Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

MTV's Teen Wolf has been on air for six whole years, blessing us not only with a bevvy of brilliant characters, but with the supernatural activities and nuisances that come with living in Beacon Hills. The show's had a pretty great run, and amassed quite a following, but as with all good things, they must eventually come to an end. Though we'll be sad to see it go, there's still one half left of the final season, and it has the power to give us fans full closure on everything Teen Wolf.

It's widely thought among fans that the last actually good season of Teen Wolf was Season 3. You'll recall Void Stiles tugging at our heartstrings, whilst the impending deaths of many fan favourites kept us hooked until the very end. If the show can get back to that level of story-telling for its finale, it'll bring everything full circle for a brilliant end. There's quite a few things myself and other fans would like to see before Teen Wolf ends, so keep reading to see if you share my thoughts on what needs to happen in its final run on air!

Teen Wolf started its run with a focus on a few core characters. Scott, his best friend Stiles, Scott's crush Allison, her best friend Lydia, her boyfriend Jackson, and the creepy dude who kept hanging around the school, good old Derek. As the show progressed, naturally the core line-up changed a little, with some departing and new additions joining the line-up. Naturally, for the show's final season we're looking for closure on the stories of the original and core characters. We know that the second half of the final season will pick up with a new story and new threat, but by that 20th episode, we want to be sure about the fate and future of our core cast.

Teen Wolf's Adults - Argent, McCall, Stilinski and Martin!

Though the original gang consist of the show's teens, part of that original core cast also include the adults of Teen Wolf, i.e their parents. Whilst Daddy Argent (aka Allison's dad!) has been privy to the world of the supernatural his entire life (hailing from a long line & family of hunters), and likely always will, it's still important we see what the adults get up too once the kids move on from Beacon Hills. Papa Stilinski, and Mama McCall (Stiles' dad and Scott's Mom!) have been dragged into the supernatural world at Beacon Hills by association, with Mama Martin soon joining the fray. But once their kids graduate and go on to college, will they still be around to help the next generation of Beacon Hills Supernaturals? (i.e, the younger crowd. Liam, Hayden and co.)

Honorable Mention

Danny Mhealani appeared in the first three seasons of Teen Wolf, a member of the Lacrosse Team and fan favourite on the show. He had a brief fling with Alpha Twin Ethan, before revealing at the end of Season 3 that he knew all about Werewolves in Beacon Hills. Shortly after that, he was mysteriously never seen or talked about again. It seems more like a case of Keahu - the actor who played him - having never been asked to return, and thus the mystery of Danny's whereabouts remains.

Teen Wolf added some pretty good characters to its main line-up during its run, and with the addition of these characters to the story, comes the desire to see their stories completed. Kira, Malia, Ethan, Aiden and Isaac were all welcome additions to the cast, and although we're sadly left without Aiden, we still need their stories to be wrapped up. Most notably Kira, Ethan and Isaac, since Shelley Hennig (Malia) is confirmed for the final season, and the other's aren't. After Season 3B ended, Ethan and Isaac both left Beacon Hills, with Isaac travelling to Paris to mourn Allison's death along with her father, and Ethan being unable to remain in Beacon Hills after the death of his twin.

Unlike Jackson, we weren't updated with the narrative or whereabouts of these two characters as the show progressed. When Daddy Argent returned, he didn't have much to say on where Isaac was or what he was doing, and since Ethan largely kept to himself, no information on him popped up either.

Kira, unlike Isaac and Ethan was far further developed as a character. She'd been on the show solidly since Season 3 right through to Season 5, when the show suddenly decided it no longer wished to continue with Kira's story, and failed to secure Arden Cho for the sixth and final season. It's a real nuisance to myself and other fans of Kira, since after Allison's death, a strong female character and fighter like Kira was a welcome addition to the show. Kira was shy, a little reserved, 100% awkward and a complete and total badass. As the show continued it became obvious that the writers had no idea what to do with such a physically strong character.

Unfortunately, they resigned Kira's story to the Skinwalkers (with little explanation on the background of the Skinwalkers), and proceeded to leave her there in an open ending of sorts, that gives us no real closure on her character at all. Though we know the brilliant and beautiful Arden Cho won't be returning as Kira, a line or two about Kira's future or even a text convo between her and any of the core characters, would go a long way in attempting to properly tie up the mess that is the end of her story.

Teen Wolf has had a tonne of storylines during its run, and even more characters. Unfortunately, not every new character has been as well written and developed as we would like. Corey's relationship with Mason developing has been cute but separate of his relationship with Mason all we know of Corey is that he's a Chimera, and a little shy. Similarly with Hayden, we've not seen much of her character and who she is outside of her relationship with Liam and being a Chimera turned fully-fledged Werewolf.

