What used to be there?

Subway restaurant at 301 E. Erie Avenue

I got an email the other day from Jeremy with a pretty good question. "I was wondering about what used to be where Subway is on E. Erie," he wrote. "Was it a bakery of some sort? I've been trying hard to think of what it was and nothing comes to mind."

Nothing came to my mind either, which is not that surprising, so I hit the city directories at the library to find out.

As to be expected, the businesses at that prominent corner were almost all service stations going back to at least the mid-1920s. Some of their names include McConnell Auto Service (late 1920s to early 1930s), John Schmauch (late 1930s), Ohio Oil Company (1940s), and Lorain Marathon Service (1950s).

The building was vacant for a while in the 1960s.

The listing for the early 1970s turned up a nice surprise for me. For a few years it was Little's Texaco Station, run by James Little. Based on his home address listed, I'm sure this is the same Mr. Little who also worked at the B. F. Goodrich plant in Avon Lake. For years he worked on the cars of fellow B. F. G. employees and their families at his home garage on W. 14th Street. He was a very nice guy.

By 1980, the 301 E. Erie address was listed as the Gross Plumbing warehouse. The listing continued throughout the 1980s until it was listed as 'vacant' in the 1989 book.

Subway took over the address in the early 1990s ( a few books were missing and I don't have an exact year).

Thanks for the question, Jeremy!