clarion call?

in response to some recent queries about offbeat columbus and the nature and scope of its prospective content, we thought it might be beneficial to state in a clear and unmistakable fashion exactly what this blog is about. from now until we complete part ii of the post on royal coffee and tea, the following articulation of our raison d’être will be posted on the front page; after that, it’ll be relegated to about.

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offbeat columbus was conceived and is predicated upon the conceit that local, independent small businesses and the personalities behind them are the lifeblood of our city, and should be valued and celebrated as such. the future of columbus is inextricably tied to the vitality and dynamism of its cultural economy; and it’s the creative, independent ventures of our entrepreneurial community in which we need to collectively invest.

why?

remove the independent artists, artisans, restaurateurs, retailers, and thinkers from the cultural equation, and columbus becomes just another featureless midwestern city, with a preponderance of big-box retailers, chain restaurants, corporate-this, mega-that — collegiate sports, yes — but no unique identity.

our independent businesses and the men and women who run them play a significant role in capturing and shaping and defining the distinct flavor of our local communities — flavors which do not lend themselves to mass production; and it’s the complexity — and oftentimes incongruous nature — of this colorful palate which make an authentic columbus experience irreplicable.

our intent is to write about and cover in a supportive fashion local, independent businesses and the men and women behind them. the medium? a mixed-content blog. our methodology? the diy aesthetic. our hope? to level the playing field.

by spotlighting the veritable kaleidoscope of independent offerings unique to columbus in a manner which compliments — rather than duplicates — the content of existing outlets such as columbus underground and alive, we hope to give voice to the local chapter of who Those Who Simply No Longer Wish To Partake of over-simplified, mass-produced, poor-quality schlock — especially when it comes to our @%#* food!

we want something to write home about! we want to be compelled to endorse! and when we’re moved to move — when an experience speaks to us — we’ll be writing about it in an attempt to leverage like-minded sentiment against the marketing and buying power of corporate chains. period.

lofty? yes. overwrought? perhaps. attainable? we’ll see.

questions?