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A few weeks ago we
wrote "the
Dodd Camera store, one of the Square's oldest
tenants, may be moving to other space on the Square
to allow more space for the new restaurant. We hope they
stay on the Square....."
As we drove
around the Square today, we saw a WE'VE MOVED sign
in
the window of an empty store where Dodd Camera had
been. Concerned, we parked and looked at
the sign carefully. In smaller letters below it said:
But we're staying on the Square, between HR Block and US
Bank.
And there they were,
still in the northwest quadrant, but now at
13129
Shaker Square, all set up and open for business. Had a
good talk with manager Danielle Andes who was
very glad to be still be on the Square.
So let's welcome
Dodd's. Show them that we are glad
they stayed, giving personal service
on the latest technology in image making.
Housing Help near the Square
A new
foundation-supported initiative will give help to
employees of Case Western Reserve, University
Hospitals and the Cleveland Clinic who want to
live in Cleveland near
University Circle. It's major good news for several
neighborhoods, including our own. Our coverage of
this story may well be the most complete on the web.
Learn more.
Restaurants coming and going
We welcome
SASAmatsu Asian Bistro in the
southwest quadrant, opened on November 6.
In the Spring, says a recent
Plain Dealer, we'll see an Italian wine bar and
eatery in the old "Signatures" location in
the northwest quadrant. They will also be taking over
(see above) the old Dodd Camera space.
Gone on December 30, a Square stalwart:
Luchita's, one
of the town's top Mexican restaurants. Alex Galindo and
family were good citizens and will be missed. I
still remember the Luchita's manager, back when a
Gore-Edwards campaign office was on the Square, saying
"Those Democrats sure love their margaritas."
Holiday Lighting
Some say
that the holiday lights on the Square had never been more
attractive. I agree. For a photo of the Square on a
December night,
click here. (If you have old photos of the Square at
Christmastime, you are invited to send them for
posting.)
Pictures From a Roof
Neighbor Patrick Shepherd, who took
the Christmas Tree photo, has sent us many more photos
he took from the roof of his apartment building. They
are great. Have a look.
More free short-term parking
While parking on the Square
I heard someone grumbling "I was only here ten
minutes!" as he looked at a parking ticket. Thus, the
image of a meter is back on our Home page with a link to
our page that tells how to get
some free parking and ways the Coral Company
and our
Councilman Kenneth
Johnson can get us more.
Occupancy
The Coral Company says that
occupancy has risen to 85 percent from only 45 percent
when they took over in September 2004. (That probably
included the two May move-ins and CVS.) That's good for
us all. Since that announcement we've gained the Italian
wine bar/restaurant mentioned above and lost Luchita's,
so we're probably still at that 85 percent level.
Community pages
The
Ludlow Community Association,
not far from the Square, has celebrated its 50th
anniversary. We've worked with them to show some
glimpses of their history.
Click here. We have offered our help as they deal
with neighborhood security concerns.
Our coverage of predatory lending, a major consumer protection issue,
continues on our
Predatory Lending page started in 2006. Now the
terrible news of the consequences of this time of greed,
fraud and foolishness is everywhere.
There is talk of
improving public spaces on the Square. For
a view that
some of this public space should be indoors, so it can be used
day and evening and year-round,
click here.
We joined in honoring
the life and work of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King
by
adding some links to places to be on this day.
Security
A few days ago I had a minor incident backing out of a parking
space at the Square. No one was hurt and there wasn't a
dent in either car. So why mention it? A uniformed
security officer was there, literally in seconds. Very
reassuring.
Exchanging links with the Coral Company's website
The day we learned
that the Coral Company had (after three years) created
an "official" website for their holdings on the Square,
we linked
to it at the top of our Web Resources
page. We asked them to follow web custom and link back to this site.
They recently told us they will NOT link to us.
Because it is best for our neighborhood that
we work together, our link to them will stay up.
Web site news
Our website is ranked #1
by all major
search engines. Our traffic increases steadily. We now
have more than 12,000 visitors a month!
Our new pages are mentioned above.
See you on the Square.
Arnie
Thanks for
being one of the more than 12,000
persons
who visit
www.shakersquare.net each
month. |
