New Albany’s Abercrombie & Fitch has taken hold in Paris. The New York Times reported that the lines outside the store were consistently in the hundreds with sales consistently rising since the opening a month ago.

The new store on the Champs-Elysees opened with a little retail theater as Abercrombie recruited 101 shirtless men with killer abs to draw attention to the store.

The store itself sits behind a giant gilded wrought-iron gate through a tree-lined path. Once inside one ascends through the 4 stories on a staircase full of Abercrombie’s scent and re-mixes of 80′s songs. The store is full of Abercrombie’s signature black walls and models/ workers.

This approach is working with the youth of Paris, a youth that sees itself as more American friendly than their parents. The market for the American style of Abercrombie & Fitch oversees has them looking to expand across Europe. Stores are planned this year in Madrid, Dusseldorf, Brussels and Dublin.

If you are looking to buy or sell a property in New Albany, Gahanna, Blacklick, Westerville, or another Central Ohio community, please contact The Raines Group. We offer professional real estate advice and are happy to help you achieve your real estate goals. Please contact us today via our online contact form or by calling The Raines Group at 614-418-7417.

New Albany is on the map for attracting corporations and other companies looking to develop new data centers, operations, and call centers. With good reason, The New Albany Business Park has a lot to offer including.

1. Power & Fiber
2. No Natural Disasters
3. Free Cooling – Power Savings from Cool Outside Temperatures
4. No Personal Property Taxes
5. Skilled IT Workforce

In the last six months, New Albany has received commitments for more than 1,100 new jobs
within the New Albany Business Park. Motorists Insurance just completed construction on
their technology center, and PharmaForce , TJX and Accel are all currently under
construction at different locations within the business park. Nationwide, VeePak and KDC are
planning ground breakings in the near future.

Here is a complete list of corporations centered in the New Albany Business Park.

If you are looking to buy or sell a property in New Albany, Gahanna, Blacklick, Westerville, or another Central Ohio community, please contact The Raines Group. We offer professional real estate advice and are happy to help you achieve your real estate goals. Please contact us today via our online contact form or by calling The Raines Group at 614-418-7417.

6/14/2011 Free Script Reading Series Raconteur Theatre Company

6/16/2011 Urban Monthly Mix Exchange OSU Urban Arts Space

6/17/2011 Creekside Blues & Jazz Fest. Gahanna Convention & Visitors Bureau

6/17/2011 June Music & Art in the Park City of Canal Winchester

6/17/2011 Raconteur presents Whales, Sav Raconteur Theatre Company

6/18/2011 Digital Video Workshop OSU Urban Arts Space

6/18/2011 Raconteur presents Whales, Sav Raconteur Theatre Company

6/18/2011 Creekside Blues & Jazz Fest. Gahanna Convention & Visitors Bureau

6/19/2011 Creekside Blues & Jazz Fest. Gahanna Convention & Visitors Bureau

6/19/2011 Brass Band Of Columbus North Columbus Civitan Club Park Of Roses Concerts

6/20/2011 Camp Rock Jazz Arts Group

6/20/2011 Camp Blues II Jazz Arts Group

Business Events

6/16/2011 Business Expo (Trade Fair) Worthington Area Chamber of Commerce

Children Activities

6/17/2011 Tween Scene Groveport Cultural Arts Center

6/18/2011 Rocky’s Reading Room PBJ Connections

6/20/2011 Summer Camp with the Horses PBJ Connections

Clubs

6/16/2011 Bridge Club JCC

Education

6/20/2011 Intro to Digital Photography Groveport Cultural Arts Center

Environment & Recycling

6/18/2011 Canoe Float – Alum Creek river Friends of Alum Creek & Tributaries (FACT)

Fundraiser / Benefit

6/14/2011 SpeedPie on American Flag Day American Pie Party

6/16/2011 “Wine in the Garden” (featured event) Heritage Day Health Centers – Adult Day Care

6/18/2011 Taste For F.A.C.E. Friends of Art for Community Enrichment

6/20/2011 1st Annual Golf Tournament T.O.U.C.H. Mentoring Program

Health

6/14/2011 Mindfulness Meditation Cancer Support Community-Central Ohio

6/15/2011 Cooking for Wellness @ RMH Cancer Support Community-Central Ohio

6/15/2011 Yoga Cancer Support Community-Central Ohio

6/16/2011 Qigong Cancer Support Community-Central Ohio

6/16/2011 Tai Chi Cancer Support Community-Central Ohio

6/16/2011 Cooking for Wellness Cancer Support Community-Central Ohio

6/18/2011 Walk with a Doc Cancer Support Community-Central Ohio

6/18/2011 Yoga Cancer Support Community-Central Ohio

6/20/2011 Yoga Cancer Support Community-Central Ohio

Lecture / Workshop

6/14/2011 Homebuyer Workshop Groveport Cultural Arts Center

Literary

6/16/2011 Reader’s Circle Membership Meetings

6/20/2011 Weekly Network Mtg w/speaker 40 Plus of Central Ohio – Professionals in Transition

Social Services

6/16/2011 Bexley Farmers’ Market

Other

6/16/2011 COSI After Dark COSI Columbus

If you are looking to buy or sell a property in New Albany, Gahanna, Blacklick, Westerville, or another Central Ohio community, please contact The Raines Group. We offer professional real estate advice and are happy to help you achieve your real estate goals. Please contact us today via our online contact form or by calling The Raines Group at 614-418-7417.

