A fresh crop of entrepreneurs is beginning to change the course of the road that runs through the heart of Ohio City. Having seen how how West 25th Street's success has turned the corner with Penzeys Spices, Crop Bistro and Bonbon Pastry & Café, they're pulling that momentum westward onto Lorain Avenue.

One way to lure that energy is with a steaming bowl of chili. Ian Enggasser did just that when he launched Palookaville Chili with a couple of secret recipes and boundless determination in April 2011. The move came on the heels of a 10-year odyssey through New York, Florida and San Francisco during which he played in bands, drove a taxi and worked in the film industry. Eventually, the cost of living on the West Coast spurred the Richfield, Ohio native's return to Cleveland.

"I moved back here and it was like, okay, what do I do?" recalls Enggasser.

After a venture in the magazine business went south, the amateur chili buff opened Palookaville with "every dollar I had" and family backing. Enggasser, now an Ohio City resident, hasn't looked back. "I’ll never move out of Ohio City," he says, citing the neighborhood’s affordability, history and proximity to downtown. His central location attracts a daily supply of hungry lunch customers.  

In the course of the past year, the funky eatery has gained a fine local reputation and foodie following. Palookaville also received national attention with a feature spot on the Food Network's premiere episode of "$24 in 24" in September. Also featured were Ohio City's ABC Tavern, the West Side Market and Danny's Deli.

Across the street, Ohio City Tattoo defies stereotypes with a storefront studio that's clean and airy. The shop moved earlier this year from its original location next to Nick's Diner. When partners Chris Pokes, Cevens and Dayz Whun outgrew that space, they opted to stay on Lorain and keep supporting the neighborhood that had supported them. They continue to court a growing clientele that includes homegrown notables such as rapper Machine Gun Kelly.

"Ohio City is really growing," says Whun. "Look at all the shops, boutiques and restaurants. This is a nice area to be in. It's like the Coventry of the West Side."

The growth of the area along with the affordability of retail on Lorain Avenue has attracted other entrepreneurs, as well. Ohio City’s newest art gallery, BuckBuck, just earned a coveted "Best of" designation from Cleveland Magazine. Derek Maxfield and Joe Lanzilotta opened BuckBuck earlier this year in a grand space that only the very wealthiest New York and Chicago art purveyors could imagine—5,700 square feet of gorgeous, vintage storefront space.

This is Lorain Avenue, after all – a gritty strip where two young bohemians who are long on ideas and short on means can turn their artistic dream into a reality.

Maxfield and Lanzilotta attended Ohio University together, where they both earned degrees in graphic arts. After graduation, Lanzilotta moved to Chicago for an internship, which lasted for a year and a half. With dwindling funds and opportunities, he came home for a visit to discover Cleveland’s blossoming neighborhoods. He and Maxfield talked over some ideas and started poking around. When they found the elegant space, built in 1892, it sealed the deal.

"We found this place and said, 'Let's do it. It's the perfect time,’” says Lanzilotta.

"Stuff was already happening here," adds Maxfield, citing the busy tattoo shop, Palookaville, the Undisputed Barber Shop and the furniture store Play Haus Designs, among other newer retailers. "We wanted to contribute to that."

With three art shows under their belt and a fourth scheduled for October 20th, the two native Lakewoodites have clearly achieved that goal, but the buck doesn't stop there. They also plan to add a co-op studio and educational space in the future, envisioning BuckBuck as a well-rounded "incubator for creativity."

The concept is an apt metaphor for the entire strip, it seems. Just ask artist John Ranally, who moved into a living/studio space on Lorain Avenue in 1981, when the area's bloom was badly faded. "There were drug deals, prostitution and lots of storefronts closed," he recalls. “It was a rough and tumble neighborhood."

Ranally, a sculptor and artist, sells commissioned artwork to municipalities, organizations and individuals. He also works on community projects, from garden statues carved from felled pear trees to magical beasts that float in parades.

"I didn't get to New York with my artwork, but I found a place here in Cleveland that needed me," he says. He's also a partner at the Studio Foundry on Perkins.

"It's just amazing to see how it's changed in thirty years," says Ranally of Lorain. "It's more vibrant than I could have ever imagined. There are people pushing buggies, kids walking their dogs, young couples taking over houses and re-habbing them." As an early adopter, Ranally sees the burgeoning local business community and ongoing area renovations with a unique perspective. "You've got connecting dots all up and down Lorain that we didn't have when I first got here."

These entrepreneurs represent just a small piece of the investment taking place on Lorain. Other projects include the redevelopment of the Oddfellows building into residences by Michael Fleming and his family, architect David Ellison’s rehab of a dilapidated Victorian treasure, and investments by St. Ignatius and Urban Community School. Although it has a long way to go, Lorain is improving. 

Community advocates know how work remains to be done. The ambitious Launch Lorain plan, which aims to completely redevelop the streetscape and attract more entrepreneurial businesses, is one key to finishing the job.

Yet the connections being created by today’s entrepreneurs reveal something less tangible and more important than a collection of brick and mortar shops. These business owners have a mutual, organic support system that nurtures a growing micro-economy to which they all contribute with effortless good will.

Drop into an opening at BuckBuck and you'll likely run into Enggasser. Dayz Whun will tell you Palookaville has a great bowl of chili. Maxfield and Lanzilotta marvel over Ohio City Tattoo's growing clientele, while Enggasser touts the tat shop's street reputation. They all treat more established businesses such as Fridrich Bicycle, Unique Thrift and the Hot Dog Inn like venerable uncles.

To these business owners, that kind of support is essential. "This might not have happened had we not had a group of people that supported us," says Lanzilotta.