"We all think 49 years in this business is quite enough," Ray Jupina wrote this fall when he announced that the corn stand at 32421 Walker Road was done. That's the stand at the old John Christ Winery site, now Laughing Bomb Brewery. The Westside Buzz reported that it had run in Avon Lake for 36 seasons.
The corn stand is one of several things that changed on Avon Lake's errand map between last December and this one. Most of the changes sit on Avon Belden Road. Most of the season's useful dates fall within three weeks, from the Light Up the Park parade on Saturday, November 21, through December 12, when the city's Shop Local campaign closes. Gift cards are the latest deadline: one longtime shop on Route 83 accepts them only until Christmas.
The Parade Route Runs Past the New Storefronts
On Saturday the city holds Light Up the Park from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Veterans' Memorial Park, 32756 Lake Road. It is free. The light parade starts at 5:45 p.m. at Bleser Park, heads north on Avon Belden Road, turns west on Lake Road and ends at the Ellen Trivanovich Aquatic Center north parking lot. Santa then joins the park lighting ceremony.
Before the parade, there is more than the lighting:
- Live reindeer and a petting zoo, photos with holiday characters, and a live ice sculpture demonstration in the park
- Kids' crafts in the Lake House
- The CLE Market Holiday Craft show at the Old Firehouse Community Center, 100 Avon Belden Road
- Warm drinks and food for purchase from Cafe Melissa's and Emilie's Coffee
The craft show is the first holiday market of the season on Avon Belden Road, and it shares the road with this year's new shops. Three newcomers arrived this fall at two neighboring addresses, 690 and 720 Avon Belden.
New on Route 83 This Fall
Harmony Blends & More, 690 Avon Belden Road, Suite 1C. The owner, Alda, runs it as a loose-leaf tea shop that also sells raw honey, olive oils, tea ware, chocolates and curated gift sets. The Westside Buzz profile placed it in the same plaza as Salad KraZe and gave its target opening date as September 14. Its website now says "Now Open."
Its hours matter for planning. The shop is open Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and closed weekends. A Saturday gift run won't work here. Plan for a weekday lunch break or an afternoon before 5.
Daboba, 720 Avon Belden Road. This boba and tea shop opened in September. The menu includes Brown Sugar Boba, Fresh Milk Tea, Fruit Tea and frappes.
Blume Nail Bar, also at 720 Avon Belden. It announced a soft opening for October 18 in the former Kelsey Elizabeth Cakes space next to Daboba. If you used to buy holiday cakes at that address, Kelsey Elizabeth Cakes lists its location at 27311 Wolf Road in Bay Village.
These three put a tea counter, a boba shop and a nail salon within a few doors of each other, between the Old Firehouse and the high school.
Walker Road's Additions Are Already on the Shop Local List
The other corridor that changed is Walker Road. Two of this fall's newcomers there have already joined the city's Shop Local campaign.
Biggby Coffee, 33388 Walker Road in Drug Mart Plaza. The city scheduled its ribbon cutting for November 3. It moved into the space Rio Coffee Brewery held for 23 years before Rio closed in 2024. Owner Mary Ann Nowak opened her first Biggby in Sheffield Lake in November 2024, and Avon Lake is her second. The menu includes coffee and tea drinks, seasonal specials, smoothies and the chain's "bragel sandwitches."
The Fix, 32730 Walker Road, Unit C-5, at The Landings. Chef Terry Bell, known as Chef T, spent 17 years as team chef for the Cleveland Cavaliers, including the 2016 championship season. According to the city's announcement, The Fix offers chef-prepared grab-and-go meals Tuesday through Friday from noon to 6:00 p.m. It also takes preorders for Tuesday and Thursday and offers catering and personal chef services. Many soups, sauces, dressings and marinades are made from scratch with locally sourced ingredients. In a month with a lot of hosting, that catering line is the part that matters.
The December 12 Cutoff
The city's annual Shop Local campaign runs from November 1 through December 12, 2026. Each time you shop or dine at a participating business, you get a chance to win a $50 gift card from that business. The city will also draw three grand prize winners. Each grand prize is a set of gift cards from one part of the city: East, Central or West.
