Former City Goods Site to Reopen as The Creative Hangars on March 1

City Goods is not closing after all. Ten of its vendors will be reopening their shops in one of its hangars on Saturday, March 1. A grand opening will follow on March 8. Credit: Mark Oprea

On January 22, Ohio City Inc. announced that City Goods, the cluster of creative vendors nestled in seven U-shaped hangars on the corner of Church and State that it acquired roughly a year ago, would be closing by the end of the month. All 25 vendors and its cocktail bar would be out of business.

“Stay tuned on what’s next,” City Goods posted on its Instagram page. “As this space will continue to be a source of inspiration and creativity.”

Turns out, the next evolution of the space is returning it to its past.

Sam Friedman, the co-owner of Chagrin Valley Soap & Salve and previous owner of City Goods, is leading a resurgence with eight other vendors setting up shop in some of the space that will now be known as The Creative Hangars. A soft launch is scheduled for this Saturday March 1. (The other vendors include Promises to Care; Basil & Rex; Truly Rooted Juicery; Gena Page Designs; Cherub’s Blanket; Ginger & Honey; Sappho and Her Beans; and Linda’s Bee Farm.)

Meanwhile, Graham Veysey, the complex’s landlord, will continue to vet future tenants who could occupy the six other buildings.

Keeping the space active and wares being sold was imperative, Friedman told Scene.

“I had to step in,” he said. “And say, if this is happening, someone has to take control of this building. I mean, I’ll lose my own shop—so I volunteered to kind of stick my neck out.”

“For some of these vendors,” he added, “this is their livelihood.”

Following roughly two years of promoting small businesses in a metal-clad cluster market in Hingetown, City Goods hit a rocky patch in early 2024.

Friedman, along with Ohio City’s City Goods manager Liz Painter, realized that the complex had become financially unsustainable: the cocktail bar that was built to bankroll a portion of operating costs wasn’t cutting it alone; Friedman struggled for a time to keep City Goods at capacity.

In April of last year, Friedman sold the business to Ohio City Inc., feeling that fashioning City Goods in a nonprofit model would do better to keep it financially afloat.

Which is not exactly what happened. On January 10, Ohio City Inc. announced to Friedman and City Goods’ vendors that it would no longer be managing the space by the end of the month.

“It crushed my soul,” Friedman said. “It’s like I’d birthed a really great child. But I didn’t have the resources to nurture it to its potential.”

Liz Painter, who helped guide and manage City Goods from the Ohio City Inc. side, told Scene on Monday that she hopes the entire Creative Hangars complex will thrive no matter who’s at the helm.

“From my point-of-view, City Goods was meant to be a stepping stone for small businesses to open their spaces independently,” she said. “It’s meant to be a launching pad. So we’re excited to see that still happen.”

Recent developments in and around Hingetown seem to back up Friedman’s decision to give City Goods another go—even in a stripped-down form.

New luxury apartments, like Bridgeworks on West 25th and The Vibe across from City Goods on Church, are groundbreaking soon. Larder is expanding across the way on West 29th. Royal Docks Brewery opened up nearby on Detroit Ave.

And West 29th itself will be ramping up the city’s plans to fashion it as an open street, one closed to car traffic.

As for the rest of the six buildings, Veysey said he’s “actively touring” new tenants, with official announcements to come this spring and summer.

While doing what he can to support Friedman and the eight tenants.

“All of this shows the real perseverance of entrepreneurs,” he said.