CityWide Sale Gets Set for Three-Day Bonanza

Buyers and sellers can get some serious retail therapy in Lakewood next weekend.

It’s the city’s Second CityWide Street Sale, a three-day bonanza that already has more than 45 businesses and 100 residents prepping their wares for the festivities set for June 23, 24 and 25.

“This is a great year to participate as the Ohio Chautauqua 5-day event — June 22 through June 26 — and Live Well Lakewood's Drug Mart to Drug Mart 5K walk (June 25) are also taking place during this week,” said Tamara Racin, owner of Paisley Monkey and an organizer with the event. “And this is the perfect time of year for this because people are cleaning out their house, doing some spring cleaning and then they can make some money.”

The CityWide Sale is coordinated by LakewoodAlive, which at considered moving the date because of Ohio Chautauqua but then decided the events would complement each other.

“People might come in and they might take a class at the library and then they have time before the evening event when they can go get lunch somewhere that’s participating or doing a little shopping at residences,” said Shannon Strachan, marketing and development director for LakewoodAlive. “We just thought it was a great way to show there is a lot going on in the city.”

Last year, more than 100 residents, 55 merchants and 16 block clubs participated. Stores on Detroit and Madison Avenues were decked out with red, white and blue balloons as were the residences in the hopes of attracting bargain shoppers as they will be again this year.

“The whole idea is to just make it festive in town. These events are sure to attract both residents and visitors to Lakewood,” Racin said.

All participants will be posted online – many already are – so shoppers can have a list of all the residents and merchants with a Google Map for locations and addresses, Racin said. Last year more than 700 people checked the website on the first day of the sale and printed the list to plot their shopping, according to LakewoodAlive.

Detroit Avenue and Madison Avenue merchant sales will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the resident sales will run as determined by the residents and neighborhood block groups individually.

“We have businesses signed up all the way from Lakewood Garden Center on Detroit on the east end all the way to India Garden on the other side of town,” Racin said. “We have Buckeye Beer Engine on Madison and some new stores Crafty Goodness and Rock Flower Art Studio that just opened up a couple of weeks participating.”

New this year, PNC  Bank is offering free Lolly the Trolley rides from noon-5pm on Friday, June 24 and Saturday, June 25 on a looped route along Detroit and Madison Avenues in support of Lakewood business owners, the CityWide Street Sale and Ohio Chautauqua. Riders will also have the option to participate in a Lakewood Business Scavenger Hunt and have a chance to win a variety of prizes including Great Lake Science Center Tickets, Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Tickets, a family YMCA membership and more.

CityWide Street Sale Registration and general event information is available on the Downtown Lakewood website. There is no deadline for signing up.