Owners hope shops spur Cleveland growth

Chandra Ramsey orders a pink lemonade, danish and pecan pie from Nia Blackwell on Tuesday at Sweet Tooth Cafe. Julian Winford keeps busy arranging the cafe's sweet treats.

Sarah Campbell / Salisbury Post Sweet Tooth Cafe owner Erika Winford, left, poses outside the shop at 101 W. Main Street, Cleveland with her 16-year-old son Julian Winford and niece Nia Blackwell. Winford said the idea for the shop came from Julian and Nia and she helped bring it to life.

Sarah Campbell / Salisbury Post Donna Hogue, owner of On Second Thought Cosignment, straightens racks inside her business on west Main Street in Cleveland. Hogue said she is hoping her store will spark a revitilization effort downtown.

By Sarah Campbell

scampbell@salisburypost.com

CLEVELAND — Two new businesses have moved in downtown, a positive sign that local officials say could bring more economic development to the area.

“A vibrant downtown is important to the overall health of the community,” said Robert Van Geons, executive director for RowanWorks, which serves as the county’s Economic Development Commission. “If the shops are successful, I think it would strongly encourage others to make similar investments in Cleveland.”

Sweet Tooth Cafe and On Second Thought Consignment opened on the 100 block of West Main Street at the end of November and both plan grand opening events Saturday in conjunction with the Cleveland Christmas Parade.

First-time business owners Donna Hogue and Erika Winford decided to plant their roots in Cleveland in an effort to expand the downtown.

“Every downtown should be busy and have something going on,” said Winford, owner of Sweet Tooth Cafe. “I think this is a great location with the traffic from the Post Office and other businesses.”

Although both admit the current economic climate could be an obstacle, they are optimistic about the future.

“There’s always that worry, but then I thought about revitalization,” Winford said. “You always have to be the first.”

Hogue, owner of On Second Thought, said her decision to open came after much thought and prayer.

“My husband (Denton) and I decided we would give it a try and see where it goes,” she said.

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Cleveland commissioner Frankie Fleming-Adkins said she’s thrilled to see residents taking the initiative to improve the town.

“It’s a start,” she said. “They dreamed it and they did it, I hope the community will stop in and support them because (revitalization) has to start somewhere.”

Fleming-Adkins said she remembers a “booming” downtown back in ’60s, when people used to catch the bus across from the post office. She said business started to dwindle with the addition of U.S. 70. and the loss of the bus stop.

“Once that happened, we lost all of our business downtown,” she said. “Most of the shop owners either retired or passed away and nobody really stepped in to take their place.”

Although Fleming-Adkins said many of the downtown store fronts have been unoccupied for long periods of time since the ’70s, she’s hoping Hogue and Winford’s “leap of faith” will be rewarded with local patronage.

“Cleveland has really grown since Freightliner came,” she said. “Hopefully our little downtown can take root again.”

Van Geons said it takes time and work for a downtown to bounce back, but the payoff is significant.

“You look at China Grove and Salisbury and some of our other downtowns that have seen resurgences and it changes for the positive the dynamic of the town,” he said.

Fleming-Adkins said the town’s Board of Commissioners hopes to make downtown revitalization a priority in the future.

“That’s one of the things that is next on our slate,” she said. “There are a lot of challenges; our board needs to look at what the possibilities are and what is feasible.”

Although Cleveland’s population is less than 1,000, Fleming-Adkins said the number of people traveling through should help support the new businesses.

“They come for the grocery store, they come for school, so hopefully this is something we can grow,” she said.

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Hogue said running a consignment shop has been a dream for her and husband Denton for years, so when they finally decided to do it, opening up at 101 W. Main St. was a no-brainer.

“We live five minutes away and my husband is from Cleveland,” she said. “There wasn’t a consignment shop in this area, so I felt that it would be nice to bring affordable clothing and toys.”

Hogue said consignment seemed like the logical choice because she’s “always searching for a bargain.”

“I shop consignment and thrift for my children’s clothes as well as my clothes,” she said. “We have three children and two dogs, so we have to stay on a budget.”

Right now, Hogue and her mother-in-law, Phyllis Hogue, are taking turns manning the store during operating hours, which are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

After business picks up, she plans to hire two part-time employees.

“I want to start employing people to help boost the local economy,” Hogue said. “That’s my way to contributing to the economy.”

The store sells clothing, household items and furnishing in excellent condition.

Consigners receive 50 percent of the sale price for each item, up to $50. The store will only retain 40 percent of proceeds from items sold for more than $50. Hogue said people can stop by the store during business hours to inquire about consignment.

“I need more children’s clothes,” she said. “What we did have we’ve pretty much already sold.”

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Erika Winford is a native of Cleveland, so when she moved back two years ago her son Julian Winford and niece Nia Blackwell suggested she open up a coffee shop.

“It was inspired by the kids,” she said. “They wanted me to check into it and the ball pretty much started rolling from there.

“It’s really a family business, I just help put their idea into action.”

Winford said she picked the spot at 101 W. Main St. because of all the foot traffic to the post office and other places downtown such as the Metcalf Chiropractic Center, Cleveland Barber Shop and, now, On Second Thought.

Winford said the shop’s speciality coffee rivals big-name companies.

“We’re not trying to be Starbucks,” she said. “We want people to know that you don’t have to go all the way to Starbucks because we do the same things right here, if not a little better.

The shop serves muffins, cakes, pies, danishes, brownies and a variety of other sweets along with coffees, smoothies and shakes.

Business hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Winford said in honor of the Christmas parade she’ll have coffee and hot chocolate specials Saturday, along with a raffle.

“We just want to welcome everybody to the shop and let them know that we’re very affordable,’ she said.

Winford works full time at the shop and receives help from Julian and Nia after school.

“Right now, as soon as the kids get out of school it’s prime time” she said. “We’re busier in the afternoon and evening.”

Investing in the cafe included updating the storefront and countertops, replacing the floors and painting the entire inside, but Winford believes it’s an investment in the future.

“We want to bring business here,” she said. “We just want to have something for ourselves here and help the economy grow here.”

Contact Sarah Campbell at 704-797-7683.