Danielle DeBoe's Got it Made... in the 216
Room Service Cleveland Showcases Artsy Ingenuity

"We're just as creative as the other, larger markets," says Room Service Cleveland's Danielle DeBoe. "And a lot of times, even more so. Sometimes, I feel like I'm on a mission to make sure everyone here knows and remembers that."

The sharp, sure-footed and bubbly owner-operator of the Cleveland-centric lifestyle shop/boutique in the Detroit-Shoreway Neighborhood has a point: it can be hard to get through to some Clevelanders that we shouldn't pine away for what's happening in the larger markets throughout the country. Sometimes, you don't fall over the good stuff. Sometimes you have to find it. And she most certainly has.

To DeBoe's way of thinking, it's events like this weekend's art-style, design and fashion expo Made in the 216 that speak volumes about the talent and creativity found right here on Lake Erie -- bringing it all together in a meaningful way, and all without having to beat anyone over the head with the idea.

DeBoe's Room Service Cleveland opened on Black Friday 2007 (that's the shopping-mad day after Thanksgiving, for you non-participants) with a novel, simple idea: "With Room Service -- and with Made in the 216, for that matter -- I'm really trying to harness Cleveland's design culture and channel it. I guess you could say it's building a brand and giving Clevelanders something to be proud of: the really cool and creative design scene that's here."

Her idea "started out a little small, but having been a retail buyer for 11 years, I did a lot of travel away to purchase goods for whichever stores I worked," DeBoe says. "Upon opening my store, I was continually surprised and taken aback by creative Clevelanders coming in regularly showing me things that they had made."

DeBoe started out showcasing a few local designers and artists at her store when it opened, but soon found herself "curating" what would become the two-day, Made in the 216 event. She figured that bringing together artists, designers and creative types that were "falling within the Room Service Cleveland aesthetic" wouldn't be all that hard -- especially with the influx of all three that seemed to wander through her doors. She also expanded her store's focus on Clevelanders to what it is today... an amazing explosion of local talent and creativity that, throughout the year, makes up around 40% of her inventory.

"I still go to those 'gift shows' outside of Cleveland," DeBoe adds, "but there is a sheer abundance of really cool stuff really fit into the aesthetic I wanted for my store being made here, and I got so excited about it that I wanted to draw attention to -- as well as support the fact that -- creative people are staying and creating here. That was my main impetus, to highlight how many people choose to STAY, focus on the positive!

"Everything started with the store, but it soon expanded into hosting a bi-annual event in my store. And it's great that the word is getting around: I considered the first Made in the 216 wildly successful with 12 vendors. Then at the November show we had 18, and this year we're at 41! And I'm already getting submissions for November 09. We've literally got people coming out of the woodwork to be a part of it," she laughs, "which is great! Made in the 216 is much bigger than even I imagined already and it continues to grow."

It stands to reason that Made in the 216 does a lot of what Room Service Cleveland does, but on a much grander scale. It's morphed into an art fair of sorts, with live music, libations and nosh accompanying the nearly 3,700 square feet of merchandising of fashions, designs and wares by Cle peeps. And the whole neighborhood will be thriving that weekend, with all the shops and restaurants open, and looking forward to the opportunity to show just how great the neighborhood is.

DeBoe is excited about the upcoming 216, which runs this Friday, June 26 from 4 - 9PM and Saturday, June 27 from 11AM - 9PM in the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood and it is sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon. Ten different bands will perform at various locations during the event outside of the store and Near West Lofts building where the shopping activity will be. The tunes continue at the 216 live music anchor site, The Happy Dog, during the after party which will start each night of the event at 9PM.

"Hopefully an event like this makes things accessible and helps them see that, while it might not be as obvious as it is elsewhere, we're really as creative as other markets. Which stands to reason, since if you spend any time in the other markets half the people you meet will be from Cleveland! If you start naming the great outlets -- the Kent State [Fashion] Design [and Merchandising School], The CUDC's Pop-Up City Initiative, Cleveland Institute of Art and so on -- you come up with a lot. And all these people know each other, so it's pretty well-networked, too.

"I hope that people come away from the event being really excited about Cleveland's arts scene," she finalizes, adding that there are no tables and booths at Made in the 216. "It's all really integrated in a sort of narrative-driven, merchandised way -- whimsical and engaging and inspiring -- and all with the idea that people will leave 216 feeling pride, and perhaps inspiration.

DeBoe adds that she hopes Made in the 216 and other similar-minded events during the summer go a long way toward keeping residents here. "It is so much easier to fulfill dreams here, and I hope more people can come to that realization without having to leave first to figure it, as I did.

"Like a lot of my peers, I left Cleveland in my 20s. But I came back here. I think that many of those peers left the area after looking for this 'arts scene' that maybe just felt too scattered for them here," she says, "assuming that in bigger markets, it would be easier to find."

DeBoe, who has been back in Cleveland for the last six years and living in Ohio City, is excited about the neighborhood that both she and Room Service Cleveland calls home.

"I'm particularly excited about this neighborhood," she offers. "There's a lot of great stuff happening here. Even when I was deciding where Room Service Cleveland would go, Detroit-Shoreway seemed like the place to be. It really has what it takes -- those critical elements of a successful urban neighborhood -- to get really big. And I think moving to this neighborhood has helped me realize even further that urban experience that I've always wanted living here in Cleveland."

Learn more about Made in the 216. And check out DeBoe's cool shop at Room Service Cleveland.

From Cool Cleveland Managing Editor Peter Chakerian peterATcoolcleveland.com
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