If you’ve been following along with our social media countdown, you’ll know that Snow Commerce is finally ready to move into our new location! As of May 23, we’ll officially be situated at 1148 Main Street, Suite 400. We’re so happy to be moving to the up and coming community of Over-the-Rhine in downtown Cincinnati. The neighbourhood is chalk full of history, culture and good food. As a bit of celebration, we wanted to share some cool info about our new home.

Back when Cincinnati was the pork capital of the country, a group of German immigrants came to settle the area just north of the Ohio river, naming their new home in reference to the German Rhine river. Over-the-Rhine quickly became famous for its German breweries, beer-gardens, restaurants, theatres and thriving arts culture. The vast expanse of Italianate architecture they left behind is now considered to be the largest collection in the country.

After World War II, the middle class German families began moving to the outer suburbs of the city. The dispersing population was soon replaced with a mixed Appalachian and African American community. With the decrease of manufacturing, the working class neighbourhood quickly fell into disrepair. Over-the-Rhine became famous once again, but this time for its poverty, crime and cramped, unsanitary living conditions. Many families abandoned the area, leaving much of it vacant. In the 1960’s and 70’s, there was a renovation effort that removed some of the historic European architecture, but the attempt yielded little change for the community.

In the 1980’s and 90’s the community began to band together to revitalize Over-the-Rhine. The underground art scene coupled with the distinctive architecture and European feel of the neighbourhood began to draw more people back to the once desolated community.

Enter 3CDC, the Cincinnati Centre City Development Corporation. The city sponsored program has been working to revitalize the urban space by subsidizing redevelopment of neighbourhood, without removing any of its history and culture.

Today, Over-the-Rhine is in the process of becoming an essential part of the downtown core. It’s home to the Cincinnati Music Hall, Washington park, a plethora of restaurants, cafes and now Snow Commerce! The neighbourhood is the perfect blend of bustling, innovative and history to foster a creative space and creative ideas.