A stretch of Lorain Avenue buzzing with new creative energy thanks to the arrival of Guitar Riot and Visible Voice Books in 2025 also saw two abrupt closures at the end of December.
Zoom in: The businesses were across the street from each other.
- Forest City Shuffleboard (4506 Lorain Ave.) closed after a year under out-of-state ownership. Founder Jim Miketo told Cleveland Scene he’s already working to line up a new local operator, with hopes of reopening soon.
- Arsenal Cider House (4507 Lorain Ave.) quietly ended service Dec. 27, shuttering its Cleveland tap house while continuing to distribute locally.
đź’ Sam’s thought bubble: Owners Bill and Michelle Larkin opened the Ohio City location of their Pittsburgh-based business in early 2020. It might have been doomed anyway, with its frontier aesthetic and limited hours of operation — but the pandemic precluded it from ever establishing a foothold.
🇯🇵 Elsewhere in Ohio City, the highly anticipated Japanese izakaya Kyuu-juu closed Dec. 31…