Photo by Avery Padgett
Along a vibrant swath of Clifton, small businesses dominate the street and foot traffic flows. Buskers play on sidewalk, and a dedicated community council ensures regular neighborhood events keep visitors out from dawn to dusk. The window displays of locally owned boutiques showcase twinkling jewelry, clothing, and more, while the restaurants, bars, and cafés in between remain bustling day in and day out. This is the Clifton Gaslight District.
Situated squarely between the nearby University of Cincinnati and historic homes of the northern Clifton neighborhood, the business district extends along a stretch of Ludlow Avenue between Whitfield and Brookline avenues, encompassing a variety of small-owned shops and several prominent Cincinnati chains, including Graeter’s Ice Cream, Dewey’s Pizza, and the oldest operating Skyline Chili in franchise history. Much of the street is lined by stately Cincinnati gaslight lampposts—most from the mid- to late-1800s.
In many ways, the Clifton Gaslight District is similar to other Cincinnati neighborhoods. It is filled with eye-catching murals and intricate statues that highlight various cultures, from German to Indian to Kenyan, representative of the melting pot of businesses that exist on its own streets. Its community square, Clifton Plaza, hosts regular holiday events and a weekly Friday night music series throughout the summer. Sure, it comes with its own issues and matters of crime, but the community keeps customers coming back.
Area staples like Ludlow Garage have crafted the culture of the area over the years. Music first flowed from the old auto repair shop in 1969 and does again today downstairs from the restaurant and bar. It was known for hosting such legendary rock acts as the Allman Brothers Band, Iggy and the Stooges, and Alice Cooper back in the day and hosts a full schedule of touring acts now.
The events, street, and storefronts are the reason visitors come to the district day by day, but the stories behind each business, and the sense of community that has permeated the history of the area, is what keeps them coming back.
Photo by Avery Padgett
Vintage store owner Leigh Ann Lentz, whose parents grew up on the streets of the Gaslight District, thinks back on the past with fondness. “Both of my parents have passed away, but my dad went to UC and this is where they first lived,” she says. “I just think it’s charming to look back and to imagine that they were walking these same streets that I now have a shop on.”
Lentz is the owner of Lentz and Company, which has acted as the Gaslight District’s local eclectic historian since 2013. At the counter sits either Lentz or Nick Plummer, her partner of 23 years and sole employee. Their inventory is kept well-supplied by Lentz, who surfs estate sales, thrift stores, and flea markets looking for pieces and learning their stories.
With a long-lasting love for vintage, Lentz says she wants to help repurpose things while keeping prices fair. “You can just see people’s faces light up when they look at things and say, ‘Oh, my grandmother had this,’” she says. “It just endears you to people to be able to bring back a part of their history.”
Since opening in the district more than a decade ago, Lentz and Company has become part of the street’s welcoming and walkable community. Lentz says her store wouldn’t have been as successful anywhere else in town. The vintage shop’s storefront was once home to the oldest wine shop in all of Cincinnati, Ludlow Wines, which now occupies the space right next door.
An assortment of craft beers and fine wines fill the shop, where customers can enjoy exquisite tastings and high-quality service from owner Mike Anagnostou. Ludlow Wines has been a fixture in the Gaslight District since 1963. Framed photos on the walls show the history and development of Ludlow Avenue and Cincinnati overall during its years in business.
Photo by Lela Walker
Anagnostou is the fourth owner of the establishment. He had his own combination bookstore and wine shop in West Chester during the early 1990s in a town that closely resembled the charm of the Gaslight District, but significant road construction closed it and several other nearby businesses.
When, years later, he walked through the door of Ludlow Wines to find the then-owner selling the shop, he built an offer that was taken. He was terrified to start a new wine shop again; still, he knew exactly what to do after 32 years in the industry. “For the last 18 years, this shop has been like a little oasis for businesses like me,” says Anagnostou. “Not only do you have other independent, family-owned businesses like me around here that get what it’s like to be up against big-box chains, but you also have a neighborhood that really appreciates that kind of business.”
Although one of Anagnostou’s biggest challenges is that customers can buy wine anywhere, he feels that Ludlow Wines provides a personal experience. He knows how to pick out a bottle, red or white, that fits each customer’s needs, and social wine tastings are held on Friday and Saturday nights.
Anagnostou also serves as the president of the Clifton Business Association, and other small business owners frequently walk through his doors to discuss storefront matters. Community flows through the street and people, and if this neighborhood were a wine, he says it would be a sparkling one—lively and bubbly.
