 2.22%

CPS informed Ambassadors: 0.36%

I think of the Short North Alliance as ... someone who is there when I need them and always happy to show me the way. [They] stood up for me when it really mat-tered to me and my busi-ness. I take comfort in know-ing that help and guidance is literally only a phone call away.

Jonas Laughlin Laughlin Bakery

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L The Short North Alliance is extraordinarily helpful at reinforcing to the public that the Short North is a destination for entertainment, shopping, and eating, and they create tremen-dous business opportunities.em ipsum dolor sitmod tincidunt ut l Deb Neimeth Happy Go Lucky Home & HerAddress

I’m always impressed by how responsive the Alliance is to our needs as merchants. Everything from access to information to the “boots on the ground” of the Ambassadors; we get what we need when we need it.

Duff Lindsay Lindsay Gallery

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BEAUTIFICATION & PUBLIC ART

Landscaping Partnership with Franklin

Park Conservatory and Dummen Orange

The Short North Alliance continued

our partnership with Franklin Park

Conservatory as its exclusive landscape

vendor for the District. Trained horticul-

turists from Franklin Park Conservatory

designed and maintained four seasonal

plantings for planters on High Street, in

Poplar Park, in Chase Park, in Greenwood

Park, and along Buttles Avenue.

Additionally, the Short North Alliance

partnered with Columbus-headquartered

international plant grower Dummen

Orange to feature a summer-long instal-

lation of plants along High Street on con-

junction with the American Hort’s Cultivate

Convention, one of our cities largest

conventions.

Holiday Decor

The Short North Alliance partnered with

Light It Up Columbus to add significantly to

the holiday decor found throughout the

Short North Arts District in 2016. We again

installed a live 20-foot holiday tree in Poplar

Park donated by Timbuck Farms, installed a

holiday display in Greenwood Park, distrib-

uted over 150 poinsettia plants and window

clings to district businesses, hung holiday

banners on the arches, and wrapped light

poles with evergreen garland.

The ambassadors are very responsive and friendly; it is a pleasure to see them on the street. I continue to be proud of the Short North mural project.

Maria Galloway pm gallery

The Short North is so dynamic, constantly changing, evolving-very grateful to the Alliance for their advocacy and hard work!

Melanie Mahaffey Mary Catherine’s Antiques

In 2016, the Short North Alliance led several beautification and public art projects to

enhance the public space in the Short North Arts District.

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Kevin Stress & Curt Everitt Enso Tattoo

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BUSINESS & VISITOR SERVICES

Start with Art Campaign

Throughout 2014, the Short North Alliance convened conversations

with the District’s galleries in order

to develop a promotional campaign

aimed at building awareness of the

arts in the District. In 2016, the Short

North Alliance continued the Start

with Art Campaign. The campaign

consisted of targeted editorial and ads

using brand elements and messaging,

videos highlighting individual galleries,

a new section of ShortNorth.org, and

the Arts Passport - all to encourage

beginning experiences in the District

with art.

Special Promotions

The Short North Alliance coordinated

several district-wide promotions to

unify businesses and engage visitors

throughout 2016. They included three

established seasonal promotions

(Winter Sale, End of Summer Sale, and

Holiday Hop), new holiday promo-

tions (Deck The District Tree Lighting

Celebration, Short North Pole Shop

Night, and Wrap It Up Saturday), and

31 Things To Do In the Short North, a

promotion for the attendees of the 31

Gifts convention.

New Tools

The Short North Alliance created

five new business category specific

guides to help visitors better connect

with businesses in the District. These

include an update of the highly popular

Dining Guide, a new Gallery Guide, a

Shopping Guide, a Business Services

Guide, and a Guide to Parking and

Transit. Additionally in 2016, the Short

North Alliance launched Newsfeed,

a bi-monthly newsletter with compre-

hensive information for the business

community designed to keep business

owners more engaged and better

informed of District happenings,

resources, and information. Finally,

in 2016 we piloted a visitor touring

program in conjunction with The Ohio

State University, Experience Columbus,

and several major conventions providing

experiences that engage visitors with

the arts and creative merchants in the

District.

