Shoreway Shopping Center Opens – October 1958

October 2, Lorain Journal ad

Fifty-six years ago, it was the eve of the opening of Shoreway Shopping Center in Sheffield Lake. 

It was an exciting time. Sheffield Lake was evolving from a tiny seasonal cottage community to a full-fledged city – and the addition of a shopping center was a big step.

Although the shopping center is now a little smaller and less busy than it was when it opened, it's still an important part of Sheffield Lake life.

Anyway, here's the story that appeared in the October 1, 1958 Lorain Journal announcing the opening of the center.

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Houses 14 Stores In Sheffield Lake
$1,250,000 Shoreway Center To Open Tomorrow

SHEFFIELD LAKE – Opening ceremonies for the $1,250,000 Shoreway Shopping Center, Rt. 301 and East Lake Rd., will begin tomorrow when Mayor Frank Duguid cuts the ribbon at the entrance.

All village officials are scheduled to attend the opening and each will be issued a charter shopper badge commemorating the occasion.

Festivities have been planned for the public with an aerial display of fireworks under the direction of Fire Chief Peter Cifranic at 9:30 p.m. tomorrow.

On Friday at 9 p.m. an all-star variety show will feature George Latshaw, puppet star of the movie "Lili," and two acts from TV Super Circus starring Edward Bier and his trained dogs and the Fabulous Claytons.

On display during store hours from Oct. 6 to 12 will be "Ernie's Miniature Circus," an exhibit of 25,000 hand-carved circus figures. This display has been shown at the the Brussels World Fair and is to be forwarded to Disneyland following the showing.

Store hours have been set from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. However, as part of the grand opening celebration stores will remain open until 9.p.m. this Saturday.

Climaxing the two weeks of activities will be an Ox Roast sponsored by the Sheffield Lake Kiwanis Club on Oct. 9, 10 and 11. The dinner is to be served on the south parking lot of the center.

The shopping center building is approximately 700 feet by 150 feet and houses 14 stores. Parking facilities have been designed for 1,000 cars.

Zehman, Wolf and Sterman Construction Co. of University Heights is the builder, and Sidney H. Morris and Associates of Chicago are the architects. M. H. Hausman of Cleveland is the leasing agent. William DeCarpentier is general supervisor of the project.

Jacob Levin of Sheffield Lake, principal owner of the center, will be host to village officials, store managers, W. R. Hauserman of the Ohio State Department of Highways, former mayor Dr. James C. Markley, former council president Earl Barnhart, and Chris Howley Jr., president of the school board.

Village officials expected to be present at the ceremonies include Shefffield Lake Councilmen William Piersen, John Groleau, Dan Fragassi, Gerald Spradlin, Carl Dietrich, Santino Cambria and Maurice Sturtevant; members of the Board of Public Affairs Paul Riddell, William Freeh and D. E. Ratliffe; Village Solicitor Dale Barnhart, Police Chief Clarence Hambley, Fire Chief Peter Cifranic, Building Commissioner Patrick Towner, Planning Board members Alfred Askew, Charles Ward and Mrs. L.W. Clites, and Zoning Board members Horace Smith, David Jones and Thomas Raptis.

FOODTOWN TO OPEN – This Foodtown Store will open

tomorrow at the new Shoreway Shopping Center in Sheffield

Lake. It will be the first Foodtown market in the area. Ted 

Trakas of Westlake has been named manager.

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Shoreway Shopping Center has been a favorite topic of mine on this blog. I did a three-part series on it back in 2009 (here, here and here) when part of the center was demolished, and later, a variety of posts featured various seasonal ads and promotions.