Photo by Claire Weston
For 27 years, Lamassa Biagio, owner and chef of Biaggio’s Bistro, built his life around the stove and the customers who continually fill his restaurant’s tables. But last year, a shocking cancer diagnosis stopped it all.
The restaurant has served fresh Italian meals since its establishment in 1999 and is named after Biagio himself, who was born in Italy and grew up enjoying his mother’s homemade meals. After moving to the U.S. in 1989, he started his culinary work on a cruise ship. His restaurant opened 10 years later. The chef says the Gaslight District—and its community—accepted him with welcoming arms.
Out of all Cincinnati neighborhoods, Clifton has the highest percentage of foreign-born citizens, according to the Cincinnati Historical Society’s history of Clifton. The area also draws in students from nearby UC and local families. “We started doing OK from day one,” Biagio says. “The locals, they just embraced it, embraced me.”
Following his shocking diagnosis, Biagio’s daily routines shifted. Instead of spending mornings whipping up sauces in the kitchen, he spent the majority of his time bouncing between doctors’ appointments, examinations, and chemo treatments. His beloved restaurant needed to carry on without him.
But the community of the Clifton Gaslight District refused to be distant from the chef. His phone never silenced—each appointment and hospital visit saw numerous calls and texts of support. A priest called to tell Biagio that he prayed for him, and a frequent customer texted to send healthy wishes. Others even called the restaurant’s phone just in the hopes they could pass on sweet messages to its owner.
“You know, I don’t want to say I’m special, but they came in [recently] for my birthday. They got me all this,” Biagio says, pointing to a nearby floating balloon reading “You’re Special,” written in a sparkly, gold font. “Even just yesterday I had another X-ray, and they checked on me.”
Biagio’s story is just one of countless ways that loyal customers of the district have shown up for business owners and employees in need. When a group of regular Skyline Chili customers learned that their favorite server’s husband had suddenly passed away one month after a cancer diagnosis, they raised $27,000 to help support her family.
Biagio made his return to the bistro in January—healthy and ready to serve his community again. Running a business demands time and dedication. Besides the two weeks he takes off to visit his family in Italy, Biagio says he spends every day at the restaurant helping others feel at home. “I’m lucky because I cook right here,” he says, waving to the cooking area, which is visible to guests. “I’m in front of everybody, so when they’re walking in, they see me.”
Photograph by Lela Walker
Kilimanjaro African Heritage has been open right next door since 1995. A $10 rack of vibrant, colorful clothes regularly sits outside the storefront, and passersby may smell the aromas of oils from inside as they walk by. Titus Nzioki, the founder and owner, welcomes everyone in with open arms.
From soaps and butters to natural medicine and beaded jewelry, Kilimanjaro is filled with African goods and artifacts. Radiant incense holders, Jamaican Rasta beads, and breathtaking artwork melt into the seams of a store that is meant to bring people of African descent together.
Photo by Lela Walker
The Ujamaa Family Tree, hand-carved from ebony wood by the Makonde Tribe in northern Mozambique, is one of the many highlighted sculptures that represent family unity. Nzioki’s tribe, Kamba, is known for excellent woodcarving, which is typically sold in the same marketplaces he grew up in.
Born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya, Nzioki worked in a store with his father that resembled his own in a Kenyan marketplace during the late 1970s. In 1980, he came to the U.S. to study economics at Northern Kentucky University and often traveled to artifact shows around the tri-state. He first operated a small kiosk in Kenwood Towne Centre, but when a customer suggested his store would fit in perfectly on Ludlow Avenue, his eyes opened wide at the opportunity.
“I really came here with open hands and the rest is history,” Nzioki says. With arms as open as they were for Biagio, the community welcomed him with “flowers and cards,” excited to see that another family-owned, international storefront was making its way to the district.
Nzioki has maintained that system of support since, and gives it back to his fellow entrepreners in the area. If he doesn’t have an item a customer needs, he often sends them to Greta Martinez, co-owner and general manager of Hansa Guild down the road.
Photo by Lela Walker
For Martinez, opening a textile store 40 years ago on Ludlow Avenue just made sense. She grew up down the street and was drawn to its small business culture. “It’s wonderful because of the mix of people and because people go walking,” she says.
