Photo courtesy of www.TheChiefSource.com

Everyone is a little bit Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, right?  Each year the Irish holiday in honor of St. Patrick’s spread of Christianity gets bigger and bigger.  Regardless of your background, it’s always fun to put on some green, have some corned beef & Guinness, and dance an Irish jig.  Akron is home to a fairly large Irish population- even LeBron was Irish for 4 years- so St. Patrick’s Day is always done right in the Rubber City.  Some places started a week-long celebration this past Thursday with Irish music and green beer a flowing, but the official city celebration starts today with the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade.  Just about every bar in the city will be celebrating the next few days- especially The Barley House downtown.  Make sure you are dressed appropriately!  Pick up our newest design, Ohio Shamrock, or any one of our green t-shirts.  Both stores are open till 7 pm tonight; and the Downtown store will be open Monday-Wednesday to help get you green. 

Here is a great article featuring us, as well as our good friends at CLE Clothing Co and some other really cool NEO-proud companies, from Inside Business magazine:

Tee Times

Hey, you. Yeah, you, hangin’ out all casual-like near the watercooler, waiting to dish about last night’s episode of Lost. If you really want to get people talking, you’ll sport a CleveLand That I Love T-shirt beneath that button-down. “Every time I wear it, I get stopped by people wanting to know where I got it,” says Greg Vlosich, co-owner of GV Art + Design, one of several pro-hometown T-shirt companies sprouting up in Northeast Ohio. “We’re just trying to promote Akron … and show some of the creativity that exists in this town,” says Ed Gaffney Jr., owner of Akron’s Rubber City Clothing. A former analyst for a Wall Street investment bank, he believes pro-hometown T’s are the next big thing. And given that C.L.E. Clothing Co. is about to sell its 10,000th T-shirt, he may be right. So what are you waiting for — the next episode of American Idol? That’s so last decade. — Miranda S. Miller
Who	C.L.E. Clothing Co.	GV Art + Design	Rubber City Clothing	Rusty Waters Apparel
Where	Cleveland	Cleveland	Akron	Cleveland, Youngstown, Pittsburgh
Why pro-hometown T-shirts?	“There’s a resurgence in Cleveland — a food movement, an art movement — we kinda want to be a part of that,” says Kubinski.	“To try and give back to the community,” says Greg, who wants to give a portion of the proceeds to charities and school art programs.	“Location T-shirts run by small startup companies is going to be the next trend,” says Gaffney.	“We wanted to add some local flavor [to our line],” says Chizmar.
Your style	“Fun, hip, trendy, but down-to-earth, and cute, if I can say that as a guy,” says Kubinski.	“It relates to everybody,” says Greg. He’s gotten orders from DJs, rappers, skate shops, churches and community groups.	“We’re not trying to be übercool.”	“Different … experimental,” he says. “We always want to keep positive.”
What should I buy if I want to wear what everyone else is wearing?	C.L.E.’s Heart of It All. The V-neck was their first design and is available in three colors.	The CleveLand That I Love shirt’s block letters make a bold statement. It’s available in three colors and hoodies.	Akron Witnessed First. “I think anybody that follows LeBron James and is from Akron should have one of those shirts.”	“The I hearts with the anatomical heart and the skulls.”
What’s next?	“We weren’t really prepared for what happened last year. You’re probably gonna see our T-shirts in a lot more locations,” says Rees.	“We’re trying to team up with local businesses. We have eight to 10 designs and other Cleveland products.”	Detroit. “We want to go to other cities once we get a solid base here.”	Hoodies and bags. “Getting our apparel in more stores.”
How can we work your T-shirts into our office wardrobe?	As an undershirt	“No one’s going to say ‘no’ to positive Cleveland stuff.”	Bags. “People can carry the spirit of Akron and Rubber City Clothing even if you’re not wearing one of our shirts.”	“A T-shirt under a suit jacket always looks kinda classy.”
How has social media helped your business?	“We wouldn’t exist without it. Our marketing budget last year was $75. Twitter is an amazing thing,” says Rees.	“Facebook and the Web site have helped out a lot. We’re still learning, but it’s starting to take off.”	“Facebook builds an awareness … and allows us to go to market very quickly when we come out with new merchandise.”	“We’re trying to use it for feedback on designs.”
Famous sightings	Lollapalooza in Chicago	The Cleveland Browns defense ordered the Browns shirt last year.	“We’re the official retailer for the Pretenders.”	Cleveland native and Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Chris Chambers

"PAYDAMAN" S/S by 10x Your City, $21.99 at RCC-Downtown only.

Da man has been paid.  And quite well at that.  The Cleveland Browns just restructured Kent State alum Josh Cribbs’ contract, to where he can earn as much as $18 million overall, with $7 million guaranteed.

Cribbs is getting paid; Z is coming back; now Cleveland sports fans can focus all their anxiety on whether Lebron will stay.  Hey, didn’t the Indians just start spring training?

Did you know that Akron is home to the All-American Soap Box Derby?  Sadly, this is a fact that a lot of people seem to have forgotten.  I recall working at Summit Mall in high school, and meeting out-of-towners who would ask about things to do while visiting Akron.  I found myself asking, ‘why on earth would someone vacation in Akron, Ohio?’  Well, these out-of-towners were here for the Soap Box Derby World Championships.  Believe it or not, there are a lot of people who appreciate the Derby Downs hill located just off of George Washington Blvd in Ellet/Springfield.  One of those people is Corbin Bernsen.

If you’ve ever watched Psych, LA Law, or even Major League- you’d know Corbin Bernsen; his role as Roger Dorn- a guy who thought he was too good for the Cleveland Indians was classic.  Corbin has a great TV and movie career under his belt, and now he is putting his talent and money to a project that will greatly impact Akron.  After reading a newspaper article about the struggling All-American Soap Box Derby here in Akron, Corbin felt that the derby was an American pastime that was worth saving.  To help raise awareness, he has gone a route he knows very well, a new film titled 25 Hill.  He has written a script, and plans on directing and producing the movie; but it has been a bit of a struggle to get necessary funding.  Luckily, the project has been greenlit, and filming may begin in Akron as early as April 5.  Though still in negotiations, a house in Silver Lake will serve has one major filming location.  Some of the casting may be done locally.

We’re really excited to see what 25 Hill will do for the AASBD & Akron.  Only good things can come from this!