Recently SGS attended a fundraiser for the Chinese Women Association of Cleveland. The dinner was held at Li Wah restaurant on Payne Ave. The jam packed program included music, belly dancers, raffles, and Chinese Folk dance. Much of the evening was entertaining and the food was a solid B+.

SGS has witnessed many great Asian music acts in the past, the clip above is not an example of one of them.  We felt that any group that dares to rock the accordion against an Asian female power trio deserves to get notice. Even though this song may have made us wince, SGS will still be back next year to witness another year of good food and good people celebrating.

The “corner store” for many of us is a place of firsts. The first time you bought beer, the first time you heard Arabic spoken in casual conversation, or the first time you got jumped. Amy’s beverage is no different. For one SGS member Amy’s Beverage was the location of his first shoplifting experience. Click here to see what the looted treasure was.

Amy’s Beverage originally opened 30 years ago as a Lawson’s. The Lawson convenience store chain grew out of the the Lawson Milk Company which was founded in 1939 by J.J. Lawson in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. SGS is very fond of the name J.J. Following a series of corporate mergers Lawson’s was eventually renamed Dairy Mart.

After a brief stint as Dairy Mart the Payne location was resold to an independent operator and renamed Amy’s Beverage. Amy was the name of the previous owner’s daughter. The current owner Sam, bought Amy’s Beverage approximately 15 years ago. Sam and his buddy Muhammad (pictured above) have maintained Amy’s ever since.

The most entertaining part of corner stores is the cast of characters you meet while shopping for salted snacks. At Amy’s there is a man named John who has long hair and weathered spectacles; he used to be employed at New Wong’s Chinese until they closed in 2008.

Jerry is another fellow from the neighborhood who is at the store most evenings … Jerry helps stock the fridges; we assumed he was on the store’s payroll until Muhammad told us otherwise. He is a shade-tree bicycle mechanic and all-around bicycle enthusiast.  Jerry loves to ride around the city.  One of the several bicycles in his collection is a “double-high” (two frames welded together).  He often rides a mountain bike, which is outfitted with a variety of accessory lighting and a boombox. Jerry is a skilled conversationalist so be sure to set aside a couple hours if you are looking to chat.

With every corner store the names may change but the game remains the same. It’s about long hours of penny sales and life threatening moments. Conversation and companionship are the only things that preserve the sanity for those involved.  If you haven’t visited your local corner store or haven’t taken the time to get to know the crew, then by all means do so; they are the nerve center of intelligence activity in your neighborhood and life is very inconvenient without them.

Amy’s Beverage is located at 3133 Payne Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio.Pictured in the photo (left to right): Bobby (10 year employee), Bobby’s friend, a new employee, and Muhammad (15 year employee).

The Glenville Shootout by Pushcart Comics. Created by Chico Bosworth of ClevelandSGS.

The individual pictured on the left is Fred “Ahmed” Evans, the person largely credited with sparking the “eruption” in Glenville. After 5 days of violence on July 28th 1968 seven people were left dead and fifteen wounded. The negative effect the event had on the community’s psyche cannot be measured. Mr. Evans died from cancer while in prison in the year 1978.

The term comfort station may seem anachronistic today–but SGS is lobbying to bring back this term to the masses.

As you can see from this picture at the West Side Market, the notion that you are descending toward any comfort is  highly unlikely. Nevertheless this community bathroom is relatively clean and boasts the most scalding water in town for those that exercise the option of washing their hands.

According to the Cleveland Mounted Police website, “Most accounts date the formation of the Mounted Police Unit to the years 1905-1909, when Police Chief Fred Kohler borrowed two horses and assigned two patrolmen to mounted patrol”.

Two weeks ago, SGS caught this officer staring down a potential perp on Superior Ave. A century after the formation of this unit a few horses still trot the mean streets of downtown looking for action and dropping biscuits.

Everyone has a message to convey. While SGS preaches the gospel of the earthly rewards others prefer delayed payments in the hereafter. A message promoted by homemade, curb-side signage, is one that we welcome regardless of its content.

Today we met Mark Terlecky, aka Cleveland Cross Guy. Mr. Terlecky visits various Cleveland and outlying suburban areas to stand and canvas for his own personal cause. Here he is calmly standing for passing motorists on Detroit Ave. in Lakewood.  If you would like to learn more about Mark and Mark 1:15 please visit his site at ClevelandCrossGuy. 

There isn’t much to say about present day Clark other than “mind your Ps and Qs”. The first days of spring do however bring a certain charm to the street. Shopkeepers come out to wave at tooting horns, baby strollers race the strip coached by slick-haired lovelies, and life goes on. This is Clark, bombed with salty savings and shiny autoparts, it’s the place that welcomes with an unfamiliar ferocity.

Every Cleveland St. Patrick’s day parade is a feast for the eyes. SGS loves to see downtown Cleveland bursting with excitement at least once a year. The parade is interesting to watch but the really interesting stories are on the side streets, in the alley behind Moriarty’s Pub, and in the time honored tradition of kids meeting up with their friends to celebrate being young.

Collected above our just a few of the great people we met along the day on this March 17, 2010 parade.

Every weekday morning Clevelanders who walk past public square get a glimpse of the City Year formation. City Year Cleveland unites a diverse group of 17-24 year olds for a year of full time service according to their website.