Theo Raeken, on the other hand, is somewhat of a pet peeve for me since his motives for absolutely everything are almost constantly unclear. Not in a mysterious way like, say, Peter or Gerard, but in a sloppy way that suggests his character makes the decisions that he does, just because. I'm hoping that the final few episodes of #TeenWolf really bring his story full circle and give him the development and motivation that as a character, he deserves.

Of course the gang are a little younger, and perhaps the writers find it hard to maintain an overall tone to the show with two different age groups of core characters. The show ending, however, presents the perfect opportunity to develop this young batch of Supernaturals, in an ending that alludes to their future in Beacon Hills. After they've had their juice boxes and afternoon naps, of course. Kids, eh?

The Hellhound

In addition to this younger batch of Supernatural's not developed properly, is Deputy Jordan Parrish - aka The Hellhound. Parrish's Hellhound storyline is probably one of the most confusing. While he is the Hellhound, he also sort of isn't, and rather than he himself being a supernatural creature, he appears to have just been possessed by the entity known as The Hellhound and gained its abilities. Though the show made his powers a huge part of the first half of the final season, it failed to really answer any lingering questions surrounding his abilities.

If he is indeed merely possessed by the Hellhound, then does he have any control (however small) over his own body when in Hellhound form? He's been shown to blackout and not remember that he was hiding the bodies of the Chimera's yet, when the pack specifically asked for "the other Parrish", he was able to turn it on so to speak, and help out. Will there come a time when The Hellhound moves on to a new body? Will that be the death of Parrish?

I'm hoping the latter half of Season 6 really gives Parrish the development he deserves on his own, and possibly (definitely, I totally ship it!) with Lydia. He's been a really brilliant addition to the cast and narrative, and I would hate to see his storyline just fizzle out like Kira's or Braeden's - who won't be in Season 6B due to Meagen Tandy's work commitments!

Fan of Supernatural TV? Check out these posts!

Overall, though we'll all be sad to say farewell to Teen Wolf, I think there's definitely an opportunity here for this show to go out with a bang. It has the potential to tie up a lot of loose ends, and give fans the satisfying end to life in Beacon Hills that we deserve.

Teen Wolf's final season returns in June 2017.

Be sure to fangirl with me on Twitter and on Tumblr!

Continue reading here:
Farewell 'Teen Wolf': Everything We Want To See In The Final Season! - moviepilot.com

American families spend a little more than $3,000 on entertainment each year, or about what they shell out at restaurants.Two of the biggest line items are costs associated with accessing TV and movie content, which helps explain why companies are aggressively targeting these profitable niches.

Many will fail to turn their content portfolios into sustainable competitive advantages. ButNetflix (NASDAQ: NFLX), Disney (NYSE: DIS), and Scripps Networks (NASDAQ: SNI), appear poised to soak up market share over the coming years and deliver strong returns to investors along the way.

Image source: Getty Images.

Internet television is replacing traditional broadcast TV, and there's no single company better positioned to capitalize on this shift than Netflix. But before you take one glance at its stratospheric price-to-earnings valuation and decide to pass on the stock, here are two good reasons to believe the streaming video king's best days are ahead.

First, 2017 is the year in which, just as CEO Reed Hastings and his team promised, profits start to flow back to the business. After years of costly expansion spending, operating margin is set to reach 7%, or almost double the 4% Netflix managed in each of the last two years.

Second, this will be the year that Netflix passes 100 million global subscribers, and that means a lot in a business that rewards scale and favors companies with worldwide reach. While most of Netflix's base still resides in the U.S., the growth story increasingly has a global character. International additions made up the biggest portion of the company's 19 million subscriber gains last year to keep its awesome streak of accelerating annual member growth alive.

Data source: Netflix. Chart by author.

Disney recently closed the books on an incredibly successful year at the movies. Thanks to key contributions from each of its biggest studios -- Pixar, Disney Pictures, Lucasfilm, Disney Animation, and Marvel -- the entertainment giant led the industry with a record $7.5 billion of box office revenue in fiscal 2016.

In part because of that unusually strong result, fiscal 2017 is likely to include a minor step backward. After all, there will be no surge in ticket sales or consumer products revenue that's comparable to 2015's relaunch of the blockbuster Star Wars franchise.

However, Disney has already achieved impressive early box office wins with Beauty and the Beast, Moana, and Rogue One. In addition, investors can look forward to another blockbuster global event -- that lifts both ticket sales and consumer products revenue -- when the company releases Star Wars: Episode 8 in December.

