Vian’s Part 2

Nicholas M. Vian was the man behind Vian’s.

He was born in Greece in the early 1890s, and came to this country as a child. Before moving to the Lorain area, he lived in Erie, Pennsylvania.

By the late 1920s, he was assistant manager of Bazley Cash Market in Lorain. He was manager of the store by 1931, and a few years later moved over to Jacoby Brothers, where he was a meat cutter.

But the lure of having his own business must have instilled in him an entrepreneurial sense, because by the time of the October 1937 Lorain Telephone Company directory, Nicholas Vian had combined all of his knowledge and experience to open his own very own business: Vian’s Barbecue. It was located at Stop 89 on Lake Road in Sheffield Lake.

Very first listing of Vian’s in the 1937 Lorain Telephone Directory

Shortly after his move, Nicholas Vian also began his long involvement in Sheffield Lake civic affairs. He was elected to Sheffield Lake village council in November 1937. However, according to an article in the June 4, 1938 Elyria Chronicle-Telegram, the council in mid-February 1938 "declared Vian ineligible to serve on the ground that he had not been a resident of the village for one year before the election.”

Vian eventually served three terms as a city councilman.

At the same time he operated his restaurant and cabin business, he was also a licensed real estate broker.

Next: Cabins