Beachwood students will soon have a new place to go during their free time. Cedar Center North, which has been vacant since 2008, is now coming back to life. Gordon Food Service Marketplace (GFS), a store carrying food and party items, opened for business this past October. In the next few weeks, construction will begin on more stores, which are expected to open to the public this summer.

The Coral Company, a real estate development, construction, and management firm, is the developer of Cedar Center North, which is located in South Euclid. Previously, The Coral Company redeveloped Cedar Center South in University Heights.

The next businesses to open at Cedar Center North will be restaurants, including Bob Evans, Chipotle, Five Guys, Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches, and Panera Bread. China Gate, a tenant of the original Cedar Center North, will return as well. Jeffrey Epstein, Vice President of Development for The Coral Company, added that The Coral Company is negotiating with a number of other tenants and when leases are signed, The Coral Company will make the tenants’ names public.

In addition to stores and restaurants, there will be what Epstein calls “civic spaces” at Cedar Center North. One space will have benches, trees and lawns. Epstein stated that the City of South Euclid “has the right to have farmers’ markets, art shows, and other types of events in this particular civic space.” There will also be another civic space, which will consist of outdoor dining areas, as well as some landscaping.

Epstein is enthusiastic about building at Cedar Center North, which is bordered by residential areas. Epstein explained, “If you look at some aerial shots taken, you can see a lot of houses. A lot of people live there, a lot of educated people as well, and people who have disposable income. For a retail location, it’s a great location. The corner of Cedar Road and Warrensville Center Road, if you look at a map, is really the geographic center of the east side of Cleveland.”

The original Cedar Center North, which opened in the late 1940s, consisted of a single row of buildings that housed retail space. The Coral Company tore down the buildings in 2008. “The old buildings were in pretty bad shape, and were owned by a number of different property owners. It was really difficult for anybody to go in and comprehensively redevelop the whole center,” said Epstein.

Cedar Center North will consist of single story retail space. Epstein remarked, “We, at one point, hoped to have some residential areas. But, with the economy the way it is and the foreclosure crisis, there’s not enough demand and there’s not enough financing for residential [space] on the site right now.”

GFS, the first store to open at Cedar Center North, carries large canned goods, large bulk cases of fresh meats, and frozen entrees that are ready to heat and serve. The store also sells party supplies.

GFS Assistant Manager Bill Remle said that GFS sells food to individuals as well as to restaurants, schools, churches, hospitals, and anyone else who has a food service program. Remle added that about 80% of GFS’s business is direct delivery to places with food service programs.

Remle commented that the GFS at Cedar Center North is already successful and bringing customers back to the area. Remle added that GFS had a successful grand opening week. He noted, “During our grand opening, we did the 2nd most weekly business for a GFS Marketplace out of the entire 150 stores that we have opened.”

Remle described GFS food products that appeal to teens. “We do sell bulk candies, and a lot of different types of bulk snacks. We do carry healthy snacks like Nutri-Grain bars. We also do carry bulk beverages like Powerade and Gatorade. We have a lot of products that teens would eat in school, like Bosco Sticks and mini pizzas. A lot of high school kids come in here and ask about Bosco Sticks—they are a big seller for us. In fact, most of the school systems in the area actually do get GFS products. GFS does serve pretty much every school system in the Cuyahoga County area. So a lot of the food that teens eat at school is GFS food.”