Small Business Resources

In November, the Short North Alliance

launched a new continuing education

series for small businesses (predomin-

antly focused on small retailers) called

the Short North Arts District Small

Business Boot Camp. The series

features a mix of locally and nationally

respected experts along with District

merchants who share best practices on

a variety of topics integral to promoting

the success of small businesses. The

series will continue quarterly in 2017.

Additionally, the Short North Alliance

partnered with The Business Analytics

Center at The Ohio State University’s

Fisher College of Business to conduct

a study of our Short North merchant

point of sale practices in order to offer

capacity building training for merchants

on customer engagement.

Public Art

The Short North Alliance collaborated with

District galleries on the planning of a fourth

temporary mural series in partnership with

local author, Larry Smith. The next series,

to be installed in 2017, will be the first to

feature original commissioned works of

art installed by six word poems about

Columbus.

Additionally, the Short North Alliance’s

Public Art Committee worked hard to plan

another permanent public art project for

the District. Entitled, The Messenger Wall,

the Short North Alliance selected local

artists Eric Rausch and Jen Kiko to com-

mission an original carved brick artwork to

be permanently installed in early 2017 on

the side of the building occupied by Dress

for Success on 5th Avenue. The commit-

tee also led a call for artists for The White

Castle public art project. As of the end of

2016, an artist was selected and the project

is working its way through the commission

approval process.

We at Stonewall Columbus were so thankful this year for the continued support of the Short North Alliance in keeping our LGBTQ community members secure and protected in the Short North.

Lori Gum Stonewall Columbus

Matt Boehme DaLevee

The Short North Alliance provides a comprehensive roster of supportive services

for businesses located within the Short North Special Improvement District’s

boundaries and those who are Friends of the Short North Business Members.

We served over 330 businesses on a daily basis, offering marketing support,

District promotions, and engagement with almost 3 million annual visitors coming

through the Short North Arts District.

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ADVOCACY & DEVELOPMENTAdvocacy

The Short North Alliance serves as an advocacy voice for businesses and prop-

erty owners throughout the Short North

Arts District. In 2016, we supported the

community in numerous ways.

v Continued collaborations with Exper-

ence Columbus, the City of Columbus,

and other downtown districts to create

a unified anti-panhandling campaign

that will launch in 2017.

v Worked with Columbus City Council

and other public officials to pass

legislation renewing the Short North

Special Improvement District for

another five years, including increasing

its funding.

v Secured funding for the High Street

Streetscape Improvements Project

planning and construction in the 2016

and 2017 City of Columbus Capital

Budgets.

v Worked with City of Columbus Officials

and District businesses to develop plans

to mitigate for construction impact

related to the High Street Streetscape

Improvements Project.

v Advocated for the continued invest-

ment in structured parking garages and

parking policy and technology improve-

ments for the Short North Arts District,

resulting in economic development

agreements creating two new public

parking garages and zoning code

changes that will create the Short North

Special Parking District.

Development

The Short North Arts District continues to

thrive as Columbus’ premier shopping,

dining, and culture destination. In 2016, we

continued to see unprecedented growth

in our business community and announce-

ments for new developments along High

Street.

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I was thrilled to open a retail store in the Short North this year. We immediately felt welcomed to the neighborhood and it’s exciting to be part of a vibrant, growing community.

Olivera Bratich Surprise! Modern Party + Cocktail Goods

There hasn’t been a day that I haven’t seen the Ambassadors’ (or Avengers, as we call them) smiling faces. Patrolling our neighborhood, keeping it clean and safe, is really commendable.