Scripps Networks' latest operating results demonstrate that solid sales and profit growth are still possible in an era of declining TV subscriber figures. Against that stiff industry headwind, the company grew ratings across its portfolio of channels last year, with the biggest gains coming from its core HGTV and Food Network properties.

As a result, ad sales spiked 10% in the sluggish U.S. market to pass $2 billion for the first time yet. HGTV finished the year as the third-ranked cable network for adults, and that channel, along with DIY Network and Cooking Channel, had its most watched year ever.

Scripps Networks has a strong pipeline of new content that executives hope will help it continue to attract an expanding pool of the demographics that U.S. advertisers most covet. Bold bets on international expansion, meanwhile, should start paying off soon, especially now that the Polish TVN network is benefiting from the recent HGTV launch onto the service. Executives believe global sales growth will speed up to a 6% pace in 2017 from 4% last year -- not bad for a stock that's valued at just 15 times trailing earnings.

10 stocks we like better than Netflix

When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*

David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Netflix wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.

*Stock Advisor returns as of April 3, 2017

Demitrios Kalogeropoulos owns shares of Netflix and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Netflix and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool recommends Scripps Networks Interactive. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Read more:
3 Top Movies and Television Stocks to Buy in 2017 - Madison.com

(MENAFN Editorial) Superior Replacement Windows has announced the opening of a new glass repair shop in Peoria, Arizona area. This state of the art glass warehouse and retail facility will act as a customer service call center along with being an administrative office for the firm.

Sue Johnson, Vice President of the company was quoted as saying, The decision to move to Peoria, Arizona was an easy one both from an economic and lifestyle standpoint. Our roots and families are here in Peoria and it made sense to expand our services to this fine city. We are looking forward to serving the homeowners and business community of Peoria and hope our presence can add to the growth potential we see here in this city.

The company was founded back in 2004 and since that time have been offering a complete line of window replacement services to match the real estate development demands of the market. The company aims at expanding its work further and make the investment into new repair shop in Peoria, AZ. There is a lot of opportunity in the Peoria market as well as the surrounding Phoenix metropolitan aea and the company wishes to capture greater market share. By choosing to expand their business, they will be able to cater to a larger group of clients and thereby grow as a firm.

The staff have been offered the right kind of training to ensure that they can offer the best of window repair and replacement services. With the best services and the right pricing, Superior Replacement Windows is positioned to win the trust and confidence of Maricopa County residents. There is stiff competition in the Valley of the Sun and the owners want to ensure the right products and services are in place to stay ahead.

To learn more about Superior Replacement Windows, please visit: [http://replacementwindowspeoria.com](http://replacementwindowspeoria.com/)

Superior Replacement Windows was set up in the year 2004 and ever since then, the company has been doing a great job. They have the best glass technicians that are thoroughly skilled in windows replacement and repair services and their track record is phenomenal.

MENAFN0804201700703206ID1095377893

See the original post here:
Superior Replacement Windows Opens Home Window Repair Shop In Peoria Arizona - MENAFN.COM

Belfast and Searsport will be among 20 communities this year across the state where Window Dressers will fabricate low-cost insulating window inserts in the fall.

Last year in Belfast alone, over 100 Waldo County volunteers, in the tradition of an old-fashioned barn raising, built more than 500 inserts for some 60 customers. Eleven local businesses supported the builds with food, supplies and volunteers.

There are 557,000 homes in Maine, and over 90 percent of them need weatherization. A total of 6,200 inserts were produced statewide last year and this year promises to be even bigger and better, Window Dressers said in a news release. Customized inserts are ordered by customers who pay a flat per-window charge. In addition, Window Dressers sets aside 22 percent of its annual total insert production for low-income households, who contribute a small donation.

Window Dressers is a nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to helping Maine residents by minimizing heat loss through windows. Inserts offer an inexpensive alternative to window replacement, with an average window costing about $25. With 30 percent of home heat loss through windows alone, inserts reduce home heating fuel use and CO2 emissions, while simultaneously reducing drafts.

Visit windowdressers.org or call 596-3073 for more information or to sign up as a potential customer or volunteer.

View original post here:
Window Dressers announce fall builds in Belfast, Searsport - Republican Journal

As millennials join the ranks of homeowners, theyre making their mark on how those homes look, and in some cases bucking long-held preferences.

Here are some of the trends popping up among the newest generation of homeowners found in Houzzs 2017 Kitchen Trends Study. Of the surveys 2,700 participants (all of whom had recently completed or were completing a kitchen remodel), 10 percent to 12 percent were ages 25 to 34.

An online service is needed to view this article in its entirety. You need an online service to view this article in its entirety.

