Saybrook Plaza filled with history and 14 great places to shop

By ELLEN KOLMAN - Staff Writer - ekolman@starbeacon.com
Star Beacon

February 10, 2009 03:45 pm

— SAYBROOK TOWNSHIP — Terri Hiltabidel, co-owner of Wiscum Pampered Pet Products, is happy with her family’s choice to open their store inside the Saybrook Plaza on Route 20 in the township.
“We chose the Saybrook Plaza because we liked the location and our rent is reasonable, especially because we have a large storefront,” Hiltabidel said.
Wiscum’s, which opened in late summer, occupies a 40-foot storefront.
“Before we opened, the plaza manager, Bennett Kest, was easy to work with and was very supportive of what we wanted to do with the store,” she said.
The Saybrook Plaza was built during the 1950s and was the place to shop on the west side of Ashtabula, Kest said. Kest, who owns Kest Property Management Group, in Cleveland, has been associated with the plaza since his childhood.
“There is a lot of history here. It was my dad who shot the Fourth of July fireworks off the roof in the 1970s,” Kest said with a smile.
The owners of the plaza are Dr. Harvey Kulber and wife, Linda, and family, as well as David and Evelyn Simon and family. These families are all Cleveland natives but have resided in California for many years.
“The plaza has been in those families for 40 to 50 years,” Kest said.
The retail business is based on trends and customer traffic patterns, and it is subject to change.
“In the late 1980s, big enclosed malls came to rural areas, and once the big stores moved in, the smaller stores followed, pulling tenants out of the plazas,” said Daniel Raiz, of Tribeca Real Estate Corp., of Cleveland, which leases Saybrook Plaza stores to tenants.
The Saybrook Plaza was affected negatively by the mall trend. Many clothing and shoe stores moved out of the plaza and into the Ashtabula Mall — now the Ashtabula Towne Square — when it opened in 1992.
Today, there is a reverse trend.
“We are now seeing stores leaving the malls to seek out reasonable rents in the plazas,” Kest said.
“Today, the Saybrook Plaza is experiencing a resurgence of new growth because we can offer conventional and nonconventional retailers reasonable rates here,” Raiz said.
This fall, Goodwill Industries of Ashtabula moved into the Saybrook Plaza, and that company couldn’t be happier.
“Saybrook Plaza is a great location for us because it draws in new shoppers and allows us to serve more people within our community,” said Nicole Steele, retail and marketing director for Goodwill Industries of Ashtabula.
“When Goodwill called, we wanted to accommodate them, and they are doing extremely well. We’ve got to be flexible and give retailers an opportunity to thrive,” Raiz said.
“I recently got a call from a tenant in the mall, inquiring about our plaza for options for their future,” he said.
All these years, the Saybrook Plaza has been well-kept and well lit, Kest said.
“We are very thankful for our present tenants. Giant Eagle has been a beautiful anchor for us for many years, as well as Big Lots,” he said.
The plaza has 14 tenants today, with room for more than a dozen more.
“We will welcome retail stores, businesses, doctor’s offices, and we would love a restaurant,” Raiz said.
“Last year was a tough year economically for everyone, but we added three new tenants. Things are happening at this plaza.”
For further information, call Raiz at Tribeca Real Estate Corp. (216 371-7063).

Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.