Martinez and her husband built their business on a foundation of research and rapport. Many of the pieces Hansa Guild sells are handmade by artisans, ranging from Chinese silks to Australian sheepskins to knitted rugs from India. The couple has developed trust with the artists, allowing them to source unique shoes, hats, and accessories. “Some people have been with us for 20, 25 years, so it’s almost like a family relationship,” says Martinez.
Photo by Lela Walker
If a customer is in search of an item the store may not offer, Martinez is never afraid to send them to another neighboring shop, as well. She’ll even call ahead to make sure they have the piece in stock.
Martinez hopes to see such passionate support for family-owned businesses in the area. “I think that if we lose a small business, we lose the local color of the community,” she says.
Photo by Ella Rose Johnston
In December last year, several small businesses along Ludlow Avenue—including Ajeet Indian Restaurant & Nepali Cuisine, Sitwell’s Coffeehouse Act II, Adrian Durban Florist, and Clifton Barbers—were targeted in a series of break-ins. Windows were smashed and cash registers emptied.
With no one in the shops on one overnight, thieves smashed front doors and windows, taking what they could find. As the sun rose that morning, glass littered the sidewalk outside the storefront of Ajeet and the counter cover had been removed as the robbers searched for valuable items. Owner and head chef Dadi Bista had $100 stashed in a cupboard that was missing but was later found in a trashcan by police. Although no valuables were stolen, Bista was still shocked by the damages.
“The robber broke into the front door, a glass door,” he says. “They broke all that, and then they took all [nonvaluable items on] the counter cover.”
The damage forced the restaurant to close temporarily due to there being “no door to open,” says Bista. The restaurant, which has served Indian and Nepali food since its storefront opened in 2023, lost a day of business while repairs were made.
After the incident, Bista confided in local officials for help only to be left disappointed. Police responded to the immediate aftermath, but the culprits were never found, which added to his frustration. “It affects us because of how the police or others are not taking these incidents seriously or not investigating as seriously,” he says. “But still now, the police have not even found the guys or girls. If they had, these robbery things would be slowed down.”
In the aftermath, local business owners chose to step up to help one another. Right next door to Ajeet, owners of Clifton Barbers chose to act as the neighborhood’s unofficial security.
Photo by Avery Padgett
“Man, since we’ve been here, we’ve policed that pavilion where if there’s problems, most of the people in Clifton will come get us,” says co-owner Andy Mobarry. “I feel like we go above and beyond for that, which, you know, the business district doesn’t do. We do that on our own.”
Mobarry parks his hulking black motorcycle out in front of the shop, which has been open on Ludlow for about 10 years. The barbers there have been cutting some of the same heads for as long as the barbershop has been open, and their customers come from as far as Dayton, West Chester, and Indianapolis.
Mobarry says they help out the community where they can as well. When two kids too young to work brought in their resumes to the shop during its first years open, the barbers instead sent them to help out in the district. “We would let them come down here on Saturdays and we would pay for them to go get mulch from Ace Hardware, and then they would mulch the whole street,” he says.
As they deal with the issues no one else wants to deal with, other stores on Ludlow help them out in turn. When Mobarry needed a donation basket for an auction, he ran down to the Adrian Durban Florist and asked for one. When the shop’s window got smashed during the break-ins, Ace Hardware helped to put plexiglass over it so they could still see clients that day.
Crime in the Clifton Gaslight District has “always been cyclical in terms of weather,” according to Anagnostou. In Clifton, the Reported Crime Data shows that offenses are gradually increasing as days get longer in the neighborhood. From March 1-28, the Cincinnati Police Department’s Clifton Neighborhood Report recorded 19 instances of property theft and one burglary incident along Ludlow Avenue.
For more than two years, the community had several issues with the Bohemian Hookah Café, which shut down in November. From illegal alcohol and drug sales to suspected adult prosecution, Anagnostou struggled with how to control this activity as president of the Clifton Business Association. “They were having after-hour parties beginning at midnight and running until 5 a.m.,” he says.
The business association held multiple meetings with city officials and police officers about this issue. After around 30 Cincinnati police squad cars broke up a party in July 2025, resulting in 12 people arrested, Anagnostou sought to sue the Hookah Café on behalf of the business association for being a nuisance, violating ordinances, and breaking the law. On September 3, the City of Cincinnati and the city’s board of health sued the café for health code violations, and it was ordered by the court to shut down on November 14.
