Happy 5 year Anniversary to FITNESS EDGE. Owner, Marty Velasco offers many new program options for every level of fitness … Happy 2 Year Anniversary to PUMA YOGA offering beginner classes through advanced, yoga for kids and even Mom & baby classes! … Speaking of kids, it was already time for the New Teacher’s Luncheon held by the CHAMBER OF COMMERCE where each of the 15 new teachers in Lakewood received a gift donated by our local businesses … THE HEIRLOOM HOME will be opening soon in the building at the SW corner of West Clifton and Detroit.  This building owner’s dream is to open a shop that will accept household donations for resale and then donate 100% of the profits to scholarships for children’s classes in the arts.  Watch for more details soon! … Starting in September also watch for more Business and Chamber news when The LO starts our new LAKEWOOD BUSINESS PAGE  … 

RTA will offer extra Waterfront Line service on Saturday, Aug. 7, when the Browns host their annual Family Day at 1 p.m. at Browns Stadium.

The Doghouse 2 in Lakewood is celebrating their first year anniversary, in addition to 5 years in their popular Cleveland Heights location. Owners, Larry and Addie Gipson are Chicago natives, but have found a new home in Northeast Ohio as they see many new faces as well as a growing number of regulars. The Doghouse was recognized this year with the WECO Fund, Inc. 2010 Impact Award for new businesses. All of their food is cooked to order, and the selection  is tremendous. You can even 'design' your own but the top 3 favorites & most unique sandwiches are:

Attending the Lakewood Chamber meetings is always enjoyable and last week, Nate Kelley, from the city, shared quite a bit of ‘new news’… The construction of the beautiful new social security building, and other projects throughout the city including… Robeks’ smoothies opened in the beautifully restored Bailey Building. Coming soon is Jimmy Johns and Moe’s… Statistics show city store front vacancies are going down and when out for a walk, it’s obvious that walking traffic is going up!… Have you walked to the Library front porch concerts on Friday nights?… Some other activities to try before the summer’s over include Kick Martial Arts, owned by Bruce Gornley and Timothy Holmes. Your kids might enjoy trying kids’ kickboxing, taekwondo, or Brazilian kickboxing in August. Of course, Kick has ongoing kids’ and adult classes, too. (They were guest instructors at the Live Well Lakewood’s Wellness Challenge)... Have you tried the new Dunkin’ Donuts (especially their vanilla coffee) or their neighbor, Nunzio’s Pizza?  Owner, Nunzio Traina is celebrating 2 Anniversaries this summer! First, congratulations on 20 years in business. Second, a happy 2 year anniversary at his Lakewood location. Nunzio’s first pizzeria is in Lorain, followed by his second in Old Brooklyn. His latest addition is at the Akron University campus... Although this is a tough economy, successful businesses grow because of hard work and local support. New businesses open in cities that have the vision to create a climate that welcomes them. So, as always, please think globally, shop locally and celebrate Lakewood along with our many business neighbors!

Saturday, July 17th marks the beginning of Lakewood’s annual Street Walk festival. The event, which spans seven blocks on Detriot Avenue, will go from 3 to 8pm and feature over 36 separate booths and events. One such booth will be operated by members of The Eaters of Lakewood.

The BIG EVENT this month was “The Taste of Lakewood” presented by the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce, Lakewood Hospital and 13 other local sponsors. (Photos in this issue!) Tickets were sold out again this year as 22 restaurants shared delicious tastes of their best recipes. 2010 Event Newcomers are Root Café (not just a coffee shop -try vegan or other healthy “goodies”), Beck Café (homemade soups, good food and a patio at the Beck Center), Greek Village Grille (great gyros), The Gathering Kitchen (group cooking classes and more), and Cozumel (Mexican cuisine opening soon on Detroit and Ethel)... Another ‘newer’ business, Eclectic Mixx, is recognizing its first year as a fun ‘mixx’ of antiques, collectibles, plus funky and traditional décor accessories. Owner, Bill Brenner, expanded his store with a move to central Lakewood and plans to open a second shop in Avon… BGE Technology just celebrated 40 years in the business of caring and customer service. They meet your technology needs with reasonable prices and a commitment to customer service that the ‘big box’ stores simply can’t compete with!… Owner of It’s a Party, Barbara Pennington, retired from a long career in health care, thinking that life without working sounded good, until she tried it! Then she looked into opening her own party center business and said it took “a lot of faith” (she invested her retirement savings in it!). After 35 years of living in and loving Lakewood, her positivity and work ethic have led to celebrating her new business’s 2 year anniversary!... We have a smorgasbord of interesting people and unique businesses in Lakewood; so why not think globally, shop locally and take your own taste of Lakewood by enjoying the many flavors in your neighborhood?

8 bits of business in print and online… take a ‘byte’ and taste Lakewood!

