The Observation Deck

The 4th annual Lakewood Old House Fair is this Saturday, May 5, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Harding Middle School.

Fifty local businesses will be on hand to give you advice about how to fix up your Lakewood home.

This is a great event. Whether you are worried about what to do with your roof, or you're wondering why you can't get your grass or your garden to thrive, you will get good advice here, along with some ideas about who can do work on your house that that you can't do yourself.

So after you get your chocolate covered Dorito (oops they don't have those) head on down to the Old House Fair at Harding. ENTRANCE IS FREE. This event is about helping each other. Don't miss it.

To find out more click here for Mel Page's front page Observer article, "What Does Your Home Need?": http://www.lakewoodobserver.com/read/20 ... -home-need

Betsy Voinovich

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_________________
Jim O'Bryan
Lakewood Resident

"The very act of observing disturbs the system."
Werner Heisenberg

"If anything I've said seems useful to you, I'm glad.
If not, don't worry. Just forget about it."
His Holiness The Dalai Lama

I'm surprised to see that non-Lakewood businesses we represented!

Peter-- One non Lakewood business that was there was Cleveland Lumber. Lakewood no longer has a lumber yard since Prasse Lumber closed a number of years ago. Cleveland Lumber is nearby on W.98 and Madison. Any homeowner or contractor who works on older houses quickly realizes that one thing the big box stores don't have is lumber and trim that is found in older houses. Cleveland Lumber has these items and will mill trim to match existing trim.
The beveled lap cedar and redwood siding can only be found at Cleveland Lumber.
Stan

On the list, I see two businesses from Fairview Park, one from Brooklyn, one from Avon Lake, one from Rocky River ... and at least two who, on their website, refer to themselves as "Cleveland-area" businesses (civic pride?)

Not making any judgement ... just pointing something out.

Peter

The show started off highlighting Madison Businesses and other businesses in Lakewood, when
Mel Page was the director of MAMA (Madison Avenue Merchant Association) as a way to help
Lakewood businesses reach out, without having to spent more money. It built on an early
philosophy that came out of the earliest days of MAMA when justine Cooper helped to form it.

But the show grew larger than Madison, and there were legitimate requests from people
that lived in Lakewood but their shop was out of the city. Are they let in? Who is the real
Lakewoodite? Ehhh? So it was enlarged, and then thought was given to companies that
did things in Lakewood not offered by Lakewood Businesses, or Lakewood residents in
their businesses? And the slope gets slippery. If I could take up the comment of Bryan
Schwegler (RIP) Why should we not know of a better handyman that what is available
here?

I have had the good fortune to work with Mel and Charlie Page on this from day one, and
she is always pushing for Lakewood only. I am sure she will come on at some point, and
explain, though she usually takes a break after she delivers one of her projects.

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_________________
Jim O'Bryan
Lakewood Resident

"The very act of observing disturbs the system."
Werner Heisenberg

"If anything I've said seems useful to you, I'm glad.
If not, don't worry. Just forget about it."
His Holiness The Dalai Lama

Jim - As always ... thanks for the "back story." But when I read on the flyer "bringing Lakewood home-related resources and businesses together" I think "Lakewood businesses." That's all.

Guess I'm too anal retentive (a person who pays such attention to detail that the obsession becomes an annoyance to others, potentially to the detriment of the anal-retentive person) good god, I love that Wiki-definition!

Peter

I would point out that it does not say bringing "only" Lakewood businesses together. But
why split hairs, I am sure this is because I use the same ad year after year and modify it
with the new vendors deleting some of the very few that have dropped out. So instead of
beating up each other over split words, let's pin this one on me being lazy again.

Maybe if I start next week, I can get this and some other stuff taken care of. While I
missed you at this year's show and you did miss some fun moments. Perhaps you can
make it next year and perhaps become one of the volunteers. I am not sure the cost of
a table but it is roughly $25, so that every exhibitor with any people skills makes that
back with their first order. The entire event is about helping all sides out in taking care
of their home.

You missed this for one.

Enjoying a conversation with Lakewood's Mayor, Michael P. Summers, contrary to
popular belief, which was proven to me by the number of camera photos I got similar
to this one, I like Mike. He has been a friend for a long time. However we do not
always agree on some issues. To my knowledge it has never been a huge problem
in our being able to carry on "adult" discussions.

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_________________
Jim O'Bryan
Lakewood Resident

"The very act of observing disturbs the system."
Werner Heisenberg

"If anything I've said seems useful to you, I'm glad.
If not, don't worry. Just forget about it."
His Holiness The Dalai Lama

To be "technical" about some of the businesses, some small shops will put "cleveland" on their main page...it is for Google hits. That way when you are looking up a particular type of business in google and hit "cleveland" area these businesses show up first.

I know for a FACT Rockport Woodworks is IN Lakewood, just on the home page says Cleveland and Ohio area...

_________________
www.alldogsheaven.org

www.teamspin.com

Jim -- agreed ... you're lazy; I'm anal. Now THAT is an intellgent adult conversation!!

I guess the point of my post was to generate thought/conversation about this: if the state our housing stock is such a major concern, where is the effort to ensure that Lakewood is filled with businesses that address this concern?!?!? WHY doesn't Lakewood have a hardware store??? WHY doesn't Lakewood have an appliance store? Hell ... do Lakewood homes even have kitchens?!?!? (I ask based on the number of restaurants we have!!!!)

Just a point of clarification:

Unless things have changed in the past fourteen hours or so, Lakewood Hardware is still at 16608 Madison in Lakewood.

Agree we need an appliance store but we certainly have a great local hardware store.

Peter

The answer is very simple actually. The powers to be, think we should be a destination city
now instead of a self reliant community. Otherwise, there would be different pushes.

As Matthew pointed out we have a good hardware store with great Lakewood history. The
Palmer family have owned and operated storefronts in Lakewood for nearly 100 years. Glen
and his wife now have two storefronts on Madison Ave.

We nearly had an appliance store. B&B Appliance the closest Appliance store to Lakewood
look at the space now occupied by Cleveland Scooters. The idea that was being kicked
around was a scaled down store with the 150 hottest items on display, and available in
minutes from the warehouse which at the time was just outside of Lakewood. Phil Waters
got the space, and is making a damn nice living off of it. I am not sure if Cleveland is
getting any of the tax money, as they were in Cleveland and moved here, and Mayor
George had signed an anti-poaching agreement.

Way finding, branding .8ths of a mile as "Downtown," asking for signs on I-90 for
restaurants all points to the fact that powers to be care more about who they can bring
in to eat and drink, as opposed to making sure the bedroom community has what it needs
to survive into the future. It is nothing more than "Crocker Park Envy," brought on by
the need to eat cheesecake locally.

FWIW

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_________________
Jim O'Bryan
Lakewood Resident

"The very act of observing disturbs the system."
Werner Heisenberg

"If anything I've said seems useful to you, I'm glad.
If not, don't worry. Just forget about it."
His Holiness The Dalai Lama

I meant no disrespect to the Palmer family or their business. I was just arbitrarily tossing out some examples to drive home a point.

Hi Peter,

The problem becomes when a point is lost in the void because the arbitrary examples are incorrect. Case in point, there IS a hardware store in Lakewood.

I don't disagree with your original premise, it's just good to make sure of the facts before using them as examples. It just strengthens ones' case.

JMHO.

Matt

Here's a thought.

I know the forums have a "House Talk" section (which doesn't seem to get used much) but have you ever considered a "Business recommendation" sub-forum?

There are many plumbers, electricians, etc who work out of their homes, and who would never be called upon due to lack of flashy advertising, that are local to Lakewood.