Rubber City BullSheet

So here we are in the dog days (groundhog days?) of winter.  That little rat told us last week that we would be having more cold days and we’ve gotten them.  The Super Bowl is over and I’m seeing posts across the cyber world asking what else we have to look forward to before spring. There is still plenty of excitement to be found and I, for one, believe that the worst days of the season are behind us.

Take your sweetie on a date at one of the great restaurants in the area.  See an art show or stage production.  Dust of the toboggan or go skiing for the first time.  Heck, try curling.  Don’t forget the Olympics will be on from Feb. 12-28 so there’s plenty of exciting live sports to watch, too.  Valentine’s Day is next week.  Just another month until it’s time for St. Patty’s and all things green.  And then we’re into spring, people.  Don’t despair.  Good times are here again.

If you’ve been at the front of a local store, restaurant, bar chances are you’ve seen the stacks of free flyers, postcards, and newspapers.  You’re probably very familiar with Scene Magazine, Earth Watch, etc.  There’s a new kid on the block (well actually two, but Buzzbin Magazine deserves and will get a post all of its own very soon).  The new kid that I am talking about now is The Independent, which began local printing & distribution this past fall.  The captain of the Independent ship is local writer James Renner.  I became a big fan of James’ work at Scene Magazine and later the Free Times.  After a merger of Scene and the Free Times (if you recall I had a brief stint at Scene at that time too), James decided to start his own completely local paper.  In addition, James is the author of two true-crime books, Amy: My Search for Her Killer, about the tragic kidnapping & murder of Amy Mihaljevic, a Bay Village girl in 1989; and The Serial Killer’s Apprentice, a collection of unsolved mysteries in NEO- with a few in/about Akron.

(Especially this week) Pick up a copy of The Independent!  This week’s cover story is titled “20 Reasons We Love Akron”.  On the cover is our lovely friend Maya from Musica/Mocha Maiden who is modeling our Survival shirt like no other.   Flip to the cover story inside & you’ll see Maya wearing Route 8.  You’ll also see the “Top 20″ list of Akron, with RCC at #16.  XTC…that seedy “Gentelman’s” club on Brittain Rd. is #14…proving that in a game of shirts vs. skins, skins wins.  Alright, well I thought that was funny.  Anyway, The Independent is a wonderful publication, and a great place to read the things that mainstream publications might be afraid to write about.  And it’s FREE!!!

My apologies, the title of this blog appears to reference a hilarious 2003 movie, and a not-so-hilarious 2002 movie….this is not about movies…..

This week marks a little shift in the Rubber City Clothing family.  For the past year and a half, Sarah G (that’s me) has worked almost daily, providing you with service, smiles, and perfectly folded t-shirts (thank you too many years of working at a Gap).  Now, I’m going to be here just a bit less, thanks to the University of Akron.  I just began my path to a Master’s Degree in Clothing & Textiles.  I graduated from Can’t Read, Can’t Write, Kent State in 2005 with my BS in Fashion Merchandising, so it’s been a little weird to be going back to school almost 5yrs later.  Thank God for my mother’s youthful skin, otherwise I would feel much, much older around all the little kiddies who weren’t alive when Reagan was President.  So far school is pretty great- 2 textiles classes & a research class; and lots of projects planned for all of them.  I’m sure I’ll be sharing some of my UA stories in months to come.

As for Rubber City Clothing, we’d like to welcome Nick to our little family.  Nick aka Panic is the announcer for the NEO Roller Derby & a Managing Editor for Buzzbin Magazine.  He’s a man of many hats, and we’re excited to have him on board.  Some of you may have seen him managing our Summit Mall kiosk over the holidays.  Nick will be sharing the duty of serving up the Bullsheet along with me, so I’m sure he’ll give you fine readers a proper introduction.

