CINCINNATI — If you've made your way down Main Street in Over-the-Rhine this year, you may have noticed more "We're Open" signs posted in storefronts. That's because six new businesses have opened shop in the past six months.
Shamala Hamala is one of them. The gallery and studio, which features art from local creators, is located steps away from Ziegler Park.
"When I saw this particular space, I was like, 'This is the one,'" owner Kevin Thornton said.
WATCH: Meet two of Over-the-Rhine's newest Main Street businesses
The comedian and photographer sat down with us on Tuesday ahead of his grand opening. Tickets for the Friday night art show are already sold out.
"Shamala Hamala is just my silly catchphrase. It doesn't mean anything. It means whatever you want it to mean. It's nonsense ... it's just like a phenomenon that's bigger than me now," Thornton said.
Thornton started making videos on TikTok during the pandemic. He's amassed more than 2 million followers on his social media platforms since then. He tours the world with his comedy shows, but he said Cincinnati — Over-the-Rhine specifically — is his favorite place in the world.
Thornton moved to the neighborhood late last year and now calls OTR home.
"I've just been really inspired to have different events where people can come and experiment with different things. It's all creative-focused, but just bringing people together through artistic things and creativity. That's just what I'm about," he said. "It's just coming alive in this space."
Six businesses have closed in OTR since the start of the year, including former 3CDC tenants Level One Bar + Arcade, which closed in January following a two-year run, and Cora's Cakery, which closed at the end of May after a one-year stint.
But Thornton's studio is one of six new businesses to open along Main Street within the same time frame. A few blocks north, boutique jewelry store Pink Rich is celebrating one month in business.
Owner Chonda Brown-Tutt said the endeavor of creating customizable charm bracelets, necklaces and body chains started as a hobby.
"I've had the brand of Pink Rich for some time and just never did anything with it. Obviously, my favorite color is pink," Brown-Tutt said, gesturing to her shop, which is covered in pink paint, furniture and decorations. "I love jewelry, I love creating things, I love fashion. So, it was just fitting to open a space where people could join me in doing those things as well."
Pink Rich is Brown-Tutt's first brick-and-mortar store. She said Main Street's rich artistic scene was a major factor in her decision to open shop there.
"I wanted people to be able to come in and create something that would tell their story, and that's really what the neighborhood is about. Learning who people are. Telling their stories. Hearing their stories and maybe helping if needed," she said.
Pink Rich and Shamala Hamala lease through 3CDC, the largest commercial property owner in downtown and OTR. Model Group and Urban Sites are the other major developers and owners in the neighborhoods.
3CDC's Director of Events Marketing Emily Stowe said following successful efforts to fill storefronts along Vine Street in OTR, the company has spent months focusing on revitalizing Main Street.
"Because we've been able to fill so many of the spaces on Vine Street and keep so many of those tenants, we in recent years have turned our focus to Main Street because we believe that a busy and programmed space is a safe space," Stowe said.
The efforts along Main Street come on the heels of 3CDC's Pop Up Program, which launched in June 2023. 3CDC offered short-term leases and financial assistance to business owners in hopes of filling vacant storefronts and reducing crime.
Though the program has technically concluded, Stowe said 3CDC continues to work with businesses in a similar capacity.
"Main Street is a great opportunity that doesn't cost as much as getting in on Vine Street, where businesses tend to want to go first," she said.
Some businesses that opened shop through the Pop-Up Program have since committed to longer-term leases with 3CDC. Selfie Cincy was one of the first four commercial tenants to sign in 2023. The owner is now moving into a larger space on Main Street.
Stowe said the new businesses represent a tangible solution to driving positive activity and deterring negative behavior in the area.
As one of the largest stakeholders in the neighborhood, we asked Stowe how 3CDC is helping to keep the area safe.
"We work very closely with the city and the police on discussing what those plans are for safety and what it is we can be doing," she said. "In our civic spaces, we hire a private detail, so it is through CPD, but we do pay for Washington Park and Ziegler Park and those spaces. We do hire our own off-duty detail to monitor those spaces."
Stowe couldn't give a number for how much 3CDC pays for the police detail. She said the budget is always changing and is set to change again this week.
"Washington Park has typically had off-duty detail for larger events only, like music events, but we are changing to 7 days a week and hours will vary, but shifts will be open from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. It may not always be the full time," Stowe said.
Ziegler Park has already had a detail shift open from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., 7 days a week, during the summer season.
3CDC is not responsible for the walking patrols that started last month. The city is paying for those. They take place on Main and Vine streets between Central Parkway and Liberty Street every day between 4 p.m. and midnight. However, on Fridays and Saturdays, patrols take place between 4 p.m. and 2 a.m.
3CDC's Ambassador Team helps to maintain and promote safety too, Stowe said. Roughly 85 full and part-time staff patrol the streets of downtown and OTR year-round.
"They're just extra eyes on the street. They can do things like — you can call them and get a walk to your car if you're in need of an escort, or you can't remember where you parked," Stowe said. "And then they're just doing things like picking up litter. You'll see them power washing, cleaning the streets... they're either cleaning or being a visible presence on the streets."
While focus remains on Main Street and other spots south of Liberty Street, leasing remains a challenge in Northern OTR. Though Findlay Market is a thriving, vibrant hub, some areas north of Liberty Street are plagued by drugs and violence, where dilapidated buildings have long sat vacant.
3CDC currently has five spaces available for lease in Northern OTR, all near Findlay Market and located on Race Street. They are a mix of retail, restaurant and office space opportunities.
Stowe said she doesn't anticipate much interest in those sites until construction on the Findlay Community Center is completed. The nearly $100 million project located at the site of the former Findlay Playground is a joint effort between the city and 3CDC and is expected to open next year.
"It's a really expansive project that's hopefully going to be very transformative for that part of the neighborhood. It's going to have everything from childcare to a pool to a roller rink to an exercise facility. It's going to have indoor and outdoor facilities. That is really focusing on an area that has seen a lot of problems and a lot of trouble," Stowe said. "Once businesses can start to see that positive activity take shape up there, they'll want to be a part of that and move into the ground floor."