The participant list covers more than restaurants. These are the businesses most useful for holiday shopping:
| What you're shopping for | Participating businesses |
|---|---|
| Gifts and jewelry | Peter & Co. Jewelers, Talents Gifts, Sisterhood Boutique, UR Décor & More, Element LABS Bath & Body |
| Flowers and hosting | Sissons Flowers & Gifts, The Fix |
| Coffee stops | Biggby Coffee, Café Melissa, Emilie's Coffee House & Wine Bar, Elysium Café |
| Pets on the list | EarthWise Pet, Polished Paws Salon & Boutique |
| Experiences and gift cards | Sweetbriar Golf Club, Cleveland Premier Pickleball, The Adventure Factory, Studio DaVinci |
| A quick lunch on Route 83 | Salad KraZe |
The full list has 40 businesses, including Jake's on the Lake, Parker's Grille & Tavern, Legacy Restaurant & Grille, Edacious Kitchen + Bar and William Fine Sandwich Shop & Cold Stone Creamery. December 12 is a Saturday. A gift card bought for someone on your list after that still supports the business, but it no longer counts as an entry.
Two Deadlines at Found Home Provisions
Found Home Provisions, 763 Avon Belden Road, closes at the end of December. Owner Kristen Weede opened it in May 2023. The shop has stopped selling gift cards, and the Westside Buzz reported that existing cards must be used before Christmas. A final sale follows after Christmas, with dates to be posted on the shop's social media in December.
Found Home sits at the north end of the same stretch of Route 83 as the new shops at 690 and 720. Anyone holding one of its gift cards has the same window as everyone else: before December 25.
The Season's Calendar, Parade to Choir
The city and library calendars run from the November 21 parade to a choir concert the day after Shop Local ends. The busiest stretch is the first weekend of December.
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 21, 3–6 p.m. | Light Up the Park, CLE Market Holiday Craft show, light parade at 5:45 p.m. | Veterans' Memorial Park, 32756 Lake Road; Old Firehouse, 100 Avon Belden Road |
| Fri.–Sat., Dec. 4–5 | Photos with Santa, reservations required | The Lake House, Veterans' Memorial Park |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. | Christmas by the Lake Craft Show, more than 100 vendors | Avon Lake High School Auxiliary Gym, 75 Avon Belden Road |
| Sun., Dec. 6, 2–3 p.m. | Ukulele Jammers seasonal concert | Avon Lake Public Library mezzanine |
| Tue., Dec. 8, 7–7:45 p.m. | Jingle Bell Jam for families, registration required | Library, Waugaman Gallery |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Last day of Shop Local | Participating businesses citywide |
| Sun., Dec. 13, 2–3 p.m. | Christ Church Westshore Choir holiday concert | Library mezzanine |
Christmas by the Lake, run by the Avon Lake High School PTA, is on Saturday, December 5, the same day as the second day of Photos with Santa. That puts the season's two biggest craft shows on Avon Belden Road, two weeks apart: CLE Market at No. 100 on November 21 and Christmas by the Lake at No. 75 on December 5. The Avon Lake Public Library also has a take-and-make Origami Holiday Gift Card kit available at the Information Desk from November 30 through December 5.
A Weekday Plan and a Saturday Plan
Store hours split the season into two kinds of trips.
- Weekday, before 5 p.m. Harmony Blends is open only on weekdays, and The Fix's grab-and-go counter runs Tuesday through Friday, noon to 6. A weekday afternoon covers both, along with Daboba at 720 Avon Belden.
- Saturday, November 21. CLE Market at the Old Firehouse in the afternoon, then the 5:45 p.m. parade up Avon Belden.
- Saturday, December 5. Christmas by the Lake opens at 9 a.m., and Photos with Santa runs at the Lake House that same weekend.
- By December 12. Purchases count toward Shop Local only through this date.
- By December 25. Last day to use Found Home Provisions gift cards.
Ray Jupina's stand won't reopen on Walker Road next summer. Farther along the same road, the city set Biggby's ribbon cutting for the old Rio space in Drug Mart Plaza, and The Fix's for The Landings.
Storefront changes like these are one of the things Iconic Partners Group tracks as we follow Avon Lake block by block. If this season has you wondering what the changes on Avon Belden and Walker Road mean for your own home's value, start with an instant home valuation. We'll follow up with the local context behind the number.
