Mon 6/8
The Hot Dog shop at West 41st and Lorain had been in business for 92 years before in closed down in March. It opened in 1928 at Hot Dog Inn and was renamed Old Fashion Hot Dog when the Sorma family bought it in 1987. The immediate cause of the closure was the pandemic, the property’s landlords had already indicated their intention to develop the property differently.
One piece of the modest little — indeed, “old fashion” diner — will survive: its sign, which has long been a beacon and landmark to those driving down Lorain Avenue. When they heard about the diner’s closing, Tim Yanko and Dwight Laczmarek, who own the vintage/collectibles shop All Things for You a few doors to the east, offered to give the iconic sign a prominent spot in one of their store’s picture windows.
“We wanted to preserve a piece of this community’s history,” says Yanko. “Fans will be able to stop in, see the sign and share their frankfurter-and-cheese-fries-fueled stories with us.”
On the morning of Monday June 8, a small crowd gathered to watch as workmen from Tremont’s Dynamic Sign cut down the sign, lowered it to the ground and loaded it on dollies to wheel down to All Things for You and set it up in the window. Afterward, the gathered observers were invited in to the store for cold drinks and, of course, hot dogs.
View the PHOTOSTREAM here.
Cleveland, OH 44113