Click here if you already have a login to the site.

Need a print or online subscription?

If you or your household receives a 7 day home delivery subscription to The Keene Sentinel, you are entitled to FREE access to the premium subscription services on SentinelSource.com PLUS access to FREE archived content.

To activate your online subscription, please follow the instructions presented. This is a one-time only process.

If you are unsure about the type of account you have, please contact the Circulation Department at 603-283-0797 option 3 or by email at circulation@keenesentinel.com or webmaster@keenesentinel.com

Need an account? Create one now.

kAm$@7E ?6FEC2=D DEC6?8E96? E96:C 9@=5k^Am

kAm|:==6??:2=D 2C6 2 =@E >@C6 7@4FD65 @? >2<:?8 DFC6 E92E E96 DEJ=6[ 4@=@C A2=6EE6 2?5 >2E6C:2=D FD65 😕 E96 >2;@C 6=6>6?ED @7 E96 <:E496? DE2J 2D C6=6G2?E 2D =@?8 2D A@DD:3=6 3642FD6 E96JC6 ?@E A=2??:?8 2?@E96C C6>@56= 2?J E:>6 D@@?[ D2:5 }:?@ $:E49:?2G2[ w@FKKD AC:?4:A2= 64@?@>:DE]k^Am

kAms64@C2E:G6 =:89E:?8 @G6C 7F?4E:@?2= =:89E:?8k^Am

kAm*@F?86C C6?@G2E@CD E6?565 E@ AC676C 564@C2E:G6 A6?52?E =:89E:?8 Wef A6C46?EX[ H9:=6 @=56C 9@>6@H?6CD H6C6 >@C6 =:<6=J E@ 49@@D6 >@C6 7F?4E:@?2= F?56C @C :?423:?6E =:89ED Wfc A6C46?EX] %96C6D A@E6?E:2==J 2 =:EE=6 >@C6 G6CD2E:=:EJ H:E9 A6?52?E =:89E:?8[ $:E49:?2G2 D2:5] xED D6=74@?E2:?65 ,2?5. 2 =:EE=6 >@C6 277@C523=6] qFE D@>6 @7 :E 4@F=5 2=D@ 36 AC676C6?46D 2?5 DEJ=6 26DE96E:4] {:89E:?8 FA8C256D H6C6 A2CE @7 gc A6C46?E @7 E96 <:E496? C6?@G2E:@?D DFCG6J65]k^Am

kAmz:E496? :D=2?5Dk^Am

kAm%96 >@DE A@AF=2C 3F:=E:? 762EFC6D 7@C >:==6??:2=D H6C6 A2?ECJ 423:?6ED 2?5 :D=2?5D[ 2AA62C:?8 😕 EH@ @7 7:G6 C6?@G2E65 <:E496?D[ 2?5 J@F?86C 9@>6@H?6CD H6C6 >F49 >@C6 =:<6=J E@ :?DE2== 2? :D=2?5 E92? @=56C 9@>6@H?6CD Wch A6C46?E GD] be A6C46?E[ C6DA64E:G6=JX] %96J 2C6 2 >FDE92G6 😕 2 >:==6??:2= <:E496?[ $:E49:?2G2 D2:5]k^Am

kAm|@56C? 2?5 72C>9@FD6 DEJ=6Dk^Am

kAmp=E9@F89 4@?E6>A@C2CJ 😀 E96 >@DE A@AF=2C DEJ=6 7@C <:E496? C6>@56=D 24C@DD 2== 286D[ J@F?86C 9@>6@H?6CD 2C6 >@C6 =:<6=J E@ ECJ 2 >@56C? @C 72C>9@FD6 DEJ=6 7@C E96:C C6?@G2E:@? 2D @AA@D65 E@ 3@@>6CD[ H9@ 2C6 >@C6 =:<6=J E@ DE:4< H:E9 2 EC25:E:@?2= DEJ=6]k^Am

kAmp? 6J6 @? E96 3F586Ek^Am

kAm|:==6??:2= 9@>6@H?6CD 2C6 EH:46 2D =:<6=J E@ 36 5C:G6? 3J 4@DE 4@?D:56C2E:@?D E92? 9@>6@H?6CD @G6C 286 bd[ A6C E96 DFCG6JD 7:?5:?8D] *@F?86C C6?@G2E@CD 2C6 2=D@ >@C6 H:==:?8 E@ 86E E@ E96:C 92?5D 5:CEJ H96? :E 4@>6D E@ <:E496? C6>@56=:?8[ H:E9 2 >2;@C:EJ 72G@C:?8 DE@4< 2?5 C625JE@2DD6>3=6 423:?6ED] $E:==[ 23@FE 2 E9:C5 @7 E96 >:==6??:2=D DFCG6J65 DA=FC865 @? 4FDE@> 423:?6ECJ WGD] ca A6C46?E @7 323J 3@@>6CDX]k^Am

