Artichoke Awarded OTR Chamber Of Commerce “Business First Grant”

Owners Brad and Karen Hughes remain grateful to the Over-the-Rhine Chamber of Commerce for choosing Artichoke as a recipient of a Business First Grant (BFG).

The Chamber semi- annually invites incoming businesses to apply for these competitive grants by submitting a professional business model, evidence of a (minimum) three-year lease, and a detailed budget of building and furnishing costs, along with a letter of application.

Artichoke earned the award by demonstrating it fulfills the goals outlined by the Chamber itself: strengthen the local economy, increase employment opportunities in the neighborhood, and animate the sidewalks of OTR.

The grant acknowledges and encourages Artichoke’s ethos: to be a part of the community. Brad and Karen are longtime residents of the neighborhood and key supporters of the Cincinnati streetcar project. The Hughes thus have a personal as well as professional commitment to the development of the area and the success of their venture. The store and the curated cookware collection it carries reflects Karen’s training and experience as a design professor at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Art, Architecture, and Planning by blending a modern aesthetic and cutting-edge technology into the historic market space.

The store does more than sell cookware. It actively contributes to the “maker” culture of OTR and shares it with both local residents and visitors from far away.