Joe Tait to Visit Strongsville

Former Cavs announcer will meet fans at Costco

Costco members can meet legendary announcer Joe Tait, "the Voice of the Cleveland Cavaliers," when he visits the Strongsville store at 16690 Royalton Rd. on Thursday, Dec. 29 from 6-8 pm. Tait will autograph copies of his new book, Joe Tait: It’s Been a Real Ball, which will be available for sale at the event.The book is co-written with award-winning sports writer Terry Pluto.  Based on a series of in-depth interviews, and with memories contributed by Tait’s fans and colleagues, the book covers Joe Tait’s hall-of-fame broadcasting career from his early days announcing high school sports to his retirement from basketball in 2011 after four decades with the Cavaliers.  His animated voice brought the excitement of the game home to listeners, …

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Japanese Restaurant Moving Into Plaza at SouthPark

Samurai sushi and hibachi will open next to Five Below

The Samurai, a Japanese sushi and hibachi restaurant, will open soon in the Plaza at SouthPark. Economic Development Manager Brent Painter said the restaurant will occupy 5,392 square feet at the end of the Best Buy strip, next to Five Below. "It's moving forward again," Painter said. He said Visconsi Companies announced several months ago that Samurai would open there, but the project was delayed. "They're working on it again now," he said. An opening date has not been set.  That leaves only two stores in the Plaza at SouthPark unfilled -- a 5,000-square-foot storefront and a 6,600-square-foot space, both next to La-Z-Boy in the strip that also contains Bed Bath & Boyond and Petco. The plaza is also anchored by Costco, Best Buy, Ulta and …

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Best Bites

Costco Reigns Supreme When it Comes to Tasty Cheap Eats

The Strongsville Gourmet has no qualms about downing a quick dog.

It’s always fun to do fine dining. To sit at a nice table, read through a big menu and receive wonderful service from a friendly waitress or waiter. Fun but expensive. Sometimes, cheap eats is the order of the day. Save a few bucks, but still indulge in a quick, tasty meal; even if it means standing in a line and eating on the run. One of my favorite cheap-eats haunts is Costco. Yes, I said Costco. At my previous full-time gig, Fridays were a half day, which left me with an afternoon to kill before my better half came home for the weekend. It quickly became a tradition for me to head over to Costco to browse their DVD and electronics sections, pick up some flowers for Mrs. Shamray (hey, there really are some nice flowers there), and grab a…

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Best of the 2010 Businesses

Strongsville Patch was happy to see some of the new retail faces this year

It was pretty hard for Strongsville to follow its own act in the retail arena this year after the splash it made in 2009 with the Plaza at SouthPark. Some huge retailers -- Best Buy, Costco, Bed Bath and Beyond, Petco, Ulta Beauty and Jared The Galleria of Jewelry -- opened their doors,  along with some smaller neighbors.   Still, the city managed to lure in still more places to spend shopping dollars in 2010, some in the Plaza, some in Westfield SouthPark mall and others in various spots around town. A few of our favorite newbies: At the Plaza at SouthPark: DiBella's Old Fashioned Submarines -- Who knew sandwiches could be so tasty?; La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries -- Close-to-home furniture shopping is a bonus; and Five Below -- While …

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Blotter: Police Say Texts Were No Laughing Matter

Police reports from Dec. 13-16

A Webster Road man called police after his son received threatening text messages from someone claiming he was going to kill both father and son. A message sent Dec. 16 also described items in their house, leading police to believe the suspect was in the home or had been there in the past. Turns out, he had -- he lives there. A younger brother was sending the messages from a friend's computer. A report said the boy thought the prank was funny. Police advised him it wasn't. In other police news: • A 19-year-old driver who may have been doing donuts behind Costco, 16690 Royalton Rd., early Dec. 13 got his car stuck on a curb. Police found the vehicle there, along with a pile of fast food trash, about 1:30 a.m. and called the owner, who said …

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