Cleveland
Chain
Reaction

The Cleveland Chain Reaction Project is being produced to create jobs, investment and prosperity in Cleveland’s neighborhoods while providing education and coaching for entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners for the greater benefit of our community.

Slavic Village

St. Clair Superior is a neighborhood surrounding East 55th Street and St. Clair Avenue with a historical memory of tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs and residents, with St. Clair Avenue acting as the retail spine that connected the live and work zones. There are still a number of legacy commercial, industrial and retail businesses as well as cultural hubs, such as Horsburgh & Scott, SIFCO Forge, Sheliga Drug, Azman’s Meats, the Slovenian National Home, and St. Vitus Parish that continue to serve as a platform for new community growth. In areas people once perceived as dangerous and void of attractions, St. Clair Superior Development Corporation (SCSDC) has leveraged cultural partnerships and historical assets to attract tens of thousands of people into the neighborhood through signature events such as the Cleveland Asian Festival, Night Markets, The Cleveland Flea and Kurentovanje. SCSDC has further established creative engagement practices that bring not just visitors but residents and businesses of this community into the conversation, such as through the Upcycle Parts Shop and healthy food initiatives.

In addition to signature events and access to real estate to strengthen new business, SCSDC has shown neighborhood-level leadership in economic development through outreach and retention initiatives to business stakeholders, special in-district pricing of free and reduced booth fees for small businesses during Cleveland Flea, connecting resident entrepreneurs to important services and resources, and using creative engagement to support inclusivity and developing projects in newly arriving businesses.