Sang Lakhani The Table

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BUSINESSES OPENED IN 2016: 34BUSINESSES EXITED IN 2016: 26

New Development

Completed

Donatos Building Phase 2 The Diplomat Building

Redevelopment of Former Portions of the ConventionLittle Brothers and Bio Blood Center Renovations & Expansion

Components

Announced or In Construction

Redevelopment of Haiku Redevelopment of Former Ibel Agency BuildingRedevelopment of City Owned Parking Lot at High and Lincoln Redevelopment of Lot at Pearl and Lincoln Redevelopment of IBEW Building

The Brunner Building Redevelopment of UDF

White Castle and Redevelopment Redevelopment of Bollinger Towerof City Owned Parking Lot at High and Second Redevelopment of The North Market

The following new developments were announcements or completed in 2016.

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The commuity has been great to us... from the bottom of our hearts, we want to say ‘thank you.’ This has truly been a blessed 18 years.

Paul Liu Haiku Poetic Food & Art

The SNA welcomed us … [and] continue to contribute to our business with activities, traffic-driving events and collaboration that showcases the pride and passion they have for this awesome arts district.

Robert Grimmett Robert Mason

In 2016, I am most proud of celebrating my 10 year anni-versary of the Marcia Evans Gallery. I am also grateful to the Short North Alliance’s creation of the Start with Art campaign, which has been instrumental in promoting the galleries while continuing to showcase our strong presence in the community.

Marcia Evans Marcia Evans Gallery

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Redevelopment ofGrandview Mercantile

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The Short North Alliance organizes

some incredible events which promote

and support the Short North Arts

District. Every dollar we raise through

special events and promotions allows

us to further invest in our efforts to

make the Short North Arts District a

vibrant, safe, and inclusive community.

Gallery Hop

Gallery Hop is a celebrated Columbus

tradition. In 2016, the Short North

Alliance was able to continue to

amplify magnitude and scope of

Gallery Hop by continuing our three

year partnership with the Greater

Columbus Arts Council’s Street

Performer Program. Together, we

invested over  $10,000 to line the

streets of Gallery Hop with inde-

pendent performers from around

Columbus as well as some of

Columbus’ most respected performing arts

institutions. Additionally, we generated

over $12,000 in sponsorships of Gallery

Hops throughout 2016 and piloted a new

Pop Up Event program at the June and

September Gallery Hops to transform

vacant spaces through new partnerships

with the State of Ohio Office of Criminal

Justice Services and Columbus Fashion

Week. In its 32nd year - we’ve watched

its profile continue to grow as Columbus’

favorite night to celebrate art in the Short

North Arts District.

Short North Gala

The 10th Annual Short North Gala raised

nearly $50,000 to support programs of

the Short North Alliance.

SHORT NORTH ALLIANCE EVENTS

What we love so much about the Short North is the people who live here. Everyone has been very kind and welcoming. We’ve been open about the fact that we are new at the grocery business, so we’ve gotten some great suggestions from the neighborhood!

Shannon Sano (Co-owner) Oats & Barley Market

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© 2016 Randall L. Schrieber

© 2016 Bailey Lytle

© 2016 Bailey Lytle

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Karrio Ballard Barrel On High

January

2nd: Gallery Hop

8th - 31st: Short North Winter Sale

12th: Winter Business Social

February

6th: Gallery Hop

March

5th: Gallery Hop

April

2nd: Gallery Hop

17th: Short North Gala

May

7th: Gallery Hop

June

4th: Gallery Hop

17th - 19th: Stonewall Columbus Pride Festival

24th - 26th: Community Festival

July

2nd: Gallery Hop

4th: Doo Dah Parade

10th, 17th,

24th, 31st: Goodale Park Music Series

2016 SHORT NORTH ARTS DISTRICT EVENTS BY MONTH

August

6th: Gallery Hop

7th & 14th: Goodale Park Music Series

13th - 21st: Short North End of Summer Sale

September

3rd: Gallery Hop

October

1st: Gallery Hop

21st - 22nd: HighBall Halloween

November

5th: Gallery Hop

18th: Short North Deck the District Tree Lighting

25th: Short North Black Friday Promotion

26th: Small Business Saturday

December

3rd: Holiday Hop

8th: Short North Special Improvement District Annual Meeting

10th: Short North Pole Shop Night

17th: Wrap It Up Saturday

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Over 550 attendees celebrated the

artistry, diversity, and spirit of the

Short North Arts District with a three

course meal that featured over 15 of

the District’s most exciting restaurants

and confectioners.

