Sandusky will forever be my hometown wherever I end up in life. I love everything about it. The lake, cedar point, the waterparks, all the great restaurants, and you cannot forget all of the awesome people that live in Sandusky. With the store closings of Macy's and Sears in our Sandusky Mall, it really had me thinking. Why is it that many businesses are leaving Sandusky?

Could it be the rise in online shopping? That could be one factor in the equation. It could also be that other cities have shopping centers that Sandusky residents would rather visit. Every weekend it seems that I have friends or family that end up at Crocker Park in Cleveland or Easton Town Center in Columbus. They are destinations for many. These are some of the more popular places to eat and places to shop.

That alone leads me to believe that Sandusky has all the opportunity in the world to do some big things. We have so many attractions that bring people to Sandusky. First and foremost, we have Cedar Point. All summer long coaster enthusiasts flock from around the country to visit Cedar Point. We have several waterparks. Kalahari, Great Wolf Lodge, and Castaway Bay are just a few to name. We also have many people coming to take advantage of going boating on the lake or going to the islands. Sandusky is a destination. People go there to vacation or go on day trips.

There is opportunities to bring a Crocker Park or Easton type shopping venue. When people go on vacations, they shop and they go out to eat. I think there are great opportunities to bring more people to Sandusky. Better utilizing that potential will only help the area. It will help the schools, bring more people in because of jobs. I go on vacation every summer with my family. We always go shopping and out to eat. I think it makes sense. Plus if there are places that people want to shop and eat at in Sandusky, they will not have any reason to go to Crocker Park or Easton. Let's be real, the Sandusky Mall is not a place you always want to go shop at.

I love what is being done with downtown Sandusky as well. Downtown was dead maybe five years ago. Now, there are all types of fun, new businesses coming in. With Zinc, HDT, Boom Town Coffee, The Shore house, Hotel Kilbourne, and Small City Tap house. Downtown is on the rise and people are starting to have that vision to do really cool things.

I hope some developer sees the potential to do great things in Sandusky. I think there is money to be made and there are opportunities to bring even more people to Sandusky. I am hopeful for the future.