You can learn a lot when the movie business moves in next door.  

For approximately two months, the movie crew of Escape Plan: The Extractors were our new neighbors. They leased office and garage space from Idea Works (you can too – check it out at www.ideaworksohio.com.) We had an unobstructed view of their life, and we learned a few things.

A lot of them wear boots – great suede ankle boots, comfortable tactical boots, worn in leather lace up boots. Did they wear our boots in the movie? Alas, they didn’t but that’s okay. New neighbors who wear boots – that’s our kind of people.

Movie business is hard work – weeks before any actors arrived, crew members were busy prepping the set and props. We witnessed long hours by countless staff. One dear man couldn’t escape the endless time needed on the phone so he just changed up the view from the side brick lot to the many store doorways. He was always polite and engrossed in the matter at hand. Sometimes there was a lot of pacing. His phone calls spanned from early morning until the late hours.

They drink coffee – one of the design crew had stopped in to inquire about boot options for the principal parts of the movie. During the conversation, it was shared that Relax is the best coffee shop around. The woman was appreciative, saying, “One of our guys never goes anywhere without a coffee in his hand.” It was no surprise to soon see a steady stream of cups passing by our front windows.

They were not all from California but a good many were – you could spot them with their North Face coats and Relax coffee cups on 70 degree days.

Image by Country Decor & Antiques

They believed in shop local – several spent time with us at The Boot Life.  A few of our favorites were:

• Explosions Expert and her Cohort in Crime - we really enjoyed their willingness to laugh!
• Purple Hair Purple Jeep – a young woman who finally couldn’t resist the dress in the front window. She worked such long hours, she deserved more than a dress.
• New Mexico Mom - who took time in between assignments to shop not just for herself but for her family. It was an absolute joy to get to know her!
• The Guy with the same name as Chris – he shopped for t-shirts while handling something on the phone. He did a lot to bring the movie to Mansfield which makes him pretty awesome. O-H!
• Loader – the actor who loved the new Wolverine boot as much as us. That made him an instant friend.

They were up for a good garage sale – at the close of filming, a garage sale was scheduled in the rear alley. As you can imagine, it went well.

They were pretty good neighbors – it’s not their fault the city approved them to take every parking spot on the block. Seriously though, we hope our Movie Making Neighbors enjoyed their time next door!