Lakewood Is (Really) SO COOL!

Our fair city of Lakewood is so cool! And I'm not saying that tongue in cheek; it really is. It’s really time to shout it from the rooftops! Helllllooooo!

Have you been noticing what's going on lately? As a local Realtor®, I see a lot of articles about the state of our housing and our city. I'd like to share with you the importance of these things, all in one place, because it really makes you aware of how COOL Lakewood is and is becoming!

Lakewood recently voted “Best Suburb” (Scene Magazine). Lakewood voted “Best Place to Raise Kids” (Business Week). Lakewood has new Adobe Living development coming in summer 2012 at Clifton Pointe, right on Sloane Avenue and Sloane Subway! With McDonald’s moving to the Detroit Theater area and this new condo complex in development, will the Sloane shopping plaza revamp and go upscale? Very likely! And you can bet (after multitudes of community input) that McDonald’s will do a really really REALLY good job of making the franchise NICE for that area. CVS built a big new store on Arthur and Detroit. Did you see the nice little details that make it a nice storefront? Downtown Lakewood (MAIN STREET) is putting new signs on the street showing you are entering the Downtown area. The Discount Drug Mart plaza is going to become a cool 2-level shopping Mecca, much like a mini Legacy Village.

There will be one event after another coming this spring/summer right here in town! The 11th Annual Ambulance Chase is May 6! There was athenew "Welcome to Lakewood, Your New Hometown" event on April 25. The Old House Fair is coming up in May too! How about participating in the Lakewood Relay For Life on June 15 and 16? It’s been in other suburbs and is now BACK in Lakewood!

You’ve heard (haven’t you?!) that our West Side church staple, St. James, is coming back, alive and well in our community!!! The Social Security Administration recently built a brand new building on Detroit, with a nice peaceful grass area right out front. 

We’re getting bike corrals and bike racks all over the city this May, and soon there will be even more biking folks and special bike routes all over the place!

What about all the LEAF (Lakewood Earth and Food community) events throughout the year; not to mention the community gardens all over this town? What’s your favorite crop? Why not grow your own?! Want a hen in your yard to raise and to get eggs? Lakewood has a new pilot program! How about our upcoming CityWide StreetSale? (If you’re doing spring cleaning, hang on to the excess until June 28, then put it up for sale!) Want produce? How about the Saturday Farmers Market? We have Friday night movie showings getting ready to start in Lakewood Park for the summer, and of course, our wonderful 4th of July parade and fireworks!!! How many times have you sat on a tree lawn and chatted with your neighbors as you watch the parade and get candy thrown to you?! Aren't you already excited? Then we have the Lakewood Arts Festival with something for everyone in our community of very eclectic persons! Oh, by the way, have you noticed how many film companies are shooting their films in Lakewood these days? “Cleveland, I Love You,” “Beautiful Garden,” “Falling Backwards,” and the new “Fun Size.”  We are Hollywood’s new favorite!

When there are no special events, what can you do in Lakewood? On ordinary days, you can amble on any of our fair streets and enjoy the summer. Then cruise into 5 Guys for a burger. Or wake up to a custom cup of coffee at our very own Root Café. What about waiting in line for lunch at MELT?!!! That is SO worth it. This city is full of things to do on any given day. Sit on the patio at Rozi’s and have a glass of wine as you watch the city walk by…the Lakewood Library is a beautiful and cool and quiet place for you to sit in contemplation...or where you can join in an event or activity they have sponsored. How about the library’s Front Porch concerts held right downtown? When you're on Lakewood’s West End, you can head to the dog park with your best friend (woof) or take a walk in our conveniently located Metroparks! If you're looking to socialize, there are plenty of bars to choose from. And soon you can check out the new building at the development at Clifton Pointe, which will be very cool. (P.S.: Looking to buy? Call me, I'll get you one!)

Heading east you should check out the Rockport Square condo area where the housing stock is quite HIP. Amble down to the enclave where all the apartments and condos are located by W 117, Cove, Edgewater, etc. The Deli on Clifton may be in Cleveland, but it’s ALL Lakewood, and have you tried the chorizo breakfast wrap?  If you're from Lakewood, you're only a few miles of biking from Edgewater, Gordon Square, Downtown Cleveland, W. 25 and all those wonderful things to do.

Lakewood has it all. We are a city of diverse people, diverse entertainment, multitudes of places to go and things to do. Have you noticed how many cool new businesses are now on Madison Avenue? We are Lakewood. We buy local. We are green! We’re holistic and healthy. We have our own hospital right here! We have the Gold Coast! And we have condos and duplexes and ranches (yes, there are 3 or 4 in town!); townhouses and apartments and front porch colonials. You can live inexpensively or buy a mansion on the lake.  Look around our fair city, it’s really something!  It’s Lakewood, Ohio, and it’s very cool.