This year we honored the service and

contributions of the following:

v District Legacy:

Greg Carr and Tommy Thompson

v Unsung Heros:

Charly Bauer,

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams

Lori Gum, Stonewall Columbus

Dave Weibel, Edward Jones

v Community Partner:

King Avenue United Methodist

Church

v Business Beacon:

Haiku Poetic Food & Art

HighBall Halloween

HighBall Halloween celebrated its

9th year in 2016. As the fourth year

as a two day event, the Short North

Alliance worked with over 50 collabo-

rators to present another stellar set of

programs that dazzled residents and

visitors alike during the nation’s most

elaborate costume party. We saw

over 25,000 attendees and secured

nearly $160,000 to support programs

of the Short North Alliance at HighBall

Halloween in 2016.

Additionally, the event generated

incredible national media, social

media, and regional attention for the

Short North Arts District.

© 2016 Bailey Lytle© 2016 Bailey Lytle

Short North Alliance | 21 East 5th Avenue, Suite 103 | Columbus Ohio 43201

F/SHORTNORTH IG/@SHORTNORTHARTSDISTRICT T/@SHORTNORTH WWW.SHORTNORTH

Joel Pizzuti, President

The Pizzuti Companies

Collin Castore, Vice President

Seventh Son Brewery,

The Barrel & Bottle

Julia Hansen, Vice President

Hilton Columbus Downtown

Kirk Trowbridge, Treasurer

Clarus Partners

Stephanie Union, Secretary

Kegler Brown Hill + Ritter

Kim Borror

Resident

Michelle Brandt

Brandt-Roberts Galleries

Wilson Browning

Beecher Hill

Nate DeMars

Pursuit

SHORT NORTH ALLIANCE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Dr. Jane Flores

Elemental Veterinary

Center and Pet Spa

Elaine Grogan Luttrull

Columbus College of Art

& Design

Darren Meyer

MKSK Studios

Maria Mercurio

Franklin County

Convention Facilities

Authority

Karla Rothan

Stonewall Columbus

SJ Sevell

Sevell + Sevell Inc.

Nancy Sully

City of Columbus

David Teed

Campus Parc

SHORT NORTH SPECIAL IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Ricky Day, President

The Day Companies

Mark Wood, Vice President

The Wood Companies

Susan Jennings, Secretary

North Central Mental Health

Tom O’Leary, Treasurer

Resident

Bradley Howe

Short North Fitness

Chris Gegas

Short North Real Estate

Michelle Larsen

City of Columbus

Nick Montell

The Greystone on High

Mark Wagenbrenner

Wagenbrenner Development

Betsy A. Pandora, MCRP

Executive Director

Dana Bernstein

Marketing & Communications Manager

Melanie Kortyka

Events & Special Projects Manager

Michelle Gibson

Business & Visitor Services Coordinator

Megan Clark

Events Management Intern

Abigail Trisman

Events Management Intern

Susannah Tuthill

Event Management Intern

Alexa Demyan

Marketing & Communications Intern

THE SHORT NORTH ALLIANCE STAFF

Breanna Williams

Marketing & Communications Intern

Tyler Wilson

Marketing & Communications Intern

Greg Feldman

Short North Ambassador Operations

Manager

Andy Miller

Short North Ambassador

James Lanier

Short North Ambassador

Cameron Worthington

Short North Ambassador