kAm$E2CE:?8 E@ EFC? 2H2J 7C@> 8C2?:E6k^Am

kAm{@@< 2?5 766= Wfa A6C46?EX[ 2?5 5FC23:=:EJ Wdb A6C46?EX H6C6 E96 5C:G:?8 724E@CD 7@C 49@@D:?8 2 4@F?E6CE@A >2E6C:2=[ 72C 29625 @7 4@DE Wa` A6C46?EX[ 2?5 BF2CEK 2?5 8C2?:E6 C6:8? DFAC6>6 2D E96 >@DE D@F89E27E6C >2E6C:2=D[ 24C@DD 2== 286D] qFE v6? * 😀 >F49 >@C6 H:==:?8 E@ 6IA6C:>6?E H:E9 2? 2=E6C?2E:G6[ >@C6 3F586E7C:6?5=J 4@F?E6CE@A >2E6C:2=D]k^Am

Original post:
Millennials counter long-standing kitchen trends - The Keene Sentinel

Many homeowners have held off investing in home improvements as property values declined, but now that the economy is healthy and the real estate market is gaining momentum, homeowners again are considering selling or possibly updating their current home.

Even if you are not planning to sell your home anytime soon, it is an inevitable question when you consider remodeling: How much will this improvement add to the value of my home?

As a real estate agent, I often have clients contact me long before they list their home to review what improvements or remodels make sense. Agents who are busy representing buyers are walking through homes on a regular basis, and it becomes clear to us what works and what does not, what buyers are attracted to and what turns them away.

The top-ranking improvement? A new front door, which on a national average adds 96.6 percent of the amount you spend to the value to your home, according to Remodeling magazines annual Cost vs. Value report for 2014.

Evaluation of dated elements such as doors, windows and light and bathroom fixtures in general yield a better financial return than bigger remodeling projects, such as additions or gutting a kitchen or bath. However, any real estate agent will tell you that remodeled kitchens and baths still bring a significant payoff, and kitchen remodeling costs often are overestimated by the buyer.

The average cost of a minor kitchen remodel new cabinet doors, appliances, countertops, sink, faucet, paint and hardware was $18,215 in the Mountain region, according to the Cost vs. Value report.

Yet it is important to do the right kitchen remodel. Take the time to do the research and look for professional advice before making the investment.

Many of my clients look to a popular app called Houzz, where you can search many home ideas by category and even find floor plans similar to yours to help you get ideas and visualize how the finished product will look. It also is a great tool to communicate to your contractor what you are looking for. Even if you are trying to choose a door color to go with your gray wood-sided home, just put this in the search criteria and poof! the visuals appear. This tool has helped me communicate to my presellers what they can do to improve their home before hitting the market.

Remember to stick to the overall style of your home; putting an ultramodern kitchen into a 100-year-old Victorian home isnt such a great idea. To add value, you should not design new spaces that are incongruous with the rest of the houses architectural style.

According to the 2014 report for the Mountain region, renovations that bring the greatest percentage return on investments include: entry door replacement, 88 percent; attic bedrooms, 83 percent; basement remodel, 81 percent; deck addition (wood), 81 percent; garage-door replacement, 80 percent; minor kitchen remodel, 79 percent.

Kelly Kniffin is a Realtor with Legacy Properties West-Sothebys International Realty and serves as president of the Durango Area Association of Realtors. She can be reached at kelly@homesdurangoCO.com.

Read more:
Which remodeling projects are worth your money? - The Durango Herald

Though strong, the Jefferson Parish office market remained flat in the past year as the area continued to recover from slumping oil prices. But commercial realtors say there is possible growth on the horizon.

Courtesy jeffparish.net

A recent year-end report by Corporate Realty shows occupancy rates for the Metairie market slightly increased from 92 percent in 2015 to 92.3 percent last year. Rental rates for Class A buildings range from $21 to $26 per square foot, and space for Class B buildings rent from $18 to $22.

Corporate Realty leasing director and broker associate Bruce Sossaman said engineering and exploration companies tied to the oil and gas industry reduced and gave back leased space in 2015 and 2016 to cut costs due to plummeting prices. Sossamon said if the price of oil continues to rise, he expects these same companies to reacquire this space by the third or fourth quarter of this year.

Even if oil prices dont go back up, there shouldnt be any more of a negative impact on the office market, he said.