We are very sad to report that a good retail friend/partner, Borders Books & Music in Fairlawn will be closing their doors for good in March.  One of the pioneer retailers at the Shops of Fairlawn shopping center when it opened 16 years ago, Borders was the first bookstore/cafe in the area of its kind. With a huge book selection, music, and a great little cafe, you could stay all day…though I’m sure the employees would prefer you buy something.  I can recall going to that Borders the first summer it was open.  I was 10 and just started to really like The Beatles.  Located near the music department, they had a little section of books on rock stars and pop culture.  I picked up The Beatles Anthology (I can’t recall the author right now, but the book is still in my living room) & thought it was one of the coolest things I’d ever seen.  I fell in love with Borders after that because I thought it was way cooler than the dusty old books at the library (I was a brat…I’m a huge fan of the public library now).

Years later I had the chance to work with the Fairlawn Borders, when they carried a few RCC shirts as part of their local holiday gift section.  It’s very rare to see a “big box” retailer want to support local business, but John B- a manager at the Fairlawn store- thought it was something special he could give to the customers.  It’s a shame to see this store close.  We wish the employees the best.  Please go support Borders before they close!

Well, this isn’t the most exciting of blog topics, but…..

Just a reminder, as we are still getting in many holiday returns/exchanges: If you have an original receipt, any unwashed/unworn merchandise purchased between December 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009 may be returned or exchanged through January 30, 2010.  Any merchandise brought back without an original receipt or after January 30th can be exchanged for merchandise or store credit.  Starting January 1, 2010, the original return/exchange policy of 14 days with an original receipt was back in effect.  Let us know if you have any questions!

According to ContactMusic.com, Akron’s own DEVO has picked one of my (Sarah) favorite artists, Brooklyn’s Santigold to remix some tracks on their as-yet-untitled 2010 release.  This will be the first new DEVO material since 1990’s Smooth Noodle Maps.  Having seen DEVO live twice, as well as Miss Santigold, this is sure to be an amazing collaboration.  Now if only she’ll open for them at the Civic…..

One of the things that I miss about New York that doesn’t exist in Akron is “Street Meat”.  Get your minds out of the gutters, kids…I’m talking hot dogs and other delicacies found at umbrella-ed stands with wheels.  In NY, you have hot dogs, falafel, gyros, flavored ices, roasted nuts, and one of my favorites, kabobs.  Here?  You have to go inside to get food…. that is until last month when Davey’s Dog House came to the rescue.  Parking his cart in Highland Square (really the only place to be), Davey serves dogs about 12 hours/day, from 11am-11pm.  Pricing is $2/one dog, or 3/$5- a pretty great price.  So far business has been great, they’ve sold out every single day.  But now Davey would like to change city law that only allows street vendors outside of downtown to be open until 11pm.  Click here to read about the issue in the ABJ. As a resident of Highland Square (and patron of its nightlife), I think hot dogs till 3am can only improve the area.  Here’s hoping it passes.  Until then, make sure you check out Davey & his great hot dogs daily before 11pm.

The Chief Source 2009 Year In Review from Kyle Kutuchief on Vimeo.

While checking out a friend’s Facebook page, I noticed he had a website listed, www.thechiefsource.com.  I clicked the link to check it out & found something truly awesome.  The Chief Source is an Akron based photo-blog, sharing cool people and places in Akron via really great pictures. Above is a great video showing some of the photos taken for the blog in 2009.

Make sure you check out The Chief Source! Really puts the Bullsheet to shame….But that’s what we like about Akron- so many really creative, cool people doing different things.  Looking forward to their coverage of 2010!

Happy New Year Akron!  As we close the best year this company has had, we look forward to an even better one the next!  2009 brought us a store that doubled in size, a new retail outlet in Highland Square, and lots of new friends & fans.  We are so grateful for your continued love and support!

We have a very exciting 2010 planned for Rubber City Clothing & Made in Akron!  Stay tuned for exciting announcements.  Make sure you check our Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace (as well as the Bullsheet) for the latest news.  Have a safe & Happy New Year Akron!

Congratulations to one of our favorite local artists, Todd V & friends for winning the Akron Film Festival’s “The NEW History of Akron”.  Todd V and Christopher “Blue” Green made a great “mockumentary” titled “BLIMP…Our Blemished Past”.  The film stars WE Gallery’s Erin Ludlam and others telling a different version of the blimp’s history in Akron.  Check out the mockumentary: