First & Main, Hudson, Ohio

The City of Hudson, Ohio is situated about 30 miles southeast of the heart of Cleveland, in one of the suburban belts of communities banding all the way to Akron. Regularly voted by residents and visitors alike one of northeastern Ohio’s most attractive and livable suburbs, the city is home to both well-restored traditional Colonial farmhouse architecture and the Western Reserve stylings of the mixed-use development of First & Main.

Hudson has traditionally been a popular exurban community for the affluent of Cleveland and Akron. Its town square, historic Main Street shopping district, two-lane tree-lined streets, and high quality school system make it a strong draw for gentrifying residents. The city was the original home of Cleveland’s Case Western Reserve University and is still home to Western Reserve Academy. One drawback of Hudson’s strong appeal to homeowners is its tendency to be perceived as primarily a bedroom community (another is its fairly frequent congestion).

The opening of First & Main in 2004 was an attempt to solidify and enhance Hudson’s traditional commercial core — originally not much more than several shop-lined blocks — and to offer greater, more upscale opportunities to its residents. The development encompasses eight smallish city blocks along the western flank of Hudson’s Main Street, State Route 91. Its entire frontage along Main Street consists of the restored and maintained retail edifices of years past, facing the city's Central Park. As one moves westward to First Street and then to Library Street, the development unfolds to include the new structures designed in a small town Western Reserve vernacular — brick and lapboard exteriors, painted wood trims, a scattering of sloped shingled roofs, multipane windows and doors, and a sprinkling of late Colonial embellishments and detailing.

First & Main’s mix of uses includes a Village Green, a new central Hudson city library, several parking garages, a new Heinen’s Village Market, and ongoing development of townhomes and other peripheral structures. Retail offerings are heavily slanted to restaurants and specialty stores, with women’s and children’s apparel well represented. Retail names that appear at First & Main include Ann Taylor Loft, Chico’s, Coldwater Creek, Talbot’s and Gymboree, while its restaurants and cafes include Caribou Coffee, Cold Stone Creamery, Vue, D'Agnese’s Tomato Grill, and Aladdin’s Eatery. While First & Main sees the primary surge of weekend shoppers and diners, facilities on the surrounding streets radiating from First & Main also benefit from the increased traffic, and provide a more broadly diversified menu of retail offerings.

You can find more information at the website of First & Main: www.firstandmainhudson.com.