SoOh Feature: Drew Steinbrecher of Kitsch Café

I'm very excited about my post today because it is I Love SoOh's first feature! In my pursuit of finding bloggers that highlight things to do in Southern Ohio, I stumbled upon Drew Steinbrecher, a graphic designer who lives in Cincinnati. Drew has a well known and very informative Cincinnati-centric design blog at Design Cincinnati. He no longer posts there but it is well worth reading through his archives to learn about  the Cincinnati area and his sidebar has an incredible list of Cincinnati places to try  Fortunately for all of us, Drew continues to blog at Kitsch Café and even more fortunately for us thrift enthusiasts, he has several wonderful etsy shops; Kitsch Café and Kitsch Wear. Beyond sharing about his shop and life in Cincinnati, he is  also offering  SoOh readers a 15% discount off both his shops (details below)! Okay, I'm going to stop here because Drew's answers are far more interesting than anything else I could possibly say.

Tell me a little about your shop and what you sell

I have two Etsy shops. At Kitsch Café I sell vintage housewares, home decor items, and vintage fabrics and craft supplies. At KitschWear I sell vintage mens and womens clothing and accessories.

What is your process in choosing items for your shop?

There are a few questions I ask myself when shopping for inventory for my shop...

• What condition is it in? It could be the most amazing piece of mid-century design, but if it's in poor shape, I won't buy it.

• Can I afford it? If it's too expensive and I won't make a profit, then it stays at the store.
• Is it too heavy or awkward to ship? I've passed on some great items because they'd be too much of a hassle to ship.

Once an item makes it through those first qualifications, I then ask myself if I like it and if I would be proud to put it in my shop. If I don't like my inventory then my customers will be able to tell.

 

How much of what you sell is influenced by the Southern Ohio area?

I have been shopping in other parts of the country, and the vintage items I find here are a bit different than say, Los Angeles. Here, most items that I find fall in to the kitsch category... Items that maybe have a country influence and are "shabby chic". I do find items that are truly mid-century and famous pieces of design, but not as often. I was able to find a lot of Danish modern and Eames items before the trend hit about 10 years ago. Now the little of that kind of design that's in this part of the country is snapped up right away.

What part of Southern Ohio do you live in and how long have you been here?

 

I live in the Clifton Gaslight District in Cincinnati. I love my neighborhood and can't see myself living too many other places in the area. It's very walkable which is important to me. I grew up north of Dayton and came to Cincinnati in 1995 to attend design school at UC.

What are your top 3 favorite places to eat in Southern Ohio?

Riverside Korean in Covington. Ok, not in Ohio, but it's just right across the river. Korean is my favorite ethnic food thanks to the Riverside. I always get the dolsot bibimbap which is rice, meat and Korean veggies served in a hot stone bowl. The banchan, or sides, are great too... especially the daikon radish and the kimchi. 

Sitwell's Coffehouse on Ludlow Ave. in Cincinnati. This isn't on anyone's list of culinary delights, but it's a nice place to go after a movie at the Esquire, or to hear the Faux Frenchman play on Wednesday nights. I sometimes take my laptop here and work in the afternoons. 

Yagoot. I have a huge sweet tooth and Yagoot's soft serve yogurt is one way I can satisfy that and still feel (kinda) ok about indulging.

What are your top 3 favorite go to events in Southern Ohio?

Final Fridays in Cincinnati. I love going to the Pendleton Art Center and seeing all the artist's studios. It's also great to see Over-the-Rhine filled with people.

Summer Music Series every Friday on Fountain Square in Cincinnati. Lots of great bands and a fun atmosphere on the square.

What are your top 3 favorite places to thrift in Southern Ohio?

St. Vincent de Paul on Este Ave. in Cincinnati. I never leave disappointed from this unknown thrift store close to Mitchell Ave. My most recent find is a George Nelson designed Herman Miller coffee table that I got for $10.

St. Vincent de Paul on Reading Rd. in Mason. A great store for finding vintage knick knacks that are mostly kitschy and sometimes mod.

Valley Thrift on Woodman Dr. in Dayton. Another great place loaded with all kinds of vintage items that you can talk yourself in to buying.

Anything else you would like to share about yourself, your shop or Southern Ohio?

I'd like to offer your readers 15% off at both Kitsch Café and KitschWear by using coupon code "SOUTHERNOHIO". Thanks!

...

Well I don't know about you all, but I have a lot of places to check out now! Thank you so much Drew for sharing about your shop and life in Southern Ohio. If you would like to learn more about Drew please check out his blog Kitsch Café and definitely check out his shops. Remember he is offering a discount so share this post to anyone you think would be interested.