GOTL due for facelift

I just read that one of my favorite places in the world is due for a facelift.

Geneva on the Lake, a small summer-only arcade and dining entertainment strip along Lake Erie, will soon see a new “boardwalk, amphitheater, microbrewery, shopping plaza and a seafood restaurant,” according to an article in the Ashtabula Star Beacon.

The plans were announced by businessman Don Woodward, a bright guy who was one year ahead of me in high school. I’m sure the improvements will be somewhat profitable, but what the business owners and village officials really need to focus on is some way to bring the crowds to GOTL during the other three seasons. I don’t think Woodward can do it by himself.

Thousands of people cram the GOTL strip every night, Memorial Day through Labor Day…every other night of the year, you’d be hard-pressed to find a dozen people. It’s like a ghost town…businesses are boarded up, leaves and trash accumulate on the sidewalks, parking lots are chained closed. It doesn’t look like the same place.

Recently, a couple more businesses have begun year-round operations on the strip…they include a large winery and a small storefront seafood restaurant. These businesses, however, face the challenge of not having the built-in crowds that summer inevitably brings; they need to find a way to give GOTL an identity and purpose through the off-season months which will give the crowds a reason to come.

A complication in developing this off-season identity is the fact that many of the business owners are old-time GOTL fixtures, and are used to their business being a three-month dalliance. To truly develop an off-season identity, everyone needs to sign on to the idea…from Woody’s World to Eddie’s Grill. They would also need to put some money into upgrading their facilities for off-season usage…winter days can be cold…and decide what services to offer in lieu of their traditional summer fare.

Some ideas that come to mind:

*Winterfest…turns a negative into a positive and would add an additional season of usage. Add ice skating and sleigh rides…turn the burden of the lake effect snow to your advantage.
*Little Napa – focusing on the wineries which abound nearby…would have the advantage of being adaptable to year-round use.
*Christmas on the Lake…an extra season of usage.
*Lake borne gambling Mecca – would need state legislation first.

Woody’s plan is a good first step. Hopefully, he can get the bulk of the remaining business owners on board with an improvement plan.