New leases in the market include an 18,000-square-foot space at One Lakeway Center for its IT department and another 14,000 square feet at the Galleria for Regus executive suites. This is the second Metairie location for Regus, a provider of ready-to-go office spaces. The firm also leases half a floor at the Lakeway Center.

The largest new lease in the past year is Crescent Bank & Trust, which relocated from Elmwood to 2121 Airline Drive, renting 33,000 square feet for back office space. Formerly known as the Cox Communications building, the six-story, 123,000-square-foot property sold to the parent company of insurance firm Burns & Wilcox last year for the firms New Orleans office.

This new tenant pushes the buildings occupancy to more than 90 percent.

Sossamon said there will be no new construction of office buildings with more than 100,000 square feet until rents are high enough to justify it. He added the scarcity of land and rising construction costs make this endeavor unfeasible for developers.

Maria McLellan, an independent commercial broker who represents tenants, said because the Metairie market is so expensive, many companies are moving their operations to St. Charles Parish, particularly St. Rose, where there is more available office and warehouse space.

This is the highest rents have ever been, she said. Its definitely a landlords market.

McLellan said there has been a spillover effect into Elmwood, making real estate more valuable in the area. This in turn has made it impractical for developers to buy land and to build new warehouses and offices.

McLellans clients are now building out this space and leasing it as flex space, which is a conversion from warehouse to office space.

Parking is free, and single-story building rents are much lower, she said. You can also finish out the open space how you want it.

Commercial broker Robert Hand, president of Louisiana Commercial Realty, said the strong Metairie office market is due in large part to the high prices in downtown New Orleans. Rental rates for Class A buildings in the Central Business District range from $16 to $20 per square foot.

These prices do not include parking and operating costs; whereas, leases for Class A space in Metairie typically include these amenities. Hand said there is approximately 1 million square feet of vacant office space in the CBD, and 80 percent of that is full-floor space. Hand said this trend has not affected Metairie yet.

You just dont have those kind of companies that require that much space coming into the city, he said.

To sign up for free CityBusiness Daily Updates, click here.

Read more here:
Jefferson office market could strengthen in coming months - New Orleans CityBusiness (blog)

When industrial jewelry artist Brandon Holschuh was considering a home base for his studio, he had a dilemma.

The Concord Township resident wanted a family friendly commute along with a hip and trendy spot.

He said he took a risk in November, when he signed a long-term lease for a second-floor corner of the historic Matchworks building in Mentor. The post-and-beam architecture and exposed brick walls provided the aesthetic he wanted, but, at the time, the few other occupants were professional office uses.

Shortly after, however, more like-minded tenants began to follow suit.

Advertisement

I thought, you know what? I think something cool is about to happen here, he said. Now weve got artists, galleries, all sorts of cool. If something cool is happening in Lake County, I want to be in on it.

Indeed, it appears that the landmark structure at 8500 Station St. is amid a renaissance.

About 80 percent is now occupied and includes soon-to-open The Fourk restaurant and Stellas Art Gallery, the only working gallery of its kind on Clevelands east side. The March 31 grand opening drew an estimated 700 visitors.

The shift began when Lake County businessman Marc Wertenberger bought the ailing icon in foreclosure in late 2015.

We have invested a significant amount of money on building renovations, which were years overdue, he said. We are aggressively seeking new tenants that want to be in the historical Matchworks building and be part of the building revitalization.

We are owner-occupied and looking to make the Matchworks building a destination for years to come.

>>PHOTOS: View photos from the new Matchworks building here

From the beginning, the 50,000-square-foot broad brick building has had a history of reinvention.

It originated in 1868 and is believed to be Mentors first factory. There were numerous users over the years, including Mentor Knitting Mills, the Columbia Match Co. and Production Machinery Corp., which gutted and renovated the building, making way for the first of many restaurants.

Commercial office spaces were created in the late 1980s.

In recent years, the building had fallen out of favor as an office location, said Ronald M. Traub, Mentor economic & community development director. His office was instrumental in bringing Stellas Art Gallery to the site.

The first restaurant was the Perfect Match, which opened in 1984. It was followed by La Sorella, Blue Tip Grill, Wallabys, Cabanas, Match Works Tavern and Harrys Hofbrau House, which closed in January.

The interesting fact about the building is not that it has housed so many uses, but its staying power, said Traub, noting that the tower added in the early 1900s is among the most prominent and interesting features on the citys landscape.

We hope to continue to be a partner in the evolution and repurposing of this city architectural treasure.

The Fourk is scheduled to open May 1 and will be steered by executive chef and business partner Ryan Scanlon, whose experience includes Burntwood Tavern.

