Axios Columbus

January 25, 2022
Happy Tuesday! Looks like it finally stopped snowing for a little while.
🥶 Today's weather: High of 25, low of … 4. Single digits? Is that even legal?
🎵 Sounds like: "All in the Golden Afternoon"
Today's newsletter is 880 words — a 3.5-minute read.
1 big thing: 💡 Under-the-radar resources
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Ever bought something on Facebook Marketplace but felt uneasy about meeting up with a stranger to get it?
- Good news: There are monitored Internet Purchase Exchange Zones at five Columbus police sub-stations to facilitate safe handoffs.
The big picture: There are many local resources like this that residents may not be aware of that can save time, money and potentially even lives.
Inspired by a conversation on the Columbus Reddit page, here are some local under-the-radar services:
🛠 Tool Library: Modcon Living is a nonprofit that operates a tool rental library to aid homeowners with repair projects.
- A $50 annual membership gets you access to a massive inventory of tools, from a simple drill bit set to circular saws.
📞 311: This city helpline is meant for non-emergency requests such as scheduling a bulk trash pickup or reporting a broken streetlight.
- Columbus residents can call 614-645-3111, email [email protected] or put in a request on the "My Columbus" mobile app.
🎨 Art: The Columbus Museum of Art has free general admission on Sundays.
- The museum still recommends reserving free tickets ahead of time to guarantee entry.
⚕️ Narcan: Columbus Public Health offers free Narcan test kits meant to save the life of someone overdosing on opioids.
- Fill out an application to receive kits in the mail or visit any local pickup spot.
🏠 Radon Testing: Free test kits to help detect potentially cancerous levels of radon in homes.
- Order kits from the Ohio Department of Health.
When it comes to helpful resources, another great place to visit is the local library...
2. The joys of having a library card
There are 23 Columbus Metropolitan Library branches located throughout our community. Photo: Tyler Buchanan/Axios
You probably already know about the Columbus Metropolitan Library offering much more than books — there's also music, movies and video games to borrow.
- We asked library media specialist Ben Zenitsky for other little-heralded services available with your library card.
🐯 Go exploring: Borrow passes for free entry to attractions like the Columbus Zoo and Ohio History Center.
📰 Paid subscriptions for free: Complimentary access to research tools like news outlets, genealogy databases and Consumer Reports.
✏️ Tutoring at home: Along with in-person School Help Centers after school lets out, the HelpNow program connects students with virtual tutors on weekdays from 2-11pm.
💥 Plenty of online content: Access ebooks, magazines and comic books.
🧒 Story time: The Dial-A-Story program features children's stories told online or over the phone by calling 614-924-1800.
📬 What other local services do you think more people should know about? Hit reply and we'll feature your suggestions.
3. 🫖 A trip to Wonderland
The Alice: An Immersice Cocktail Experience at Harrison's on Kenny. Photo: Alissa Widman Neese/Axios
👋 Alissa here. I went down the rabbit hole recently for a very merry "tea party" inspired by Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
How it works: A space at Harrison's on Kenny was transformed into an "unbirthday bash" with dainty tea sets, lots of flowers and a light-up Cheshire Cat grin.
- The 90-minute evening event offered two cocktails, a sweet shot of booze and an iconic "Eat Me" cookie for $44.
- In typical Wonderland fashion, guests solve frustrating riddles to find drink ingredients in tiny bottles, similar to an escape room.
- Your reward: An adorable "steaming" teapot (thanks to dry ice) and a little buzz.
My take: The intricate decor — no doubt designed to be Instagram gold — was one of the biggest highlights. It was impressive, especially Alice herself "falling" through the ceiling surrounded by suspended book pages.
- I also appreciated our hosts' cheesy banter, capped with the sassy Queen of Hearts inciting an "off with their heads!" chant.
The bottom line: I'm a Disney fanatic, but the classic 1951 adaptation was never one of my favorites. I enjoyed this party so much, however, that I promptly streamed the film on Disney+ to give it another shot.
What's next: The Alice-themed event wrapped up this past weekend, but Peter Pan, Tinker Bell and friends from Neverland will fly into Columbus soon for a similar event organized by the same entertainment company.
- I'm sure it'll be just as magical. Sign up for updates.
4. Nutshells: Believe it or nut
Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
🥤 The Yard Milkshake Bar, a chain seen on "Shark Tank" in 2019, will open its first Ohio location in the Short North. (614 Magazine)
🐢 Two giant tortoises have gone missing in Westerville. Their owner is offering a $500 reward for a safe return. (WCHM)
✈️ American Airlines has halted thousands of domestic flights for March, including 71 in Columbus. (Columbus Business First)
💈 A 65-year-old barber chair that a Franklin County judge restored for his chambers was originally owned by a family instrumental to the local civil rights movement. (The Columbus Dispatch)
🐰 Meet Briggsy, Briggs High School's new therapy bunny. (Columbus City Schools)
Your future begins here
⏳ We handpick the best among the rest with our local job listings.
- Marketing Campaign Services Manager-Service Model Transformation Manager at Accenture.
- Marketing Technology Analyst at The Ohio State University.
- Marketing Technologist at PWC.
Want more opportunities? Check out our Job Board.
Hiring? Post a Job.
5. 🚚 Ohioans to go

It's inconceivable to us that anybody would want to leave the Buckeye State, but apparently not everybody here agrees.
What's happening: Ohio was the ninth-most departed state among movers who hired United Van Lines in 2021, per the moving company's data.
By the numbers: 56% of the company's nearly 6,400 Ohio shipments headed outbound.
Of note: The company notes that nine of the 10 "outbound" states are considered densely populated, so our 4-degree winter days aren't solely to blame.
The intrigue: Us Buckeyes have strong family bonds. Among Ohio's inbound movers, 44% of 829 people surveyed by United Van Lines said they did so to be closer to family.
- That percentage places Ohio sixth among states logging that response.
⚾ Tyler is excited to be involved in a very important, very serious sports league.
🦄 Alissa wishes her neighborhood had a magical snow-blowing unicorn.
🐦 Follow us on Twitter: @Tylerjoelb and @AlissaWidman — our DMs are always open.
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