A flash mob erupted at the first annual Follow Me! – Fun Fit Family Day.

The dancing started spontaneously as these things tend to go during the last half hour of the event and continued until the event’s closing gaining momentum as it went along. A very exciting and sweaty way to cap off a day of activities!

Held at Easton Town Center, Fun Fit Family day was an exciting event with enumerable activities including.

- Pictures with the National Championship Trophy
- Make Your Own Bracelet Station
- OSU Activity Zone
- Columbus Blue Jackets Corner – interactive activities
- A full sized street hockey arena
- Columbus Crew – interactive inflatable activities, prize wheel & FIFA Xbox

- COSI on Wheels ~ 9 Fun activities about “The Incredible Human Machine”

- Face Painting

- Caricatures
- Booths to learn about nutrition, local activities and businesses

Free 30 minute activities for the family led by some of the best athletes and fitness professionals in Columbus include karate, yoga, ballet, and Zumba.

There was also a football clinic with former OSU football players, and healthy cooking demonstrations at the MI home store.

Follow Me! Healthy Parents, Healthy Kids” main ongoing mission is to aide in the fight against the rising epidemic of childhood obesity in America by educating parents of the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

If you are looking to buy or sell a property in New Albany, Gahanna, Blacklick, Westerville, or another Central Ohio community, please contact The Raines Group. We offer professional real estate advice and are happy to help you achieve your real estate goals. Please contact us today via our online contact form or by calling The Raines Group at 614-418-7417.

New Albany may have 235 jobs headed its way after the Ohio Tax Credit Authority’s approval of two incentive deals Monday.
Brickman Facility Solutions LLC, a division of the Maryland-based Brickman Group commercial landscape company, received a seven-year, 50 percent tax credit for its pledge to create 63 administrative and human resources jobs in operations headquarters at a New Albany office building on West Campus Oval. Brickman said the operation would move from Marion.

Installation of the carousel at Columbus Commons

The site where the Columbus City Center shopping mall once stood has gotten a lot greener.

If you have been through downtown Columbus this year you undoubtedly have seen the construction of the new greenspace near the Ohio Statehouse.

The Columbus Commons, a new 9 acre public park in the heart of downtown had its grand opening today.

A testament to the incredible amount of work being done on the beautification of downtown; Columbus Commons will feature a concert stage, carousel, and gardens.There is also a cafe and a reading room provided by the Columbus Metropolitan Library with books for browsing and free wifi.

So you can read a book on the carousel while drinking a cappuccino and surfing the information super highway, whoa.

All weekend during the end of May there will be Grand Opening events including Blues and Brews on the 27th, Family Funday on the 28h, and Garden Party on the 29th. In mid June CAPA Actor’s Theater will be performing A Midsummer Nights Dream on the concert stage. Summer is almost in full bloom and Columbus is getting started right.

If you are looking to buy or sell a property in New Albany, Gahanna, Blacklick, Westerville, or another Central Ohio community, please contact The Raines Group. We offer professional real estate advice and are happy to help you achieve your real estate goals. Please contact us today via our online contact form or by calling The Raines Group at 614-418-7417.

There are many steps one can take to eliminate much of  the stress of selling a home. By prepping your house ahead of time you can be fully prepared. Get your home ready to sell with these five easy tips.

1. Take YOU out of the equation.
Get rid of your personal touches. Anything on display that you hold dear, box it. Chances are potential buyers are not you. Start by taking down all the adorable photos of your kids, especially off of the refrigerator. It really cleans up  the kitchen to have a refrigerator free of papers and photos.

2. Zero out the clutter.
It’s time to toss the stuff in the corners. This is a major step towards having a presentable listing, and you may even find a few things that you’ve been looking for. Throw away all that you can and donate the rest.

3. Make your home not just presentable but appealing.
When selling a home, appeal can’t be underestimated. Get your house ready to sell by cleaning up the outside. Create a look, your home has personality, make the reasons you bought it in the first place shine. As for the inside, buyers want a blank canvas.

4. Take care of any stinky situations.
Don’t try to disguise smells, just get rid of them. Have the carpet and furniture professionally cleaned. If you have cats, change the litter box everyday.

