A Slavic Village nonprofit is trying to fill empty storefronts to make their community more vibrant – and they’ve come up with a creative marketing strategy to do it.
On Thursday, October 5, Slavic Village Development (SVD) showed off four empty storefronts ready for tenants during a “Lights On” event aimed at filling empty storefronts on Fleet Ave., where about 50 percent of the buildings are vacant.
The nonprofit, whose mission is to “promote civic engagement, community empowerment, and neighborhood investment” according to their website, collaborated with SCORE Cleveland and Cleveland Neighborhood Progress to put on the “Lights On” open house.
According to Greta Thomas, business development associate for SVD, the goal of the open house was to build community relationships and bring people from Northeast Ohio to Slavic Village. Residents would like to see the same services as some other neighborhoods, such as coffee shops, bookstores or restaurants, and Slavic Village Development is hoping to see these property owners help bring those types of businesses to Fleet Avenue.
“They know that there’s a lot of value here, and that it feels like they have to beg people to pay attention or directly invest here,” Thomas said.
“There has been a lot of concern from the community that this neighborhood has been forgotten about,” she continued. “People just want to feel dignified in the community they live in.”
One of the barriers SVD faces is connecting property owners and tenants, since lack of awareness and inquiries is the main cause of vacant storefronts, Thomas said. “The collective goal is to network and bring people to the community to see the awesome options that we have,” she said. “We want people to come to the neighborhood and see what the potential is.”
At this early stage in the leasing process, no specific rent information was available for the individual spaces, Thomas said. They’re simply trying to attract interest and the right business owners to the area. Although there are no financial incentives in place right now, Thomas said SCORE Cleveland and Cleveland Neighborhood Progress both offer business mentoring.
Seeking tenants
Jeannette Lloyd, owner of the storefront at 6301 Fleet Ave., showcased her building as part of the event. She told The Land that she is looking to build relationships with community members that will work with her to carry out her vision for the property.
Lloyd said her grandmother’s best friend, Sophie, originally owned the storefront when it was Seven Roses Polish Deli, which closed in 2021 after 17 years of business. When Sophie passed away, her parents weren’t going to keep the storefront, but Lloyd insisted on keeping it. “My parents initially bought the building, and they were going to sell it,” she said. “But I couldn’t see it go.”
The first room of the building is a large open space, while the second room is being used as a music store. Lloyd said one of her business partners, Dan, owns the music store, so they are trying to find a use for the first room.
Lloyd, who grew up in the neighborhood, said she would like to see the building become a creative space for artists to work and hold events. “I want to take the photographer, the artist, the musician, the chef, the cook and put them all into one spot, where they don’t have to buy a storefront,” she said. “They can rent a space and work together, so it’s a collective of makers and creators.”
Thomas explained the vicious cycle of vacancy – once a storefront is empty, the owner has no money to fix it up, which makes it harder to rent out. The gutting and renovating of storefronts into new spaces that are ready for finishes, called white boxing, costs thousands of dollars. “The building has been sitting there for 40 years, no one has been in it, and the best maintenance for buildings is to have people occupying them,” she said.
Tiffany Andreoli and her husband, Anthony, who is a contractor, showcased the storefront at 5001 Fleet Ave., which Anthony is still in the process of renovating. They have lived in the Slavic Village community for 14 years, and their own house, which they also renovated, is down the street from their property.
“We purchased the building through Slavic Village Development, and we did receive a white box grant from the city of Cleveland,” Tiffany said. “We are very grateful for that because projects like this can be so hard to get off the ground.”
The Andreolis were a recipient of a pilot white boxing grant funded by Cleveland Neighborhood Progress and the city of Cleveland’s economic development department, according to Thomas. They received a $50,000 grant to renovate their storefront. Thomas said Slavic Village Development is hoping once this project is successful, the city will allocate additional funds towards helping communities and property owners white box spaces so they’re retail-ready.
While their building is still in the renovation process, they used the “Lights On” initiative to make connections in the community for possible future tenants. “The ideal tenant we want to see in this place is something that’s a community benefit, some type of food-based business, gathering space, café, coffee shop, sandwich shop,” Tiffany Andreoli said. “Somewhere where the community can gather.”
A bright future
Although it was redone a decade ago as Cleveland’s first complete and green street, Fleet Avenue still has a high vacancy rate. Thomas said about 45% of the storefronts are empty, 37% are active, and 15% are underutilized. The “Lights On” initiative is the first step in combating this vacancy rate, Thomas explained. Slavic Village was at the center of the foreclosure crisis in 2008–2009, and Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb has made revitalizing Cleveland’s southeast side a central part of his agenda.
“A lot of times, the area southeast of downtown is kind of overlooked or a lot of people don’t know about the neighborhood,” Thomas said, citing Slavic Village’s rich history, good building stock, strong sense of community, and civic pride. “There are so many things this neighborhood has to offer.”
The third property showcased, owned by Anthony Trzaska, is still being renovated, but the owner used the “Lights On” event as a first step towards building relationships. “They just turned seven years old in the storefront next door (Saucisson butcher shop), and my family owns the funeral home next door, but this space here has always been a work in progress,” he said. “This space is a little behind where an open house would be, but I wanted to participate and build relationships.”
He said he grew up in Slavic Village and went to school down the street, so his ideal tenant would be a community business owner. “I want to use my skill set here in the neighborhood where I’m from,” he said.
The last property at 5606, owned by Andrea Lukuch, was originally built in 1911 as a pharmacy and her family inherited it. Now, Lukuch is looking to find someone to lease the building. With the kitchen and backyard space, she said her ideal tenant would be a brewery or beer garden.
“We’re hoping to connect with somebody who really has a passion for this neighborhood and helping to revitalize it,” she said.
While Lukuch is not originally from Slavic Village, she said she would come to Fleet Avenue every summer when her family owned the store. She hopes to see Fleet Avenue go back to the street it once was.
“This street was so vibrant, and the word community is what I think of when I think of Slavic Village back then,” she said. “It’s unfortunate things have changed, but hopefully with the revitalization and interest in the community, we can work things out again.”
Visit the Slavic Village Development website for more information on Slavic Village development initiatives or events.
Keep our local journalism accessible to all
Reader support is crucial as we continue to shed light on underreported neighborhoods in Cleveland. Will you become a monthly member to help us continue to produce news by, for, and with the community?
P.S. Did you like this story? Take our reader survey!
