Antioch

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Click to download a map of the Town with our recommendations on the Best of Yellow Springs (240 KB).

Location, location, location.

We know that we’re lucky to work in one of the “10 Coolest Small Towns in America.” In case you get a chance to visit, here are some of the hot spots we recommend for eating, shopping and playing.

• Peaches Grill (104 Xenia Ave) – Enjoy the patio in the summer – or the libations all year long. Peaches has an extensive beer list for a small town hangout. And, they have live entertainment most weekend evenings. Recommendation: the beer sampler and pita chips.
• The Winds Café & Bakery (215 Xenia Ave) – Fine dining in a casual town with an adventurous menu that changes monthly and a healthy wine list. Pumpkin lasagna is a surprising fan favorite every fall. Closed Mondays.
• Ye Olde Trail Tavern (228 Xenia Ave) – Eat in one of the oldest buildings in the Village. Recommendation: get the pretzel bread for your sandwich enjoyment.
• Current Cuisine (237 Xenia Ave) – Grab the lunch special to-go (during the week) or make your own meal out of the eclectic and delicious deli items. Or, fill up on any of their fabulous desserts.
• Sunrise Café (259 Xenia Ave) – Great spot to start the day with breakfast – or to rest for lunch. Fantastic pancakes and omelettes and plenty of choices for leaf eaters. Closed Tuesdays.
• The Corner Cone Dairy Bar and Grill (101 South Walnut Street) – The Classic corner dairy bar with Frosty treats to go! (During the summer only.)  Also a great place can also rent bikes to tour the town starting at $8 per hour
• Bonadies Glass Studio (220 Xenia Ave # 1) – Gorgeous things galore! Bonadies specialties include carries a collection of unique glass jewelry, ornaments, artwork and lamps.
• Yellow Springs Pottery (222 Xenia Ave (King’s Yard) – Original creations from a most original town. Yellow Springs pottery is a retail cooperative of 10 members who produce a large selection of handmade pottery.
• Dark Star Books and Comics (237 Xenia Ave) – They carry 40,000 used books and an extensive collection of back issue comics. Buy and sell your goods here! And, say hello to the store cat, Mr. Eko.
• Kismet (249 Xenia Ave) – No boys allowed. Okay, not really. But, this is definitely a women’s boutique. Find unique clothing, jewelry, shoes and accessories here.
• Mr. Fubs Party Toys and More (252 Xenia Ave) – It’s a par-tay at Mr. Fubs. And we’re sorry if they’re out of fart machines. We needed them. Yes, all of them. They also carry unique brain teasers, plush toys and gifts.
• No Common Scents (1525 Xenia Avenue) – Herbs, spices and aromatherapy. Sniff. Relax. Ahh. It’s a great spot for a cup of coffee or tea and to catch up on your reading.
• Tie Dyed Gift Shop (125 S Walnut St) – You’re in Yellow Springs. Why not grab some tie dye? (When in Rome…)
• Asian Collection – Really cool Asian gifts and garb in really unusual building….
• Yoga Springs Studio (108 Dayton Street) – Get your zen on… Daily classes available for novice to advanced yogis.
• Main Squeeze – Offering the finest in fresh juices, smoothies, wheat grass juice and brewing & winemaking supplies.
• Little Art Theatre (247 Xenia Avenue) – This cozy theater has played some of the finest art, independent, documentary and Hollywood films for over 50 years. Monday is bargain day – just $6 a show! General admission (after 6pm) is $7.50 all other days.
• Glen Helen Nature Preserve (405 Corry Street) – Get out of town and roam 1,000 acres of preserved land. The Glen Helen Outdoor Education Center offers a range of environmental education programs to connect you with the natural world.
• Little Miami Scenic Trail – The Little Miami Scenic Trail is part of an 80-mile trail network that extends from eastern Cincinnati to Buck Creek State Park near Springfield. Part of the trail passes through Yellow Springs – and a public restroom. If you’re heading north, the restrooms are just across Route 68.

When I worked out of our Yellow Springs office, I had the pleasure of giving tours of our office. It’s an old house in the Village, bordered by Antioch College and the main drag – which was recently featured in Yahoo! Travel’s 10 Coolest Small Towns in America.

A few years ago I was giving a tour to students from SAA – Dayton’s School of Advertising Art. And on this tour, that good ol’ phrase “other duties as assigned” was vividly explained when I opened the door to our tech gal’s office and found…

130 flying monkeys!

Okay, they weren’t flying. But they were preparing for departure.

We had been asked to create a fun and quirky thank-you gift for NCR Corporation’s technical compliance team for Sarbanes-Oxley. Sarbanes-Oxley … boring subject, and tedious and stressful for those dealing with it.

Luckily our clients were willing to play along. Using the Sarbanes-Oxely acronym of SOX, we created an unforgettable mailing for the team:

• A sock monkey – dressed in a custom-embroidered hoodie
• Packaged in a custom-stamped “shipping crate”
• And a thank you message from the group’s managers

Bing managed the procurement and assembly of the monkeys. Our order took a huge hit on the sock monkey population – national supply was depleted for almost six weeks. (Note: You WILL raise a red flag with your credit card company if you order 130 sock monkeys and airfare on the same day. Lesson learned.)

And you can imagine the look on our intern’s face: “Today, you are going to dress monkeys.”

Welcome to agency life. Where “other duties as assigned” could mean a wide, wide range of things.

Once assembled, we hand-stamped the crates and shipped the monkeys to SOX team members in three countries and throughout the U.S.

Was it a hit? You could say it knocked their socks off, but we won’t go there. But it DID make an impression on the IABC Bronze Quill judges. The project earned their Best-of-Show Award for 2007.

What does “other duties as assigned” mean in your workplace? Let us know.