It is described as a family friendly American Tavern serving classic food with a twist. Adult offerings are to include cocktails, microbrews on tap, a full wine menu and more.

We will have well over 6,000 square feet inside and a 4,000-square-foot patio, Wertenberger said.

The patio is to launch June 1. The plan is to seat 235 indoors and employ roughly 35 people.

Workers are busily transforming the interior with sleek and modern touches like polished concrete countertops, while incorporating original brick and stone into the design.

This is the first restaurant venture for Wertenberger, who grew up in Willoughby Hills and owns an electronics company tied to the fast-food industry.

If this takes off, well immediately start the second one, he said. He is eyeing Lyndhurst or Chagrin Falls for an offshoot to be named Fourk & Pepper.

Wertenberger has redeveloped other real estate and had been watching the Matchworks property for a few years.

When we took it over there was nothing on the first floor, he said. Now its 100 percent occupied. As people come in, we do the renovation for them.

Stellas Art took 2,000 square feet of the main floor and has studio spaces still available on the third floor.

The gallery offers an appealing array of art mediums on wall space rented by local artists and within individual studios used for work or display. Items ranging from oil paint and pottery to repurposed records and decoupage are for sale.

But its not just a place to market their wares. The business, begun by mother-daughter team Carol Pitts and Danielle Klein, also provides a venue for observing local artists creating on the job. In addition, it will host workshops and classes, and juried art shows for outside artists.

Our gallery uses an integrated business structure with artists working together towards a common goal: to build community where artists can sell, create and teach art, said Pitts, of Concord Township, who frequented the building when it housed The Perfect Match restaurant. The pair searched three years for the right spot, she said.

Opening day drew guests from as far Rocky River and Conneaut. Many of them had to wait in line to get in.

The gallery will keep later hours on Fridays and Saturdays to serve those who may want to browse before or after dinner next door. The neighbors also intend to collaborate on wine and art nights.

Stellas artists will make a mural for one of The Fourks walls as well.

If weve got businesses here, wed like to use them any way we can, Wertenberger said. Keep it in the family.

Another relatively new tenant likely to benefit from cross traffic is Sparkle & Shine Makeup Studio, opposite the gallery. Glass walls enable building visitors to view Karen Siat and other makeup artists on the job.

Since my space would be small, I knew I didnt want to be in a room that felt like I was boxed in and looked plain, Siat said. The lobby space with the windows sold me for sure. It has so much character, not to mention I wanted to have my business in Mentor, close to my home.

Wertenbergers goal to have all floors at full capacity within 90 days seems well within reach.

Our No. 1 complaint was, We didnt know you had office space available, he said.

>> Chamber group plans business-after-hours event April 20 in Willoughby

>> Drove for Uber? Rented out your home? Here are some tax tips

>> Nexus Software of Kirtland appoints director of consulting services

Go here to read the rest:
Mentor Matchworks building back in business with new restaurant, artist studios - News-Herald.com

The following commentary is an excerpt from the Weekly Roundup to Trifecta Stocks subscribers originally sent on March 10. Click here to learn more about this dynamic portfolio and market information service.

The first week of the second quarter was rather different than the start of the first quarter, with the majority of major U.S. market indices finishing in the red. Only the Dow Jones Industrial Average was relatively unscathed, essentially flat week over week. Given the preponderance of economic data, including today's far weaker than expected March Employment Report, we are not surprised by the market action this week, one that is essentially a "No Man's Land" ahead of corporate earnings season. We'll touch on this more below, but the wide miss in the jobs number was just the latest data point confirming the slowdown of the domestic economy in the first quarter. It's also something that should make for a more than interesting quarterly earnings season after the Easter holiday.

Trifecta had mixed performance this week, but year to date the portfolio is up in nearly every position. Big winners remain AMN Healthcare (AMN) , Facebook (FB) , and Amazon (AMZN) . We had no new additions to the portfolio, but shed CVS Health (CVS) when the shares broke the $77 level.

Next week will be a shorter one as domestic markets are closed for Good Friday. Nevertheless, there will be more economic data to be chewed through and some earnings reports as well before we get to next weekend's candy. Among the reports we'll be watching will be the February JOLTS report for our position in AMN and the March Retail Sales report given our Amazon, Alphabet GOOGL and Foot Locker (FL) holdings.

Also on tap next week are inflation indicators for March, the NFIB Small Business Optimism Index and consumer sentiment indices. Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank President Neel Kashkari will speak on Tuesday. Considering the data we've been getting over the last several weeks and then today's jobs report, we would have liked to have heard the views of more than just one Fed head next week to decipher when the central bank may next boost interest rates. One month does not make a trend, but the vector and velocity of 1Q 2017 and another month of weaker-than-expected economic data could push talk around the Fed's next interest rate hike into the second half of the year.

