ELYRIA – The local economy may be lackluster for some, but a few local entrepreneurs still believe in downtown Elyria and are opening shops to prove it.

In the coming weeks, at least five new small businesses will open their doors, including a women`s clothing boutique called Kelly`s Boutique at 10 Lake Ave., a shoe store called Steppin` Out! Footwear at 381 Broad St., and a diner/coffeehouse called Peggy`s Place at 354 Broad St.

A new art school and art studio is open for business after turning the second floor of one downtown Elyria building, also at 381 Broad St. into a haven for local artists.

And an information technology consulting firm, Bafmin LLC, also plans to open on Middle Avenue.

Artist Debra Kozak said setting up shop in downtown Elyria was a no-brainer. She moved to Elyria more than 11 years ago from Avon Lake and is a firm believer in having the arts wherever she goes.

“I`m just a crazy artist who loves Elyria,” Kozak said from her studio on Broad Street called Sable River Art School and Gallery.

Surrounded by her own creations and the works of other artists who craved a place willing to highlight their talent, Kozak talked with enthusiasm about what she hopes will transpire in Elyria in regards to the arts.

“The arts should be in a more urban setting where people can have access to it right where they are,” she said. “I want today`s generation to know there is art in everything you do. It`s not just for the haute taute or the big cities like New York.”

Still, Kozak said she knows there are many who would question her desire to be in downtown Elyria. She can only answer that it`s because it`s the right place to be, she said.

Likewise, Sandra Wright said downtown Elyria offered her and her daughter the best option for their shoe store.

“This location is purely great and we know because we looked all over Lorain County before settling on this location,” she said. “We`ve always wanted to do something like this, but in a way that is feasible for us to offer affordable shoes.”

The result is Steppin` Out! Footwear, a discount shoe store that combines Wright`s background in corrections and the business management background of her daughter, Shayla Wright. This is their first venture outside of those areas, but Wright said they have one thing going for them.

“We`ve always been women, so we know shoes,” she said, smiling.

Opening a business is not easy, especially in Elyria, but Jim Sloan, a retired autoworker turned coffee barista, hopes more people take the chance.

Sloan has owned and operated Jim`s Coffeehouse on Lake Avenue since the early summer of 2008 and wishes more entrepreneurs would see the value of setting up shop downtown.

“We are stronger when we are together,” he said. “If someone comes downtown for one thing, they will come downtown for other things. We just have to be here.”

Contact Lisa Roberson at 329-7121 or lroberson@chroniclet.com.

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