The Lorain Public Library had exactly one directory that was devoted entirely to Vermilion: the 1970 edition of the Baldwin ConSurvey. The thin volume had the listing below for The Pit.
It’s interesting seeing the names of long-gone businesses located on that stretch of U. S. Route 6.
Some of them, like the Holiday Inn Steak House, have been written about on this blog before. Right about that time, the Holiday Inn Motel was transitioning into the Holiday Apartments, and the restaurant was in the process of dropping the “Inn” portion of its name as well.
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| Ad from the July 9, 1970 Vemilion Photojournal |
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| Holiday Steakhouse building today |
Other listings bring back memories of businesses that I remember seeing from the back seat of my parents’ car, such as Willmay’s Gift House & Cheese Shop. I couldn’t find much about it on the internet, except that it was there as early as 1962. I seem to recall large German cutout characters in front. Today its location is occupied by the Vermilion Farm Market.
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| Courtesy Google Maps |
Margie’s Restaurant was located at 3249 Liberty Avenue. Today that address is the home of Miss Kitti’s, which specializes in home baked goods, including poppyseed rolls.
Right next door to the west was the Shipwreck Motel, another place I remember seeing when I was a kid, especially the small, beat-up boat in front. Regular readers remember that I wrote about it back here, when in its earliest days was known as John’s Motel & Cabins.
4 comments:
Had nearly forgot Wil Mays Cheese. As I recall it was sort of chalet look to it. With a long narrow sign with the name on it. Rae
Same here, Rae; I always wanted Ma to stop there, as anything to do with cheese sounded tasty.
I'm amazed at how many of these places are still in business 50 years later.
Amazed at how many of these places are still in business 50 years later? Yeah, we'll see after the coronavirus and efforts to contain it reap its toll. So sad.
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