With another negative revision in the AtlantaFed's GDPNow forecast for 1Q 2017 to just 0.6%, following today's employment news, we think it will be a volatile earnings season over the coming weeks. For context, GDP in 4Q 2016 was recently revised up to 2.1% and the expectation for President Trump's fiscal stimulus initiatives continue to get pushed out rather than pulled in. We expect companies to reflect all of this in their comments and expectations in the coming weeks. But we think a return of volatility will allow us to buy shares in quality companies at better prices.

While we have no companies reporting next week, we'll be paying attention to quarterly results and guidance from Fastenal (FAST) , Citigroup (C) , and JPMorgan Chase (JPM) as well as Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) given our position in Applied Materials (AMAT) .

In sum, we see the potential for first quarter-earnings season to be a volatile one that is likely to lead to negative revisions to earnings expectations for at least the current quarter. As such, we will keep our inverse ETF positions in play. We also have ample cash in the portfolio, which we can use to our advantage should such market volatility return in the back half of April.

Visit link:
Trifecta Stocks: 'No Man's Land' Week Adds to Seasonal Intrigue - TheStreet.com

Franziska Barczyk for NPR

Franziska Barczyk for NPR

Next week, between 150 and 200 people will gather for a Passover seder at Temple Beth-El in Richmond, Va. When the traditional Passover question is posed "Why is this night different from all other nights?" there's a new answer. Guests at the Seder, co-sponsored by the refugee aid agency ReEstablish Richmond, will include about 50 locally resettled immigrants from Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.

Passover, after all, is the ultimate refugee holiday. It's about an ancient flight to freedom by Israelites who were oppressed in Egypt. And the world is currently facing an unprecedented refugee crisis, with 65.3 million refugees worldwide.

One new version of the Haggada, from the American Jewish World Service, makes a direct connection: "Around the world today, courageous people are making similar journeys leaving behind violence, poverty and persecution and seeking security, freedom, prosperity and peace."

Against this backdrop, a number of Jewish organizations are offering new readings and rituals to include at the festive meal known as the Seder. These additions, says Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, are in keeping with the fact that the Haggada the text read at the Seder has always been flexible, "less of a fixed text than a user guide to tell the story."

Here are some suggestions from Jewish organizations to link the ancient holiday with the current crisis. Think of it as three more questions to add to the traditional four.

Why put tropical fruit on the table?

Both the banana and the pineapple are being suggested as additions to the Passover table.

The banana is a connection to the story of 3-year-old Syrian refugee Aylan Kurdi, who drowned on a beach in Turkey in 2015 on the cusp of reaching safety.

In different interviews, the father of Aylan and his 5-year old brother (who also drowned) said he'd bring them a banana as a treat. This ritual was introduced last year by Rabbi Dan Moskovitz, of Temple Sholom Vancouver, British Columbia the city where Aylan's family had hoped to settle.

The pineapple has been a traditional symbol of welcome and hospitality since colonial times because of its exotic pedigree and rich flavor. In bygone days, a pineapple on the table demonstrated that the hosts had gone to special trouble to welcome and honor their guests, says Rabbi Ronni Handler, executive editor of ritualwell.org of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. The fruit has another connection to the holiday of Passover, with its focus on the lives of Jews as slaves in Egypt. Pineapples were often farmed by slave laborers in the colonial era.

What would you take with you?

"As we tell the Passover story each year, we relive our own Exodus," says Rabbi Jennie Rosenn, vice president of community engagement at HIAS, formerly known as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, which focuses on protecting and aiding refugees. The HIAS Passover supplement encourages participants to think about what necessary or treasured object they would take on a journey to freedom. It also provides examples of actual objects taken by recent refugees, like Farhad, who hid a photograph of his mother under his clothes when smugglers told him to throw everything away as he escaped Afghanistan; and Sajida, who kept the necklace her best friend gave her to remember her childhood in Syria.

Why put shoes on the doorstep?

HIAS also suggests continuing a ritual the organization introduced last year: putting a pair of shoes on the household doorstop to symbolize the fact that Jews have stood in the shoes of the refugee. This also provides an opportunity for Seder participants to discuss their own family journeys. For Rabbi Pesner, the contemporary immigration crisis echoes the story of his Grandma Fanny, who in 1916 at age 16 fled pogroms in Russia for a new life in America.

And that's why Rabbi Knopf will be placing a pair of shoes at the door for the Interfaith Refugee Seder in Richmond on April 11, the second night of the holiday.

Go here to see the original:
Why Add A Banana To The Passover Table? - NPR