“If it’s just one neighborhood, action is slow on the part of the city,” Anagnostou says. He later described that if multiple neighborhoods are experiencing the same problem, the city tends to act more quickly because it becomes a citywide issue.
To improve the public safety of the community that supports them, the Clifton Businesses Association spent “$9,000 in overtime” to have police officers work foot patrol across the business on random schedules. When crime was higher, some foot patrols were initiated on their own. Inevitably, community councils and business associations across neighborhoods have to “act in conjunction with one another,” says Anagnostou.
Business closures impact the district as well. In January, the Proud Rooster diner, known for its sizable breakfast portions, shuttered following the retirement of its longtime owner, Bob Doll. Conveyor Belt Books has announced it will move into the storefront from Covington.
Photo by Claire Weston
The district’s most prominent retail store, Clifton Market, is undergoing foreclosure. It was once a bustling grocery store, but customers began to wonder about its bare shelves last year. Gormukh Singh, owner of the building since 2019, is undergoing a foreclosure lawsuit from Wesbanco Bank, alleging the business has failed to pay more than $350,000 on commercial loans it took out.
According to a statement from the market that has since been deleted, the issue was largely triggered by Laurel Grocery Company, a Kentucky wholesaler that unexpectedly shut down in April 2025. Its closure has led to financial difficulties for many independent grocers and a scramble to find new suppliers.
Clifton Market’s website maintains that the business remains open, but shoppers continue to report empty shelves.
Photo by Ella Rose Johnston
It’s the end of another day, and Victor Morales, owner of MAYA Jewelry, is locking up for the night. Soft scarves hang neatly on racks and delicate wood carvings sit on polished shelves. The lights of the Esquire Theatre’s marquee across the street glint off silver jewelry in the shop’s display windows, handcrafted by local artists.
Morales says he chose to open his jewelry store on Ludlow Avenue because it is an area that combines diversity with a demographic that appreciates handcrafted items. The neighboring theater is an excellent bonus. “If you see other neighborhoods, there is a strip with shops, but they don’t have something like the Esquire. Once the shops close, it feels dark and sad. This keeps it lively and makes people walk around,” he says, adding that the landmark attracts a diverse crowd through its community outreach.
Its very existence is one of the reasons Morales was initially drawn to the Gaslight District. He embodies the ethos of the majority of the district’s entrepreneurs: Small business owners aren’t just there for one another, but choose to open their storefronts on Ludlow Avenue because of one another.
The Esquire’s red and yellow marquee glows against the fading sunset, illuminating the pavement as night settles in. For Diane Janicki, artistic director for Theatre Management Corporation, the Esquire is indeed the heart of Ludlow.
Photograph courtesy Diane Janicki
Originally built as the Clifton Opera House in 1911, the theater hosted live stage events and silent films. It became the Clifton Theatre in 1915, serving as a theater and a community space. On Christmas Day in 1939, it took on its current name.
The Esquire functioned as a theater until 1983, when it fell into disrepair and closed. A proposal arose to transform the building into a Wendy’s, but the community refused, creating the Clifton Theatre Group in 1984 to contest the restaurant, even taking the case to the Ohio Supreme Court, where they won the court battle. After three years, it started its journey to reopen.
“If you drive down Ludlow, there’s no McDonald’s,” Janicki says. “It’s all local because the theater put that precedent in Ludlow that they’re not going to have a bunch of big box restaurants and gas stations and things like that. We’re going to preserve our history.”
The Esquire continues to host a wide range of events, from film premieres and student screenings to independent showings like Iron Lung, which drew major attention thanks to filmmaker Mark Fischbach’s (a popular YouTuber who goes by Markiplier online) ties to UC. The theater also serves as a space for private rentals, film festivals, and local productions.
The Esquire Theatre completes a night on the avenue long after the businesses have closed up shop for the evening. This unspoken partnership benefits all the local businesses and expands that sense of community beyond just one operation.
Morales locks up MAYA’s door and Mobarry speeds away from the barbershop on his motorcycle, past students and families heading out to catch a movie or grab a bite to eat. Skateboarding teenagers practice their kickflips on Telford Street outside the Graeter’s Ice Cream, where children lap up their cones while friends meet up for drinks at Gaslight Bar & Grill further down the street. Music from Ludlow Garage drifts across the district and the remaining shop owners flick off their lights as the sun slowly sets. And, just as they have been doing for years, they’ll all be back tomorrow to open back up again.
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