Resident Profile – David Carey & Leigh Oldershaw

David Carey & Leigh Oldershaw

This month’s resident feature is with David Carey and wife Leigh Oldershaw:

1. What is your full name and its origin, or how was it given to you? Are you named after anyone? Do you have any nicknames?

David Carey and Leigh Oldershaw. No fun nicknames or origin stories to tell, sadly.

2. How old are you?

David is 29 and Leigh is 30.

3. Where do you live in Harrison West? Do you own your house or rent?

We own a quirky old Victorian on 2nd Avenue.

4. If you own your house have you done any significant renovations to it? Please describe.

Tons, starting with refinishing our floors before we even moved in. We’ve also had our front porch partially rebuilt (new floor boards, new roof, structural reinforcement) and had a paver patio installed in the back yard. We’ve done plenty of painting and small fixes ourselves, and we’re now in the process of re-tiling the hearth around our fireplace. There’s always something else to be done, but it’s a labor of love.

5. How long have you lived in Harrison West?

Leigh moved here in the fall of 2011, and David was able to follow a little less than a year after that.

6. What brought you here (HW) and where did you live before?

We lived in New York City for five years before moving out here, and Virginia before that. A Ph.D. program in Anthropology at Ohio State brought Leigh to Ohio, and David followed once he had taken the Ohio bar exam and found a job here. We went house-hunting in several neighborhoods, but we landed on Harrison West for the historic charm and the proximity to the Short North.

7. Where were you born and where did you grow up?

Leigh was born near Chicago and grew up in Northern Virginia. David was born in Atlanta and grew up on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina (and notes that it’s been good to finally see where all those Ohio license plates that flooded the island in the summer came from).

8. How did you end up in Columbus if you are not from here?

See above. Even though we’re not from around here, it hasn’t taken very long for us to start thinking of it as home.

9. Did you go to college? If so, where and what did you study?

We met as freshmen at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA, where Leigh studied anthropology and classics, and David studied history and philosophy. David went to law school at NYU after that, and Leigh did her master’s at NYU.

10. What do you do for a living? How did you end up in that occupation?

David is an attorney at Thompson Hine LLP, where he practices in the Business Litigation group. The intellectual side of the law—dissecting case law, writing and presenting an argument, and working with a team of brilliant people to perfect it—has always been a draw for the history/philosophy major. Leigh is a grad student in Anthropology, and specifically bioarchaeology, at OSU. She enjoys the field work of archaeology, the study of Roman culture and people, and the fact that old bones don’t trigger her squeamish side, so bioarchaeology has turned out to be a perfect fit.

11. What do you like to do for fun?

We both love exploring the wonderful craft beer and gastropub scene that Columbus offers, preferably with some good company. Arch City, The Crest, Wolf’s Ridge, North High Brewing, and Bar 145 are all favorites. Aside from that, Leigh spends a lot of her free time gardening, while David enjoys cooking (especially grilling) and recently picked up classical guitar.

12. Do you live with a partner/spouse/kids? Tell us a little about them too!

We live with each other! Except when Leigh is abroad on digs or research trips, which is a little less fun.

13. Do you have any pets? If so what are they and what are their names?

We have one cat, Selene, who used to be the “tester” cat at the Franklin County Dog Shelter (the one they use to see if dogs are cat-friendly). Not a fun job, but at age 3 she has settled into retirement nicely and is now something of a diva. We also have a handful of koi in a pond in our back yard.

14. What do you like about living in Harrison West?

Can’t beat the convenience of being halfway between campus (Leigh’s work) and downtown (David’s), not to mention being a quick walk—but not too close—to the Short North. We love the historic character of the area, and the diversity of the people in it.

15. What are your favorite places to go out? Do you frequent any of the neighborhood businesses?

Aside from the ones already mentioned, we are definitely regulars at Katalina’s, Spinelli’s, and Apropos.

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