5. Start cleaning.
One of the most important things that you can do when selling a home is to thoroughly clean your house. Scrub the baseboards, moldings, and the blinds. Clean the carpets. Get your wood or tile floors to shine. Clean as if your mother-in-law is coming. Also, there is nothing wrong with getting a little help. Spending some money on a professional cleaning service can be well worth it. It will get the job done faster, and hopefully better, than if you did it by yourself.

A last and final tip: If you are considering selling your home, take an afternoon and go to a new home community. Walk through the model homes. Notice how spartan they are. Model homes are depersonalized, de-cluttered, and very clean. Aim for that same look for your own home when you’re looking to sell.

If you are looking to buy or sell a property in New Albany, Gahanna, Blacklick, Westerville, or another Central Ohio community, please contact The Raines Group. We offer professional real estate advice and are happy to help you achieve your real estate goals. Please contact us today via our online contact form or by calling The Raines Group at 614-418-7417.

Software startup Janova fresh from New Albany’s business incubator has received a 5 year 15% income tax credit from the New Albany City Council. Founded in 2002 Janova has developed a web based software testing program that utilizes cloud computing in a common sense approach which  allows companies and individuals to streamline the often cumbersome task of software development and implementation. Using an English-based system they allow the user easy implementation with no equipment costs, no technical coding language necessary, and nothing to download.

The credit would be worth up to $1.3million. With the amount of change in the software sector this sounds like a winning scenario.

Janova’s customers include information technology companies and software developers, said Jeff Lusenhop, the company’s founder and CEO.

Also in the queue: Janova is considering a project that could add up to 116 workers with an annual payroll of $10.4 million to its existing staff of 35 in New Albany.

With that kind of growth Morgan Stanley Smith Barney may be seeing some new clients, which they will be able to handle given that they are a recipient of their own tax credit and will be more than doubling their work force adding 250 more jobs.

If you are looking to buy or sell a property in New Albany, Gahanna, Blacklick, Westerville, or another Central Ohio community, please contact The Raines Group. We offer professional real estate advice and are happy to help you achieve your real estate goals. Please contact us today via our online contact form or by calling The Raines Group at 614-418-7417.

Real Living, one of the nation’s most innovative national real estate franchisers, announced that 30 additional companies — along with their hundreds of real estate professionals and dozens of offices — have already selected Real Living this year, as the company’s national expansion continues.

“This year has started with a lot of momentum and we are excited to have these 30 firms join the ever-expanding Real Living national network of real estate offices,” said Real Living President Harley E. Rouda, Jr. “We are seeing companies from coast to coast embracing the Real Living brand as we continue to grow our network of offices.”

Rouda said the growth isn’t over. ”As we continue our expansion in 2011, we anticipate additional firms joining Real Living from markets of all sizes, including those we partner with through Area Development Alliances. Through our Area Development Alliances, we are bringing an innovative approach to the industry by sharing franchise fees with alliance partners. This is truly an exciting growth vehicle for us, and a fabulous revenue opportunity for franchisees.”

In 2010, Real Living maintained an industry-leading customer satisfaction rating of 96 percent based upon research by an independent research firm. For more information, visit http://www.realliving.com.

If you are looking to buy or sell a property in New Albany, Gahanna, Blacklick, Westerville, or another Central Ohio community, please contact The Raines Group. We offer professional real estate advice and are happy to help you achieve your real estate goals. Please contact us today via our online contact form or by calling The Raines Group at 614-418-7417.

Home sales are on the rise in Central Ohio. According to the Columbus Board of REALTORS home sales in March outpaced the previous month by almost 32% bringing the total number of homes sold during the first quarter of 2011 to 3,678.

1,487 homes were sold last month in central Ohio, up 31.8% from the previous month’s sales. While the year’s sales are behind 2010 by 7.9% that number is still 6.9% ahead of the 2,178 sold in the first quarter of 2009.

Homes put in contract saw an increase over last year as well, by 11.5% 2,512 to 2,252.

This looks like a trend of leveling off when you factor in the fact that this year’s average sale price for homes in central Ohio is down 3.7% from 2010, but also up 3.8% from the average sale price in 2009. Spring fever is working its magic however with the average price of a home sold in March being $144,975, up 2.1% from the previous month’s average of $140,770.

As trends in the market go it seems the supply and demand curves are working their magic. The total inventory of homes available for sale was down 22.3% from a year ago making way for this positive growth.

If you are looking to buy or sell a property in New Albany, Gahanna, Blacklick, Westerville, or another Central Ohio community, please contact The Raines Group. We offer professional real estate advice and are happy to help you achieve your real estate goals. Please contact us today via our online contact form or by calling The Raines Group at 614-418-7417.