Cleveland, OH
NE Ohio business partners capitalize on licensing deal with Joe Flacco (photos)
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Some people might have thought signing a 38-year-old quarterback was a longshot idea when their team was on the cusp of the playoffs. But Columbus-based Where I’m From, an apparel company with roots in Northeast Ohio, saw an opportunity, and they signed him, too.
The company is run by Ryan Napier, a self-described “lifelong Browns fan” who has season tickets and makes it to about half a dozen games a season, and his business partner Andrew VanderLind.
Because of how quickly Joe Flacco has become a favorite in Cleveland – his fourth NFL team – Napier and VanderLind had to work extremely fast to get the deal in place.
“This has definitely been my favorite one – the most challenging to put together, the most hectic, and the most fun to be a part of,” Napier said.
They have about 15 to 20 Flacco items, which include fleece, shirts and others with assorted designs and graphics like “Flacco Fan Since ‘23.” Flacco is the only current Browns player in their apparel roster, which has included Baker Mayfield, Joe Burrow, Collin Sexton and others.
Most of the time, those deals involve discussions that can last months and involve a long-term contract of a year or more, Napier said.
“Obviously,” he said, “we didn’t have that luxury with Joe Flacco.”
Sales are tied to the success of Flacco, who stormed into Cleveland and seamlessly fit in with teammates as he picked up a new offense. With the Browns, he has thrown for 13 touchdowns in five games. In all likelihood, Flacco will top 44,000 career passing yards when the Browns face the Houston Texans this Saturday in a Wild Card matchup.
“Despite how well things are going, we know there is a cap on the time, how long the runway is going to be,” Napier said. “It might end this weekend, or it might end in the middle of February.”
That means Napier and VanderLind have had to communicate, negotiate and allow “enough time to capitalize on this magical moment. It was a very heavy lift and a very big challenge, but very worthwhile.”
Northeast Ohio is a huge sales location, said Napier, who said other Flacco shirts exist through licensing deals through the NFL Players Association, but Where I’m From is the only company that has a deal directly with Flacco and his representatives.
“That’s what makes us different,” he said. “We are officially licensed with Joe. We collaborate and have been on Joe’s Instagram and Twitter. We run everything by them and obviously have a lot more leeway to do things with his likeness.”
The arrangement avoids cease-and-desist orders from a celebrity’s people to unlicensed sellers, so the business can be kept on track.
Where I’m From is closing in on a 10-year anniversary. Napier and VanderLind grew up in Canton and went to Ohio University. Both shared an entrepreneurial spirit.
“We were always kicking ideas off each other and seeing if there was ever an opportunity to do something together. One day we said, ‘Why not take the leap?’ “
The initial necessary capital was fairly limited for a localized-apparel company, he said. They got a website and checked out potential sales markets. The first year and a half saw slow but steady growth.
They started with kiosks, then expanded to seven full stores throughout the state. They carved out a large distribution footprint via retailer deals with Dick’s Sporting Goods, Rally House and DSW. Those collaborations have put Where I’m From in more than 600 stores across the country.
The Flacco items have been on the market for about 10 days, and the end is, well, no one knows.
“We’ll keep producing them as long as the demand is there,” Napier said. “It’s a little trickier than a lot of the other relationships. There’s not able to be as much planning or able to see what the long term looks like. We’re flying a little bit by the seat of our pants to see what the demand is and take it day by day.”
That means walking a tightrope of having the right amount of inventory – not enough means missed sales. Too much and a Browns loss means the company gets stuck.
But Napier is keeping a hopeful, optimistic outlook on the outcome of Saturday’s game. Maybe, just maybe, the ride extends to February, a time when Browns fans usually watch other teams play.
“Oh my gosh,” Napier said, “that would be an absolute dream come true.”
Sports betting is now legal in Ohio. Bets can be placed at sportsbooks, including DraftKings Ohio Sportsbook, BetMGM Ohio, Fan Duel Ohio, Barstool Ohio, Caesars Ohio, Bet365, PointsBet and Tipico.
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Browns merchandise for sale: Find hoodies to hats, socks to tumblers, wall décor, jerseys and more – including sales and next-day shipping.
I am on cleveland.com’s life and culture team and cover food, beer, wine and sports-related topics. For my recent stories, here’s a directory on cleveland.com. Bill Wills of WTAM-1100 and I talk food and drink usually at 8:20 a.m. Thursdays. Twitter: @mbona30. My latest book, co-authored with Dan Murphy, is “Joe Thomas: Not Your Average Joe” by Gray & Co.
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A trio of locally made films will grace area screens, here is your Movie Nerd Report for the week of May 11-17.
Thursday evening will bring the red-carpet premiere of “The Last Shop On Walnut” at the Cedar Lee Theatre (2163 Lee Rd Cleveland Heights, OH 44118) . The film, which was written and directed by Jason Richardson, was mostly shot in Ravenna. It stars Peter Lawson Jones and Cleveland native Kym Whitley. The screening will benefit the Charles & Margaret Jones Endowed Scholarship Fund at College Now. Tickets can be found at this link.
Can’t make the premiere? The Cedar Lee will be playing the film for at least a full week starting Friday!
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“Blood & Rust” the debut feature from Kent State alumni Jeremy Herbert, will be coming to Cranked Up TV on May 19 and The Ashland Cinema (212 Center Street Ashland, OH 44805) will be offering a screening of it this Friday evening at 7 p.m., and it is free!
Sunday at 3:30 p.m. the Capitol Theatre (1390 W.65th Street Cleveland, OH 44102) will present the directorial debut of Frank Calo IV in “Last Call”. Sounds like this one is poised to sell out so click here to grab your tickets.
