On 58 acres off of Interstate 271 and Harvard in Orange Village, has emerged a new neighborhood of shops, restaurants, offices, apartments and hotel, known simply as Pinecrest.
The $230 million development features many retail and entertainment offerings not available anywhere else in Northeast Ohio and in some cases Ohio. It is as their slogan suggests "where east meets best."
"It was really important for us not to do just the same old same old," said Adam Fishman of Fairmount Properties developer of the site.
"So we tried to make sure that at least two-thirds of our businesses are new to this region so there are all kinds of new experiences, there's new boutiques, there's new restaurants, there's just everywhere you turn there's just something that you haven't seen before," said Fishman.
Some of those spots include shops like Vineyard Vines and REI, Recreational Equipment Inc to places like the popular Shake Shack and Firebirds to Pinstripes, an Italian American restaurant that will also offer bowling and bocce.
Pinecrest also features Ohio's first Silverspot Cinemas which offers a unique sophisticated theater-going experience for film and food lovers. Movie goers can enjoy fine food and drink in their reserved theater seats.
"We give you more and more every time," said Silverspot Managing Partner Gonzalo Ulivi. "We have to do it to stay competitive and to make sure we are a special place to come and enjoy a film."
Ulivi and his partners came up with the concept in 2003 in his native Venezuela and expanded it to Florida and now Ohio.
Movie theaters have come a long way since the days when all that was needed to lure customers in the summer was the promise of air conditioning.
"We compete with out of home entertainment, so if you want to go out of your home to have an experience we want you to have Silverspot at the top of your mind," he said.
Outside of the theater sits an area of Pinecrest known as Central Park where many outdoor activities will be held starting with this Saturday's "Salute to Summer" event featuring bands and activities from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.
"We're really doing a whole summer of openings so there is no grand opening sort of moment," Fishman said. "Everything we do this summer is about all new openings, every month we have a handful of new shops or new restaurants, new things to experience."
