An Upturn in Cleveland? Thoughts From Dr. White

Hi! Dr. White here. I thought I'd share some thoughts about our economy here in Cleveland and see if you have any thoughts of your own.

It's pretty clear that our local economy in the Greater Cleveland area failed to recover as completely as the rest of the country after the tragedy of 9/11. Even so, we DID grow between 2003 and 2008, and we were perking along rather nicely, I think. New businesses, some growth in our traditional businesses, and some energy and excitement in Cleveland itself.

Then along came August of 2008 and the collapse of the housing and banking markets nationally, and WHAM! We got socked. It sure felt like we got hit harder and went down further than lots of other places, and that's pretty much what we heard from all of you when you came in for your eye care here in Westlake at Skyvsion Centers.

We're noticing a little change in the conversations, though. Some of our patients who own or run businesses are starting to see juuuuust a little uptick. Some are even hiring folks. My wife and I couldn't make it to the grocery store last week so we ended up going out to dinner on Wednesday and Thursday (we're brand new empty nesters!), and the restaurants were crowded! Mid-week, on the West Side! The wait was so long at the first restaurant on Thursday we actually had to leave an go to another.

These are tiny, little signs for sure. What are YOU seeing? Has our local economy stopped falling, and maybe even started to pick up, even just a little bit?

Let us know. We are all proud to be here for you, Cleveland, and proud to be here IN Cleveland.

Dr. White