Over at the Cleveland Cinematheque (11610 Euclid Ave Cleveland, OH 44118) :
Cleveland is fortunate to be one of the five select cities of the Future of Film Is Female Series which highlights films from female and nonbinary filmmakers. The first film in this series kicks off Thursday at 6:30 p.m. with the Midwest road trip film, “Dreams In Nightmares.”
Thursday at 9 p.m. and Friday at 9 p.m. they will present a 4K Restoration of the Dutch classic “Malpertius,” which features Orson Welles.
Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 4:30 p.m. they will present the Italian dramedy “The Last One For The Road.”
Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday at 7:35 p.m. they will present a documentary that explores the effects of colonialism on Northern Argentina in “Our Land.”
Saturday at 8:50 p.m. and Sunday at 5:45 p.m. they will present a 4K Restoration of the Argentinian film “The Headless Woman”
Sunday at 3:30 p.m. they will present the documentary “Four Rational People,” which looks at the Emerson String Quartet’s final performance.
More information about the films and ticket prices are at: cinematheque.cia.edu
At the Nightlight Cinema (30 N High Street Akron, OH 44308):
One of the most acclaimed films of the year is the Canadian drama “Blue Herron,” it is the feature debut of Sophy Romvari, who gained attention for her short films.
They also will be playing the documentary “Steal This Story, Please,” which highlights independent investigative journalist Amy Goodman.
More Information about the films and ticket prices are at: nightlightcinema.com
This weekend there are a trio of new films opening in wide release: The first is one that I would recommend if you are a horror fan – “Obsession”. This film continues a trend where we are seeing Youtubers become filmmakers, in this case it is 26-year-old Curry Barker. This is a spin on “be careful what you wish for” when a young man makes a wish for his crush to love him more than anything else in the world, and it gets increasingly disturbing from there. I personally loved it and thought the performance from actress Inde Navarrette will make her a star.
“Is God Is” is a revenge tale which was based on an award-winning play by Alesha Harris. Harris makes her feature directorial debut and currently the film stands at 95% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes!
The other film opening is the latest from director Guy Ritchie, the action-thriller “In The Grey” with Jake Gyllenhall and Henry Cavill.
Rounding out this busy week are some anniversaries hitting screens in “Top Gun” and “Top Gun: Maverick” for one week to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Tony Scott’s original, and the original “Shrek” is also playing for one week to commemorate its 25th Anniversary (Anniversaries like this are making your resident movie nerd feel old!).
Lastly, I just wanted to wish congratulations to my longtime friend Dave Huffman, who has just been named the new director of The Cleveland Cinematheque! If you have ever attended some of the Late Shift Series back in the day at the Cedar Lee or Capitol, or the 12 Hours of Terror, you know that Dave is a huge cinephile and I am certain will do a great job at the Cinematheque!
Until next week my friends, see ya at the movies!
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Firefighters battled a grease fire inside a restaurant in the city’s University neighborhood Tuesday morning.
Flames broke out at BurgerIM in the 11400 block of Euclid Ave. around 9:20 a.m.
Cleveland Fire Lt. Mike Norman said there was grease in the hood of the stove, and when someone started cooking, it started the fire.
According to Lt. Norman, the sprinklers inside the restaurant put out the flames.
At this time, damage is estimated at $25,000.
The apartment building was evacuated as a precaution.
Since the fire was inside a restaurant, health officials will now respond to the scene and determine when they can reopen.
There were no injuries.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – A New Jersey couple has been indicted for allegedly running an investment scam on real estate properties in Northeast Ohio.
According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), the couple is being accused of taking investors’ money with a promise to receive high returns on the development of real estate properties mostly in the Cleveland area.
The scam operated as a Ponzi scheme, with victims being misled and lied to, and some early investors paid with funds from later investors.
The DOJ said the couple are 50-year-old Gregory Parker and 50-year-old Danielle Parker, both of New Jersey, and both are being indicted with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud.
According to allegations in the 65-page indictment, the married couple carried about the real estate investment scheme between January 2017 to December 2023.
Victims believed they were purchasing properties in the Cleveland and East Cleveland areas, to be developed into multi-family dwellings that would generate above-market returns from rental income.
Instead, the Parkers took the investors’ money and used it to repay earlier investors and fund their lavish lifestyle.
Investigators learned the couple would host seminars in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Ohio, including one in the Cleveland Hyatt Regency in May 2022, the DOJ said.
People and potential victim investors would attend the seminars after seeing the Parkers’ luxurious lifestyle on a social media platform.
Victim investors were typically charged between $2,000 to $5,000 to enroll in the Parker’s real estate investment and mentorship program, and then the couple would purportedly obtain rental properties on the victim’s behalf in exchange for an agreed-upon down payment.
The DOJ said victims would receive little information about the properties they believed to have purchased, and when they would contact the Parkers, the couple would often have delayed responses or run-around excuses.
Investigators found that some victims never received a property, or they received a property without a clear title, or others received a condemned, dilapidated or otherwise uninhabitable property and were forced to sell, or attempt to sell, the property they did receive at a loss.
While the indictment focuses on 13 victims, investigators believe there are more, the DOJ said.
The Department of Justice said if you believe to be a victim in the matter to contact the Cleveland FBI ParkerInvestorTips@fbi.gov with “Parker Investor” in the subject line.
If the couple is convicted, each defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after a review of factors unique to the case, including prior criminal records, if any, roles in the offense, and the characteristics of the violations.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
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