Get Active! There is much new to do this year at STREETWALK 2010. Try belly dancing, play 4-Square, test wall climbing skills, run a 5K race, and compete in a tug-o-war for the ultimate challenge against the Lakewood Firefighter Combat Challenge Team. Or, maybe you would prefer to eat great food, listen to music, and watch the Burning River Roller Girls roller-derby demo or the skate boarders try out the Red Bull ramps and jumps. There is definitely something for everyone.

The April Eaters of Lakewood meeting proved to be the most successful to date as Lakewood’s Route 6 Café played host to over 30 EOL members in addition to their usual Saturday night crowd. The event took place on April 24th and from 5 to 9pm the Route 6 staff saw quite a bit of traffic.

Business Bits & BytesA bit is a small increment of computer data used in sets of 8 to create a byte. Here’s some bits of info in print and online. Please take a 'byte' and taste our community. Have you visited these 8 local businesses, yet?

Has your New Year’s resolution to get healthier become a distant memory? Revive it on April 28th—join Live Well Lakewood’s second annual Wellness Challenge. This year’s program focuses on helping you achieve your personal goals. It’s not a biggest loser competition—in fact, weight loss is part of this program only if it’s appropriate for you. The goal is to help you make lifestyle changes that will enhance your wellness through better nutrition choices, regular exercise and stress management.

Choosing to stay true to this past month’s festivities The Eaters of Lakewood selected Sullivan’s Irish Pub as the third stop in their monthly perusal of Lakewood’s hefty supply of both colorful and popular eateries. Located on the corner of Chesterland and Madison Avenue, Sullivan’s Irish Pub is not your typical themed restaurant. A quick survey of the inside shows the staff really means business, here they eat, live and breathe everything Irish.

The 2010 Knit Olympics, Lakewood, began February 12. As viewers the world over watched the Olympic torch lighting in Vancouver, BC, twelve intrepid knitters from around northern Ohio began an epic journey of their own.

For their second monthly meeting, The Eaters of Lakewood sank their teeth into Lakewood’s Buckeye Beer Engine, a locally owned restaurant and bar known for their gourmet burgers which perfectly compliment a wide selection of over a hundred different beers (some of which brewed right in their own basement). The Beer Engine prides themselves on their unique and ever-changing draft list, which creates a new dining experience for their patrons on a nightly basis. They are constantly putting new beers on tap, holding special events, beer dinners and glass promotions.

On Saturday, January 23rd the public chapter of the Eaters of Lakewood held their first monthly meeting at 56 West, an area restaurant located at the intersection of Detroit and Westlake Avenue. They came with a similar drive; to eat and eat well. The Eaters of Lakewood was originally a club started in Lakewood High school and has since extended its influence to include a chapter available to the public. Since its inception the club has only met with success so, naturally EOL expanded to not only include the students of LHS but all people of Lakewood. It’s easy to see why EOL membership has been on the increase when you look at the core ideals the group was founded upon: if you like to eat, you’re in. EOL is about food, friends and a good time. Their members scour the city, searching for the places with the best food and atmosphere. Their goal? To keep their friends and neighbors informed on all the best eateries, where they are and what they can hope to find (all while getting in a good bite of course).

With so many young, trendy bars, the Waterbury Coachouse contrasts as one of those neighborhood fixtures that the regulars refer to as the Lakewood Cheers.  Owner, Hoss Ashofteh, prides himself on providing outstanding customer service in a clean, comfortable and welcoming setting. The focus is home cooking and every day has a $5.99 special. As I visited there last week (live music on Wednesdays and Fridays) I randomly asked some of the many customers for their thoughts:

The Winchester Tavern & Music Hall in Lakewood has been voted the Number One and BEST Live Music Venue in the Cleveland area by the 67,440 voters in the FOX 8 Television Hot List.  The results of the 2009 voting were released a few weeks ago and The Winchester came out on top over the 2008 winner, The House of Blues finishing second! There were thirty seven venues to vote for in the Live Music Venue category.  

The Lakewood High School Pool is featuring a new schedule of daytime programming, including Adult Swims, to compliment the existing schedule of Open Swims and evening programming.  The Pool features convenient hours, very affordable admission and monthly pass rates, and plenty of close parking.

If you drive west out of Lakewood along Detroit Ave., there is a sharp right turn just before you cross the bridge into Rocky River, and around that corner on your right hand side is a little bar and café called…Around the Corner.    

     “I was trying to come up with a name for the place when I first got it,” says owner Mickey Krivosh,“ and people kept saying, ‘ya know, it’s right there around the corner,’ or ‘it’s just around the corner,’ so that’s what I decided to call it.”            And if you have lived in Lakewood or the surrounding area at any time in the past 35 years (and are of legal drinking age!), you have probably been to Around the Corner.          

  This September marks Krivosh’s 35th year in business, and to celebrate he is having a larger and longer-than-usual anniversary bash. From Thursday, Sept. 17th until Sunday, Sept. 20, the party will roll on with food and drink specials, contests, live music, and other entertainment.