10.20.2023

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Today’s Forecast

38º | Cloudy | 10% chance of precipitation | Sunrise 7:53 a.m. | Sunset 5:23 p.m.

Digital footprints

Amazon in Ohio: A look at recent announcements from the tech giant

Amazon Style is in the Station Building at Easton near Bath & Body Works. | Photo by Easton Town Center

With Amazon investing billions into the Buckeye State, this tech giant’s local presence is more than brown boxes arriving on doorsteps each day. Whether it’s the retail store that’s only available in Columbus + Los Angeles, or the most recent announcements — here’s the A-Z on Amazon in O-H-I-O.

📍 Amazon and Columbus

Amazon Style is a new brick-and-mortar retail concept offering a modern and touchless way to shop. Instead of grabbing clothes off racks, shoppers scan a QR code and add various items to their Amazon cart. These are then added to a locker in a reserved dressing room, or you can meet a cashier to pick up and pay.

This opened at Easton Town Center in October 2022, and the only other location is in California.

CBUStoday Amazon Web Services — Amazon Web Services recent announcement comes as a part of a $7 billion plan for central Ohio. | Photo via Wikicommons

📍 Amazon and central Ohio

The tech company kicked off in July 2023 by announcing plans to invest $7.8 billion into central Ohio. The company unveiled that the first part of this multi-billion dollar plan would begin in New Albany. Now, five data centers — totaling $3.5 billion — are planned for the suburb, bringing thousands of construction jobs and hundreds of direct jobs.

Additionally, in July 2023, the company purchased 400 acres of land in New Albany near the Intel project for $117 million.

Renderings of where the two factories will be located. | Rendering via Intel

📍 Amazon and Ohio

We crunched some numbers on Amazon’s economic impact on the state:

Amazon Web Services has invested $6.3 billion in Ohio since 2015.
With the most recent announcements, that puts the total investment at $14.1 billion.
Amazon reports that its data center investments added $2.2 billion to Ohio’s GDP from 2015-2022.

Events

Friday, Oct. 20

Poetry in the Park Fundraiser | Friday, Oct. 20 | 6-9 p.m. | Goodale Park, 120 W. Goodale St., Short North | Free | Listen to critically acclaimed writer Hanif Abdurraqib with donations accepted at the door.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Calgary Flames | Friday, Oct. 20 | 7 p.m. | Nationwide Arena, 200 W. Nationwide Blvd., Arena District | $20-$305 | Start your weekend with the CBJ as they face a Pacific Division foe.

Saturday, Oct. 21

Ohio State Football vs. Penn State | Saturday, Oct. 21 | 12 p.m. | Ohio Stadium 411 Woody Hayes Dr., Campus | $119-$309 | ESPN College GameDay will be outside the stadium before this top 10 showdown.
Chelsea Handler | Saturday, Oct. 21 | 8 p.m. | Palace Theatre, 34 W. Broad St., Downtown | $39-$129 | Listen to this comedian, activist, and talk show host known for her hot takes.

Sunday, Oct. 22

French Macaron Baking | Sunday, Oct. 22 | 12-3:30 p.m. | Our CupCakery, 54 S. High St., Dublin | $100 | All skill levels are welcome at this hands-on class to master the art of baking macarons.

100+ more local events

Click here to have your event featured.

Seasonal

5 Halloween things you still have time to order

A front door decorated with hay, pumpkins, and floating witch hats.

Grab a 12-pack of floating witch hats and bedazzle the front porch. | Photo via Amazon

It’s not too late to celebrate the most wonderful time of fear — we mean, of the year. Snag Halloween essentials that will ship in time:

This lightweight candy pass-out bowl is large enough for all your snacks.
Want an easy costume (that’s still comfy)? Try this women’s black bat zip hoodie.
Another easy costume: this men’s “Where’s Waldo?” costume.
Floating witch hats will make the front porch festive.
Light the way for trick-or-treaters with orange string lights.

Shop all Halloween

News Notes

Tech

Speaking of data centers.... QTS, a Kansas-based technology company, announced it will invest $1.5 billion into four new data centers in New Albany. The company will build on 93 acres of land on Beech Road Southwest, which it purchased for $11.2 million this month. (Columbus Business First)

Opening

Goody Boy Burger Club is back — well, kind of. The Short North eatery is reopening under new ownership, now known as Michael’s Goody Boy. Owners plan to host a soft opening on Monday, Nov. 13. (614now)

Development

Amlin Crossing, a 370+ home development in Dublin, hit another snag in the design process after a meeting with county officials. Local commissioners want to see changes with natural site features, suggesting more bike lanes and moving the project further away from wetlands. (NBC4)

Show

“Moulin Rogue! The Musical,” a Tony Award-winning show, is coming to the Ohio Theatre from Jan. 2-Jan. 14, 2024. Tickets start at $39 and are now available.

Edu

Meet Zach Woodruff, the new chief real estate development officer for Columbus State Community College. The former Whitehall admin has lofty goals for the college, including a mixed-use building on Cleveland Avenue where multiple surface lots currently reside. (Columbus Business First)

Drink

Cameron Mitchell Restaurants is celebrating its 30th anniversary in Columbus + Middle West Spirits is raising a glass in their honor. The local distillery released a selection of single barrel spirits, ranging from high quality whiskey to top-notch bourbon. Each one was aged for five years in sherry barrels.

Cause

Want to support a local cause for breast cancer awareness and research? Stop by any Oakland Nursery and ask for a “Fukurokuryuzinboku,” better known as a boob cactus, where 25% of sales are being donated to OSU - The James. (The Columbus Dispatch)

Shop

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Featured Home

This charming, 3BD, 1 BA home in Italian Village boasts a spacious living and dining area, refinished, third-floor bonus room, and freshly painted front porch and exterior. Take a photo tour ($475,000).*

Drink

Love whiskey? Join Vinovest’s exclusive whiskey investing community and own your own casks hassle-free. Sell casks for a profit, or opt to bottle them to drink.*

Eat

🐍 For goodness snake

Cobra opens as a “good night bar” in the Brewery District

This location was previously a Panera before Cobra reimagined the space. | Photo by @614foodchecklist

Columbus’ newest bar isn’t all bite — it’s got drinks, too.

Cobra: A Good Night Bar is now open at 684 S. High St. in the Brewery District. With handmade noodles and high quality cocktails, the local spot is far from your average late-night bar. Where else can you feast on a bowl of mushroom ziti with scallions at midnight? (Seriously, let us know, we’ll go there next...)

Cobra has four owners, and they bring years of local experience in the nightlife scene. Co-owners Alex Chen and Jack Bennett helped open Watershed Kitchen + Bar, and co-owners David Yee and Josh Spiers both were working at Oddfellows before Cobra.

The location has local experience, too. The building was originally The Clairmont, a popular restaurant of 65+ years. It was eventually replaced with a Panera Bread that closed in 2021. Now, Cobra resides inside this 5,200-sqft building, boasting a full kitchen, patio, and parking lot.

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The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Mitch

From the editor

TGIF, CBUS. Here’s your fun fact heading into the weekend: No city has hosted ESPN College GameDay more than Columbus, and no college team has made more appearances than Buckeyes. That probably explains why I feel so jaded seeing an ESPN truck these days — oops.

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