Lorain: A City on the Rise

by Chris Smith

As someone who has lived in Lorain his entire 31 years on this planet, I know it’s easy to grow accustomed to and give in to the constant cynicism which often accompanies civic discussions. I know from experience that it is hard to talk about getting anything done in this town without someone introducing pessimism and negativity.

Yet, a growing number of people have refused to give in to this pessimism, have seen past the decay, and recognized the assets that make this community valuable, economically viable, and special.

Some have been here all along, having loved, and never stopped loving this place. I count myself among them. Some are more recent arrivals and transplants with fresh eyes and a lack of bitter nostalgia. They see this place for what it truly is and for what it can be.

I will spare you a long and probably inaccurate history lesson but suffice to say Lorain’s size and past success are mainly due to its ideal position on the shores of two major bodies of water—Lake Erie and the Black River.

Many Lorainites hold on to a happy yet distant memory of prosperity to visions of thriving commerce and a bustling port delivering industrial goods worldwide. The growing Lorain Proud movement has a vision for the future and looks toward the water just as our forefathers once did.

Bob Earley can be given credit as one of the first to see this vision when he moved Rockin’ on the River to Lorain’s Black River Landing in 2015. This investment helped set into motion a comeback story fit for a movie.

People began flooding to Lorain every summer weekend from all over the region from Avon to Cleveland and beyond. Northeast Ohio started to glimpse the hidden jewel that Earley had found on the shores of Lorain.

Now, there is much more credit to be spread around as one entrepreneur after another sees what downtown Lorain can be and sets up shop on Broadway. What was once a ghost town is now filled with newly opened businesses and “Coming Soon” signs.

Perhaps the crowning achievement is the newly renovated Ariel Broadway Hotel. Developer Radhika Reddy, who has designed and built world-class hotels and event centers around the globe, shared in this vision of the promise and potential of Lorain. Now open in its second year, the hotel has grown to symbolize the rebirth of our international city.

However, any great comeback story has conflict—that “all is lost” moment when a challenge arises that seems insurmountable. And just as Lorain was poised to have a coming-out party in the summer of 2020 to demonstrate the significant changes and strides it had made, a global pandemic struck.

Businesses that were getting ready to open or had only been open for a short time suddenly faced the worst economic crisis in over a decade.

And it could have ended there.

The fledgling businesses could have closed up shop and cut their potential losses. The patrons could have stopped supporting them, the community that had formed could have dissolved back into its individual parts, and so would have ended the story of Lorain’s comeback.

Our new businesses did not flinch in the face of what seemed like certain doom, and the community rewarded them with continued support, regardless of quarantines and stay-at-home orders. We weathered the storm, and now as calm appears on the horizon, Lorain seems once again ready to show the world how far it has come.

So my call to you is to experience the new Lorain for yourself this summer. Rockin’ on the River, FireFish Festival, and BrewFest will all return. Bars, restaurants, and other businesses have adjusted to COVID- 19 and offer a safe environment for customers, both indoors and outdoors. And The Palace Theatre continues to be an iconic and historical venue.