Oldest business in Lakewood

[Jim Kenny]

Ms. Conant: I learned of the restaurant's success from a server. I returned last night to the restaurant to ask the server if I might cite my source and the restaurant. As Corey Rossen knows all too well, my source fears the economic repercussions from being associated with this topic.

As a point of clarity, I learned that in addition to increased business from serving ER employees, this restaurant also credits increased availability of parking as having an equally beneficial impact on sales.

Ms. Conant, I wish you would identify the restaurant owner whose business is suffering. If you did, the Deck could organize a flash mob to raise its visibility and drive some needed cash into the business. Without this knowledge, this restaurant suffers alone.

[Bridget Conant]

my source fears the economic repercussions from being associated with this topic.

[Brian Essi]

Lori: Forgive me, I didn't know think the topic of this thread was replacing jobs lost to the hospital closure.

Despite popular opinion, I just learned that reputable downtown restaurants are reporting a rise in business with the hospital's closure. Apparently, the hospital's cafeteria was quite popular with not only employees but citizens too. It had a reputation of serving citizens who were not patients of the hospital, so its closure stops the cannibalization of business to private, small employers. Furthermore, these restaurants are benefiting from walk-in business from swing shift and night time employees who visit in advance or post shift because they had always relied on the cafeteria and now have to plan their meals. The sky isn't falling after all.

......that is the funniest thing I have ever heard!! Being a 24 year employee of Lakewood Hospital, swing and night shifts, I can say we NEVER visited the cafeteria. First of all, it closed at 6:30 pm (wasn't even open for breakfast!) so no reliance on the cafeteria for meals because we were BUSY with patients. Second of all, the only businesses that get off shift employee businesses are places that deliver and it has been that way for years. The ER will send someone out to get meal orders every now and then if the place does not deliver. But now, in my department, we only have 1 person per shift so we don't even get to have 30 minutes away and get a meal somewhere. And most places that serve food close up before 2nd shift leaves/3rd shift starts.....we have always relied on bringing meals from home for that reason.

My wife is a fourth generation Doctor--the third generation credentialed with Lakewood Hospital. Like Amy, she would laugh at the unsupported claim by Mr. Kenny (a PR guy supporting the Rebranded Lakewood Insiders for Fraud PAC f.k.a. Build Lakewood that is spreading lies to shut down a charity). The "report" Mr. Kenny referred to about "restaurants" appears to be from a server at Alladins whose owner supported the hospital closing. If that is the restaurant, please note that I support that business with my business and respect its owner--he is a good businessman.

Mr. Kenny,

Will you go on record to condemn the use of lies, misinformation, disinformation and the secret use of charitable money to shut down one of Lakewood's oldest businesses and charities?

[Jim Kenny]

Brian: Why the need for formal salutations? We've never used these before, online or offline.

Why, too, are you so compelled to define me in such terse terms? Yes, I provide PR and marketing services and counsel to growth companies. But you know that, yet elected not to share it with others. You also ignored my commitment to Lakewood; how I've lived here for more than 22 years and raised two boys; the fact that my wife and I were both raised in Avon Lake, yet only looked to Lakewood when we returned to Ohio. You also failed to share that I've been active in the schools, for which I was once treasurer for Garfield's PTA, active with athletic boosters, and made contributions to the school's Phase 3 committee, just to name a few. You knew all these things, but you continued your practice of ignoring the balance of facts because these don't fit your narrative.

No wonder you see the need to call a liar of anyone who thinks differently than you, as you're blinded by an unbalanced view; one that only contains facts that make you feel better about your distorted views.

Please know that you remain in my prayers. Godspeed.

[Brian Essi]

Brian: Why the need for formal salutations? We've never used these before, online or offline.

Why, too, are you so compelled to define me in such terse terms? Yes, I provide PR and marketing services and counsel to growth companies. But you know that, yet elected not to share it with others. You also ignored my commitment to Lakewood; how I've lived here for more than 22 years and raised two boys; the fact that my wife and I were both raised in Avon Lake, yet only looked to Lakewood when we returned to Ohio. You also failed to share that I've been active in the schools, for which I was once treasurer for Garfield's PTA, active with athletic boosters, and made contributions to the school's Phase 3 committee, just to name a few. You knew all these things, but you continued your practice of ignoring the balance of facts because these don't fit your narrative.

No wonder you see the need to call a liar of anyone who thinks differently than you, as you're blinded by an unbalanced view; one that only contains facts that make you feel better about your distorted views.

Please know that you remain in my prayers. Godspeed.

Mr. Kenny,

Its is not a matter of "thinking differently"--it is a documented fact that the prior PAC lied to voters and took $50K of charitable money to support the closing of the of the largest charity and one of the oldest businesses in Lakewood. You are on the Host Committee for the new PAC's fundraiser and that PAC has recited on line pretty much the same lies as the previous PAC---You spoke at city hall for the previous PAC.

