More than half a dozen restaurants in downtown Lorain have permanently closed their doors in the past year.

Broadway Mary’s, 939 Broadway, announced earlier this week that it would close indefinitely on August 21, the latest in a long line of closures in the city.

Restaurants are closing at a rapid pace in Lorain and some people fear that the downtown area could face a setback.

Restaurants closed include: The Gilmore, 4th Street Diner, Union Town, Game On and Erie Steak and Seafood, formerly Jack-A-Lope.

However, Broadway Grill and Games, Papasitos, Fresco Bistro, Brass and Brawn, Dominos and Scorcher’s will remain open.

The Lorain Brewing Co. and Event Center will move to the Shipyard facility, 500 Shipyards Way, this year.

Bob Earley, organizer of Rockin’ on the River, said his contract with the Lorain Port and Finance Authority’s Black River Landing expires this year.

“Rockin’ on the River” is doing well, Earley said, but the concert series has been unable to secure a new contract with the Lorain Port Authority.

“When I first came here, I said in five or six years there would be a downtown just as thriving,” he said. “I guess I was wrong, because the restaurants have gotten worse.”

“But Rockin’ on the River is having by far its best year ever.”

Earley said he and the Port Authority were close to a new deal to take over Rockin’ on the River, but nothing had been confirmed as of Aug. 20.

In January, Earley announced that he and his wife Sandy were retiring from Rockin’ on the River.

Earley sees the business closures as a citywide support issue.

As more and more businesses are forced to close permanently, he urged the Lorain community to support the entrepreneurs that still exist in the downtown area.

“This is concerning for everyone,” Earley said. “Lorain needs to learn to take care of herself.”

“You need to support these businesses instead of complaining about them all the time. We sold 1,000 season tickets and VIP tickets, and we sold them in December. Of those 1,000 tickets, exactly 112 were sold in Lorain.”

Lorain not alone

Tom Brown, executive director of the Lorain Port and Finance Authority, said Lorain is not the only place where businesses are closing.

Several businesses in Northeast Ohio, including Cleveland-based Melt Bar and Grilled, have closed their doors this year for various reasons.

Brown believes the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic could still play a role.

“It feels very personal, but then you read about Melt closing, you read about Salt closing,” he said. “I think it’s just a really bad summer for restaurants, for whatever reason.”

“I think a lot of companies probably survived the COVID pandemic, (but) put all their resources into surviving.”

Brown believes the situation can still be salvaged, but the city must work together to revitalize the business community as a whole.

“I think it’s going to take an all-hands-on-deck approach,” he said. “This is the city, and the port can help in some ways. Main Street, all of the parties need to come together and try to find a solution.”

Lorain Mayor Jack Bradley said it was impossible to attribute the decline in business to just one factor.

However, Bradley agreed with Earley’s view that the core problem facing Lorain’s business community may be a lack of local support.

“I think that first of all, people have to be willing to go to the restaurant,” he said. “A restaurant can only be successful if people go there. They have to believe that eating out is worth it. So eating out has to be an experience.”

Although companies are willing to come to Lorain, they often fail to stay, Bradley said.

He said the city government is doing everything in its power to help small businesses in the Lorain area.

“There’s only so much the city can do,” Bradley said. “COVID has been hard on all businesses and we’ve tried to help as many businesses as we can.”

“But you can’t rely on the government to keep a company alive. You always have to be there for the government.”

Bradley mentioned that the newly opened Lorenzo’s Pizzeria, 818 Broadway, has quickly become one of the area’s most successful restaurants.

There is work to be done in Lorain, he said, and Lorenzo’s is not alone in its efforts to revitalize the city’s dining scene.

The food scene can flourish

Kurt Hernon, owner of Speak of the Devil, 201 W. Fifth St., has had great success since opening the cocktail bar in 2017.

Hernon pointed out that areas like Ohio City and the Tremont neighborhood in Cleveland struggled with similar problems but ultimately emerged successful.

“I just think it’s a natural, cyclical thing,” he said. “The downtown area has been down for so long.”

“Some things work, some don’t, but you do your best. I don’t see this as a support problem, because you can clearly be successful here.”

Hernon expressed hope that the city’s business community could recover.

Even though Lorain businesses are currently struggling to keep their doors open, he is confident that better days are ahead.

“Eventually, things will start to unfold,” Hernon said. “I’m still absolutely optimistic about downtown Lorain.”

“I just see there’s opportunity. As more experienced business owners come in, as Lorenzo’s gets a foothold and Lorain Brewing Company at the Shipyards gets a foothold, I think you’ll see that.”