LORAIN, Ohio — More than six months after the closure of a well-loved Lorain restaurant, a new business is taking over the downtown storefront and hoping to spark more investment on Broadway.
Dayna Santiago has spent several months transforming the vintage-inspired Broadway Mary’s into an industrial chic event space called Venue 939. Gone are the eclectic furniture, wall of records and retro TV, but the large disco ball and old payphone remain as a nod to the former restaurant.
“I knew somewhere, somehow we were going to keep Broadway Mary alive,” Santiago said.
After weathering pandemic restrictions and a large construction project, Broadway Mary’s shut down in late August.
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Venue 939 has been transforming the former Broadway Mary’s location into Lorain’s only all-inclusive event space.
“I wanted somewhere where people could walk in and it’s a total vibe for them. It’s like - ‘Oh my gosh I love being here, I could imagine my wedding here, my anniversary, my baby shower,” Santiago said.
With close to a decade of experience as an event planner, Santiago said she saw demand for an all-inclusive event space. She also saw a need for investment in her hometown.
“What was easy for me is – this is my city. I grew up here,” she said.
Another seemingly easy decision was bringing former Broadway Mary’s owner Mary Szefcyk on as Venue 939’s new head chef.
“I’m just going to be in the kitchen doing my culinary magic,” Szefcyk said.
Santiago added, “It was important to keep Broadway Mary on Broadway. She has an amazing following. People adore her.”
The pair have known each other for years and when the restaurant closed, Szefcyk began helping cater events for Santiago. The former owner said it’s a bittersweet opportunity to return to the building in a new role.
“I missed the community engagement with people coming in every day. But also sometimes it’s ok to let something go because – look at it. We have something maybe even better coming on board,” Szefcyk said.
In August, she explained inflation and stagnant sales made Broadway Mary’s overhead and operation costs untenable. Other Broadway businesses have also shut down in recent years and left the stretch of downtown with numerous vacant storefronts.
Szefcyk and Santiago hope Venue 939 can be a catalyst for more investment in the area.
“I have faith that more businesses will see that we’re coming in, we’re trying to grow, help each other grow,” Santiago said.
Szefcyk added, “People are still kind of nervous to invest on Broadway, but I really think it’s moving forward.”
Lorain neighbors told News 5 they’re eager to see more businesses in the downtown area.
“It definitely has potential. I just feel like downtown kind of gave itself a bad name. People were scared to come down here and open up new things. But you’ve got to start somewhere,” said Mariah Moore.
Both the former and new owner of the Broadway property said they hope to spark more investment and community support for local businesses.
“This is what’s needed, is more life here on Broadway. And that’s what we’re here to do,” Szefcyk said.