It is not a matter of "formal salutations"---The SLH people on a different thread went on record to condemn alleged phone calls made to shut down a small charity even though there was little or no evidence that it ever happened.

Will you go on record to condemn the use of lies, misinformation, disinformation and the secret use of charitable money to shut down one of Lakewood's oldest businesses and largest charities?

It is a simple question of respect and honesty in civil discourse that you talk about and requires a yes or no answer from you that you pledge to follow your own statements of principles.

[Patrick Wadden]

Hey mjkuhns, I know it was a simple question. Betcha didn't think that this would happen. That's alright, it happens to every single thread, every single day in this forum.

Careful though, if you say something nice about the Soltice Steps it's the Lord of the Rings equivalent of putting on the Ring! you will get the attention of everyone and you will likely be labeled a mouth piece for city hall.

It's actually a pretty entertaining forum once you get to know who the Ring Wraiths are.

[Stan Austin]

We will have to Chase Away the Wraiths when the Lark Ridge reopens!!!!!

[Patrick Wadden]

We will have to Chase Away the Wraiths when the Lark Ridge reopens!!!!!

Stan, where was the Lark Ridge?

[Jim O'Bryan]

The thread drift in this one is driving me crazy because it is such a relatively straightforward question, and Jim Kenny provided what seems to me a pretty good answer.

Why not bump previous topics to revisit the Colin question?

Dan

You want to be in charge of maintenance?

Just drag it back to where it was, like this....

I think this is a question that won't have just one answer, and that's fine. Sort of like "who was the best NFL wide receiver of all time," I think having the discussion is more the point than resolving the discussion.

I naturally did think of Lakewood Hospital, which opened in 1907. I think it may have been a valid answer, in 2015, though as it stands now I think we will have to reset the "continuous operation" counter when we get it back.

But, again, I'm interested in hearing about any notable claimants. Bar? Bank? I don't know, my family isn't from here and I've only lived here eight years.

Maybe because Colin is modest. His wife and her family own the oldest continuously operated bar in Lakewood, Mahall's. Merry Arts also claims it, but I think it is second or third, with Bud's White Door being second or third. Bud's White Door license was transferred to Melt.


Matt Fish of Melt fame, discussing oldest bar in Lakewood yesterday 08.16.2016. It was his opinion Merry Arts was oldest. In case someone asks me who said it.

I have some very old yearbooks, and property books that contain ads from Geigers, First Federal of Lakewood, Lakewood Furnace.

Ian Andrews claims the Coffee Pot on Madison is oldest restaurant, also best burger and home fries.

While I would love to believe Jim Kenny's post, the facts that I know are, the cafeteria stopped serving past 8:30-9 and wasn't opened until 10. Lakewood Hospital cafeteria was a great inexpensive place to eat. While everyone thought "Ugh hospital food." The 4 star chefs of the clinic could cook what they wanted in the cafeteria, with spices, sauces and great taste. One of the great events in Lakewood's past was Starry Night, where the hospital chefs would battle each other with the party goers judging. World Class big dollar businesses attract world class big money chefs! The best part of BP America was the cafeteria!

The list of restaurants feeling the pinch is great. But that was true before the hospital closed. Less bars than in the past, but almost twice as many restaurants!

.

[Stan Austin]

Pat-- the Lark Ridge is at the corner of Lark and Ridgewood on Madison in Birdtown. As I alluded this was "our" bar way back when, and we learned the bar etiquette etc. and how to behave which was a great benefit as we (from the Class of '67) went on to college.
Stan

[Brian Essi]

We will have to Chase Away the Wraiths when the Lark Ridge reopens!!!!!

Stan, where was the Lark Ridge?

Are the Wraiths and Lark Ridge proprietors of the oldest business in Lakewood? I never heard of them before.

[Stan Austin]

Gonna take a lot of beers to sort this shit out

[Patrick Wadden]

I'll get a beer with Essi. Good call on Merry Arts. That place has been there 4 ever.

[Stan Austin]

I'll keep an eye for the reopening. And, Marty Herodos from my class is of the Merry Arts family.

[mjkuhns]

Good comments. Re: Merry Arts, I thought that I had once seen a claim that they are the longest-running bar.

(Digression: This reminds me of another permutation to "continuous operation." A few times over the years I have passed through the town of Morris, Illinois. There is a bar there which has apparently been around for many decades, under a long series of different names and probably different owners… what I find relevant about this is that they have painted a complete history of its different identities on one side of the building. Each name and the years when it was in use. One or two names even appear twice. Something about this recognition of the history seems like it should qualify the place for, at least, some kind of asterisk in a local measure of continuous operation.)

This thread has been a hoot for multiple reasons, I can assure everyone.