Profiles

Shaker Square has long been known to attract diners from across Greater Cleveland to its range of fine dining and internationally-inspired restaurants. One such restaurant is SASA, which became Cleveland’s first Japanese Izakaya restaurant when it opened its doors at Shaker Square in 2007.

SASA owner and chef Scott Kim takes pride in more than just being the chef of a highly regarded Asian bistro, as being a sought after community destination at Shaker Square comes with great importance to him as well.

“Lots of chefs can cook, but not all of them are a part of the community,” Scott said of his bistro’s deep ties to not only his customers but also to many families in the surrounding community. He and his wife Brenda make it a point to get to know the individuals and families who regularly dine at SASA.

Scott and his wife Brenda take pride in owning their business on Shaker Square, a destination the Kims refer to as a “backbone of Cleveland’s retail scene” and a place where all tenants and visitors benefit from the range of amenities offered here. 

In addition to Japanese cuisine, you can enjoy handcrafted cocktails, sake, and craft beer. You can check out SASA’s full menu and plan your visit below. 

Whether you’re three or 83, Cleveland City Dance has something for you. A staple in the Greater Cleveland area since its founding in 1965, it’s the region’s premier dance school offering a variety of classes for children, teenagers, and adults.

Owner Courtney Laves-Mearini moved this esteemed dance school to Shaker Square in 2008, and she’s worked to double her student population since then.

As a longtime neighborhood resident and business owner, Courtney appreciates what the Square offers without having to get in a car: “if I need something I can walk to the grocery store, there are restaurants to eat at, there’s music on the weekends.”

“Shaker Square has the feeling of a downtown but it’s smaller,” she added. “There’s a lot of potential here, we just need to bring it all together and make sure people know about it.”

Notably, Cleveland City Dance is the resident home of the City Ballet of Cleveland, providing students with the opportunity to audition for this pre-professional ballet company. 

Program offerings include ballet, boys ballet, jazz, modern, tap, hip-hop, and adult classes and conditioning. 

2024 marks 30 years of serving customers at Shaker Square for Elina Kreymerman. Just two years after immigrating here from Ukraine in 1992, Elina opened Shaker Square Dry Cleaning & Tailoring in 1994.

With her business continuing to run strong three decades later, today Elina is the longest-tenured business owner on Shaker Square. Elina credits the neighborhoods surrounding Shaker Square, and the loyal customer relationships she has forged, for making her success possible, especially amid the challenges posed to businesses in recent years.

“Shaker Square is a great place,” Elina shares. “A lot of businesses like ours did not survive the pandemic, but we have very loyal customers around here. We know our customers, we know their children, we even know their dogs! We’re a local business that serves our local community.”

If you speak to customers who frequent Shaker Square Dry Cleaning & Tailoring, you’ll soon realize the quality of service and attention to detail the business offers. Some customers from a few towns over even opt to drive past closer dry cleaners to drop their clothes off at Elina’s business.

The next time you’re looking for dry cleaning, tailoring, or altercations, look no further than this neighborhood icon to meet your needs.