👋 Sam and 👊🏾 Troy here. We visited the downtown Heinen's last week to pay our respects.

Why it matters: The announced closure of Cleveland's most beautiful and architecturally significant supermarket has rocked downtown residents and office workers.

• And it underscores the financial challenges of the grocery business in the urban core.

Driving the news: The location lost more than $18 million over its 11-year run inside the former Cleveland Trust rotunda, co-president Jeff Heinen told Signal Cleveland earlier this month.

• "That level of losses is not sustainable," Heinen said.

Between the lines: Public officials spent years trying to keep the store afloat.

• The city contributed $250,000 toward a store reconfiguration, while Cuyahoga County and Cleveland Development Advisors each provided $50,000 grants for downsizing and lease extensions.
• The county also funded a downtown retail marketing campaign highlighting Heinen's.

Reality check: These subsidies were a drop in the bucket, as it turned out.

Flashback: Downtown population numbers have long been overblown, but the store nevertheless became a symbol of a residential revival when it opened in 2015.

• Remote work and changing shopping habits accelerated Heinen's wildly imbalanced ledger.

💭 Sam's thought bubble: I ventured to Heinen's for an occasional soup or salad when I worked out of Scene's offices on Bolivar.

• In my experience, it was always more popular as a lunch and prepared-foods destination than a full grocery store.
• Constantino's in the Warehouse District obviously doesn't have the architectural cachet but seems like it might be a decent substitute in a pinch?

💭 Troy's thought bubble: Even as it prepares to close, you can see the potential that the downtown Heinen's location had.

• I just hope whatever moves in there is something that can thrive in such a cool building.

What's next: The location officially closes July 31.

• Downtown Cleveland Inc. says recruiting another grocery operator is a top priority and has partnered with consulting firm StreetSense to study the downtown grocery market.

Cleveland is a little less fit than it was a year ago.

Driving the news: The American College of Sports Medicine and the Elevance Health Foundation have released their annual "American Fitness Index," tracking how the 100 largest cities support healthy lifestyles.

State of fitness: Cleveland ranks No. 41 on the list, down from No. 36 a year ago.

• Yes, but: It's still an improvement from 48th in 2024.

How it works: The index considers various factors, including parks and recreation infrastructure, environmental conditions, residents' health indicators and more.

What they found: There are "two types of cities," the report finds.

• "One where healthy choices are built into everyday life, and another where structural barriers continue to limit long-term health."

The big picture: Arlington, Va., Washington, D.C. and Minneapolis are America's fittest cities, while Port St. Lucie, Fla., Memphis and Oklahoma City rank at the bottom.

Zoom in: Cleveland's ranking was held back by its overall personal health rank (No. 66), but rebounded in terms of community and environment rank (No. 21).

Read the full report

💨 Last Thursday's air quality in Cleveland was the worst on record, shattering the previous Air Quality Index record from June 2023. (Mark Johnson)

🏟️ Brook Park City Council last week voted unanimously to create a special public entity that will own the new Cleveland Browns stadium. (News5)

🀄️ The ancient Chinese game of mahjong is surging in popularity across the United States — and in Cleveland. (Signal Cleveland)

🫶 Akron's Don Drumm Studios has seen an uptick in sales since one of its pewter Christmas ornaments was gifted to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce for their wedding. (Cleveland Magazine)

The Guardians returned from the All-Star break Friday tied for first place in the AL Central and in prime position to make another postseason run.

Why it matters: Cleveland has weathered serious injuries to star José Ramírez and key contributors through the season's up-and-down first half.

State of play: The Guardians' recent success can be largely attributed to one of baseball's best pitching staffs, led by All-Stars Parker Messick and Cade Smith, both of whom delivered the goods in the Philadelphia showcase last week.

• Rookie second baseman Travis Bazzana also represented the Guards on the American League All-Star team.

Yes, but: The offense remains a concern — what else is new?

• Getting Ramírez and outfielder Angel Martínez back from injury — and adding a bat before the Aug. 3 trade deadline — will be critical if the Guards hope to ascend from the basement in runs scored.

The bottom line: Cleveland has the easiest remaining schedule in baseball, per MLB.com, plus a consistent starting rotation and an elite bullpen.

• If the bats wakes up, the Guardians have a clear path to another AL Central title.

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This week's photo was taken by Vanya Chern (@vanya_cherry3), who captured the Canadian wildfire smoke that invaded Cleveland late last week.

📷 If you have a recent photo representing Cleveland's essence, please submit it by replying to this email.