COVER STORY

squire called it one of the Top vendors —not to mention aneighborhood 100 bars in America. Itsjukebox PREVIEW pride thathas transformed Waterloo Road. is the toastofthe town. Bands lo- Waterloo Arts Fest During Waterloo Arts Fest,the strip cal and national alikeraveabout sees amass of visitors. Last year,itat- playing there. What: Ablock party that brings music, artand food to Waterloo Road. tracted7,000 people looking for,well, EYetCindy Barber and Mark Leddy had When: Noon-7p.m. Saturday. retro things and thrills. something else in mind when theyopened Where: Waterloo Road, between East 156th and East 161st streets in Cleveland’s Thevibe of it all is also retro: This their music club on Waterloo Road in Collinwood neighborhood. neighborhood hasn’t had this much ac- Wade intoWaterloo Cleveland’s Collinwood neighborhood. tion since wayback when. Admission: Free admission. Go to waterlooartsfest.comfor moreinformation. Yes, theyimagined apremier club. But Go to waterlooartsfest.com for info on Our guide takes youdeep intoafine and funkyartsand entertainment district theyalso wanted to create an incubator for events. As for the strip, justfollow the activityonastreetlong written offfor dead. come alive as astrip of shops selling every- the street, thanks to Waterloo Arts Fest. map —this weekend, and anytime you In the 10 years since the Beachland Ball- thing from records to arts, crafts and coffee. Theseventh annual block party boasts come back to this growing EastSide en- STorybyJohn PeTkovic and illuSTraTion by TeD crow | ThePlain Dealer room and Tavern opened, the streethas On Saturday, all thatliveliness spills into bands, performers, DJs, food and arts tertainment district.

SaltyNot Sweet This WayOut Star PopVintage SS &WBoardwalk 15613 Waterloo Road, 216-481-8925 15711Waterloo Road, 216-458-1156 15813 Waterloo Road, 216-965-2368 16011 Waterloo Road, 216-481-0077 It isn’t totally salty. Yes, the arty Located in the basement of the Theretro toy and collectible shop An old-school bar thatappeals to CafeatArts Arts Collinwood shop sells cards thatread “Wipe Rebel City Tattoos Beachland Beachland, this supersnazzy cloth- thatfeatures everything from Care locals and rockers alikewith its long Collinwood 15605 Waterloo Road, 216-692-9500 That Look OffYour Face.”But it also 15701Waterloo Road, 216-481-1635 ing and pop-culture shop dusts off Bears to StrawberryShortcaketo wooden bar,cheap beer and rockin’ It isn’t justthe name thatsays boasts the sweetsmell of homemade Ballroom all sorts of oldies, from vintagevinyl the Smurfs? Throw in Nintendo and jukebox. 15605 Waterloo Road, 216-692-9500 Arecent addition to the strip, this “Collinwood.”The galleryisa soaps and candles —aswell as jew- tattoo parlor does rock ’n’roll and threads to pulp novels and retro Atari and Transformers and tons of Yes, the cafe bar serves sandwiches elry, clothing,home décor and art and Tavern bric-a-brac. other toys from yesteryear —because booster for local artists, manywho style ink. 15711Waterloo Road, 216-383-1124 and drinks. But it also hosts jazz live within astone’s throw of the prints crafted by local artists. this place is avirtual toy museum. and poetrynights, not to mention place. It also doubles as aparty Yes, the anchor of Waterloo hosts aTuesdayDJnight thatfeatures center for neighborhood activists. rock shows. But it also does ahap- women spinning their favorite vinyl. pening Sunday-morning brunch, as well as film fests and events likethe TheHead Shop Rock ’n’Roll Flea Market, aclothes- 15615 Waterloo Road, 216-403-0328 and-music-and-everything-vintage Music Saves Blue Arrow Records rummagefest, which runs during 15801Waterloo Road, 216-481-1875 16001Waterloo Road, 216-486-2415 Thejust-opened head shop has a Waterloo Arts Fest. credo: “A fresh, newapproach to Indie rock rules at this record Pete Gulyas’ used-vinyl store has the coolestfloor mind, body and soul shopping.” It shop, which stacks its shelves with you’llever find. It’s made of albums, laid liketile. also has the paraphernalia, dude. the latestinbuzz bands. It’s open Thebins are nifty,too —well stocked and very As in, hand-painted shirts, incense late on nights when there’s ashow eclectic. Blue Arrow also hosts parties —with and pipes. at the Beachland, too. rock-savvy DJs who spin ...yup, vinyl.

Note: This pull-out Waterloo Road guide is cleveland.com/waterloo: Check out aphototour of Waterloo Road and its To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: the first in an occasional series of guides to establishments, aprintable map and updated Waterloo event information. [email protected], 216-999-4556 Cleveland’sentertainment districts.