You Are Here #5

Sarah Henderson
54 years old
Former 6^th Grade Teacher; Currently teaches Tai Chi
Lakewood resident for 20 years

Favorite Place(s): The Coffee Pot and Lakewood Home Furnishings, both on Madison Avenue in Lakewood.

Sarah enjoys Monday mornings at The Coffee Pot with her husband, Bill.
Photography by Kristine Williams

It's Like Living In A Small Town
"One thing I love about Lakewood is that it’s like living in a small town but it’s not as limiting as a small town. I have lived in a small town before. We can walk places, we can walk to the Library from where we live, we can walk to the park from where we live. We have two dogs, we love the dog park and the dog swim and just how the sidewalks, we walk the dogs all over the neighborhood. We’ll often drive to a neighborhood just so we can enjoy the neighborhood with our dog.

And I really like that, this is like a small down, in here, Julian, Mama and Papa (of The Coffee Pot) know our names. Same with the shop next door, Lakewood Home Furnishings, so there are places like that, where you’re not an anonymous person. And we always run into people we know, which is fun, and that’s like a small town.

I really like the schools. I taught in the schools and my oldest daughter, Amanda, went to the schools from 4^th Grade through High School, and she got a great education. She went to Hiram [College] and her English teacher asked her where she learned to write so well...

I love my house, and it’s affordable. You know, I could live in Avon or Westlake, but I just couldn’t have that much house elsewhere. And I feel safe. I’m a single mom, or I was single until Bill moved in, but when I was a single mom, it was still safe. You know, with trick-or-treating, you feel safe for them to go on French or Andrews. My daughter has babysitting jobs right on the street and the people are friendly."

You Are Here* is a project that highlights what Lakewood residents think and feel about their city. We feel that a project like this shares a great affinity with many of the community efforts beginning and ongoing in our city. We are witnessing the emergence of an engaged, pro-active and committed community dedicated to creating the kind of place that we want to live in. But the question remains: who are you? To that end, we would like to use this project as a forum to meet as many Lakewood residents as possible. We would like to photograph you in your favorite place in Lakewood and discuss with you what you feel makes Lakewood a special place. These biographical vignettes will regularly be published in the Lakewood Observer. Publishing them in the Observer means that you get to share, and other people get to learn about, who you are and what you feel makes Lakewood a special place. Ultimately, a quilt of individuals and experiences will be available to all who live here, and those who do not live here yet, strengthening the sense of community that is Lakewood, Ohio.

Are you interested in participating? Contact Jason Weiner and Kristine Williams at lakewoodandyou@yahoo.com or by calling 216.221.5146.

*A photo-documentary project highlighting the individuals who live in the city of Lakewood, Ohio.

Jason Weiner lives in Lakewood with his wife, Kristine. He teaches Sociology, does research and plays drums. His favorite place in Lakewood is the Purple Martin house in Lakewood Park.

Kristine Williams lives in Lakewood with her husband, Jason. In addition to teaching 3rd grade, she paints and knits for local galleries. Her favorite spot in Lakewood is under the oak trees in her own backyard.

They enjoy gardening and watching the birds in their backyard with their two dogs (Max and Gracie), cat (Emily) and several fresh water fish.