The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Brew & Stew closes, moves, waits for place
A coffee shop that endured construction and coronavirus has shut its doors for now, says owner.
A coffee shop that endured construction and coronavirus has shut its doors for now.
Brew & Stew, 630 Broadway, has left that location. But owner Mary Fields said regulars and new diners alike will find coffee, soup and other favorites at Broadway Mary’s, her other restaurant at 939 Broadway.
She pledged to find a location in downtown Lorain.
The Brew & Stew vision is to build a district, not just a restaurant. “This mission is not forgotten... just on hold,” Szefcyk said.
Brew & Stew became a popular spot for meeting and eating breakfast and lunch in downtown Lorain.
Two years ago, turning on an “Open” sign began an everlasting relationship with the community of Lorain, Szefcyk said in a social media post announcing the closure.
“We saw so many new faces when we first opened our doors, little did we know that two years later some of those new faces would become our regulars, our friends, our family,” she said. “The past two years couldn’t have happened without the support of each and every customer that stepped through our doors and fell in love with what we (were) working so hard to create. We appreciate every single one of you.”
Fields described the first two rounds of circumstances that she and her staff worked to overcome.
In summer 2019, rebuilding the sidewalks for the Broadway streetscape made it difficult for patrons to get to shops from 10th Street up to West Erie Avenue.
That included Brew & Stew, where Fields and her staff donned hard hats and safety vests and used other tricks to find humor in the construction zone.
Like restaurants around the nation, the novel coronavirus pandemic hit hard for Brew & Stew, Fields said.
She said she kept open both eateries as much as possible to be a positive part of Broadway even during the pandemic.
The community support for Brew and Stew was “amazing,” but not enough to keep the doors open, Szefcyk said.
Brew & Stew moved to Broadway Mary’s with plans eventually to return to 630 Broadway.
As time went on, the third round developed, Fields said.
Her lease expired at 630 Broadway, where she and building owner Gary Davis had some email miscommunications about extending that agreement.
Meanwhile, the restaurants had to deal with reduced seating capacity, along with rising costs of ingredients and adapting for carryout service, while covering utility bills to stay open. Fields said she still is awaiting financial help from the city of Lorain through the federal CARES Act COVID-19 pandemic aid.
The positive attitude about Broadway and downtown Lorain may have created the wrong impression that things were OK at Brew & Stew and Broadway Mary’s, Fields said.
The community grew to depend on Brew & Stew as a gathering space with quality foods and the vibe of something different downtown, she said.
“It’s frustrating because Brew & Stew was so important,” she said. “We had a proven business in there. We had a proven business that worked.”