Even though the store has only been open for a few months now, this dress-making star “was born” years ago when she made her daughter’s dress for the Shaker Heights High School prom and soon everyone wanted in.  Trained by her grandmother, Birda Spratt, Starr has been making dresses and guiding fashion for over 20 years. 

Her custom-made designs are in demand and require four to six weeks of preparation.  The clothing line in her store starts at girl’s toddlers (sorry no boys!) and goes through adult and plus-sized fashions. 

But Starr Quality Upscale Boutique is more than an upscale dress shop. Starr has expanded to include her own line of jewelry (Mi’ Amor) and organic cosmetics, including a gentle, aloe-vera based hand sanitizer, lotions, body washes, nail products and make-up.  Top sellers are the banana hand wash and fresh-smelling muscle ache cream.  

Starr’s boutique experience will be expanding this month to include the Beaming White teeth whitening process.  This new service is 100% organic and is a spa-like procedure.  To top it off, Starr offers a full line of weight loss products that focuses on detoxing and replenishing your body rather than depriving it.  These include an all-natural detox tea (Iaso Teas) and the Delgada weight loss line.

The post Custom-designed dresses made in Bedford at new Starr boutique first appeared on The Bedford Tribune.

It’s Saturday in 1977, and your mom is dropping you off at Coconuts at Southgate with your week’s worth of babysitting or lawn-mowing money.  You spend hours there, head bent, sifting through albums looking for your favorite band while hoping to spot that cute girl or boy from your class across the store.  You agonize over buying the comforting and always pleasing Doobie Brothers or the Hotel California album because the cover (yes, the artwork on the cover used to matter) looks so awesome and buying it makes you look intense. Not to mention it will piss off your mom when she hears you playing that “druggie” song.  You secretly worry that someone saw you buying that Barry Manilow album last week, ready with the story that it was a birthday present for your aunt.  

At the Vinyl Groove Records in Historic Bedford Downtown, you can still capture those magical moments from times past.  In 2014, David Wolfe, self-proclaimed music junkie, retired his wrenches and left behind the world of auto mechanics and followed his first passion — music.  Building on his experience collecting records and attending over 400 concerts (his first being The Rolling Stones in 1988) David has created a musical mecca for serious record connoisseurs as well as the casual fan.  He caters to all genres, serving customers from the Ohio area and as far away as China, Norway, and Japan.  

Entering his shop is a step back in time, as you surround yourself not only with the sound of music (no pun intended) but also posters, black concert t-shirts and tour memorabilia. The Groove also carries varieties of vintage stereo equipment, causing you to squeal when you spot an oversized turntable just like the one that was in your basement.  Alongside are racks of the short-lived 8-tracks and cassette tapes. It is like a musical museum for the eyes and ears but one where you can sift through the artwork and walk away with the music that touched you soul way back when.  

What separates The Vinyl Groove from the stacks of albums in your Uncle Joe’s damp basement is not only the quality of the inventory (face it, Uncle Joe had an unhealthy obsession with The Captain & Tennille and you are hoping for Aunt Janie’s sake that it was Toni Tennille) but also for the service and the process that their product is subject to.  

Once received, all stock is put through an intense ritualistic cleaning process by one of the “private militia of highly-trained record monks.” Records are bathed, scrubbed, vacuumed, and rinsed in a detailed process to loosen and remove debris and return the record to its original glory.

After being sheathed in a fresh sleeve, the attendant record monk “lights incense and composes a haiku for the record.” It is then brought to the front of the shop and listened to and scrutinized for pops, ticks, scratches and skips. If the record is found to be wanting, it is either discarded or banished to the dollar bin for bargain hunters.  Only those records that meet the strict standards are offered for sale at The Vinyl Groove.

David and his brother Ben are always willing to help track down obscure records, discuss the local music scene (best places for live music according to David are the Grogg Shop and Beachland Ballroom) or assess the value of a collection.  

Regardless of what your needs, take a sentimental journey with a visit to The Vinyl Groove in Historic Bedford Downtown.  As Edith Piaf sings, you will have no regrets.

The post The Vinyl Groove: Take a trip back in time to when records were king first appeared on The Bedford Tribune.

Bedford is a biker town — bicycles that is!  Thanks to Mike and Laura Hulett, the owners of The Broadway Cyclery, Bedford is fast becoming a biker’s paradise.

Providing mountain, touring, cargo, and commuter bikes since 2010, The Broadway Cyclery is a full-service shop perfectly positioned to meet the needs of cyclists, whether they are riding on the Bedford Reservation’s mountain bike trails, or touring the growing network of urban trails in Cleveland and Akron. 

Mike is an attorney, but after years of working with people in the midst of conflict, he turned to one of his earliest joys — cycling, and now he is combining his passion with his livelihood. The Cyclery’s original start was on the other side of the Broadway Avenue, but when the opportunity to buy the historic former drugstore at 665 Broadway presented itself, the bike shop found its permanent home.  

With apartments located on floors above the store, and a Latin dance studio next door, this cozy shop is an active hub of bike enthusiasts, biking beginners and neighborhood visitors — some coming in just to visit Zooey, the Hulett’s spunky cattle dog.

Rounding out the family is Mike’s “biker chick” wife, Laura.  She and Mike were introduced years prior by Laura’s sister in California, but time passed before they found themselves both back East. Fast forward to October 2011 when the Broadway Cyclery turned wedding chapel for Mike and Laura after their planned outdoor wedding was thwarted by rain storms.

Mike is committed to sharing his passion with the community.  The Cyclery was the first corporate member of Bike Cleveland and Mike is working with Cleveland Metroparks hoping to create a bikeable connector between the Bedford Reservation and Viaduct Park.   In addition, they are members of CAMBA, the Cleveland Area Mountain Bike Association.

Of course Mike’s favorite thing is to just ride. He conducts a 10-20 mile group ride every Wednesday at 6:15 pm starting at Egbert Road, occasionally stopping for refreshments at Tinkers Creek Tavern.  All riders are welcome.  

When not servicing or selling bikes, Mike and Laura are busy refurbishing their other Bedford home, a former Russian Orthodox Church.  They hope that their business’ unique spirit will be a spark for other creative endeavors in town like a brew pub or wine bar. Meanwhile, the Hulett’s are enjoying coasting around town and encouraging others to re-experience the joy of the view over the handlebars.

The post Business Focus: The Broadway Cyclery is putting Bedford on the (bicycle) map first appeared on The Bedford Tribune.