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Movies reel deal for Chagrin
(by Barbara Christian - August 21, 2012)
Movies reel deal for Chagrin
“Chagrin Falls: Movie capital of the Midwest”? Hey, it could happen. In fact, that’s what members of Chagrin Falls arts commission are hoping.
You may read about their intentions. Last week, they agreed to make it official by recommending that Village Council pass a resolution rolling out the red carpet to the film industry, TV and those who make commercials.
If you listen closely, you will hear the sound of gnashing teeth coming from downtown shopkeepers — and some residents — who, as past experience predicts, will want nothing to do with it.
“If it’s not good for me and my business, it’s not good,” they will say, although maybe not in those exact words. Their reaction is understandable. Who could fault any business owner for wanting to protect his or her ability to make a living. Movies will impact an important source for doing that.
In Chagrin Falls for years and years, that fear has been rooted in what can be summed up in a single word. Parking. There is not enough of it. So the prospect of movie crews coming to town, setting up shop and tying up parking for uncertain periods of time is unsettling.
But there are ways to ease that aggravation. Arts commission members are talking about easing the pain by organizing a “fast response team,” which would solve potential problems, hopefully before they become a surprise to everyone. Details on how this would happen are unclear at this point, but remember, “Chagrin Falls: Movie Capital of the Midwest” is a work in progress.
What proponents need to do is sell the idea of how the movie industry can help the local profit margin. There is data to prove towns thrive where movies are made. In other words, movie making is good for the local economy.
“But how?” you may ask.
First, movies require workers, and many of those workers would be local hires who, in turn, pay local taxes.
Second, movie people are a captive audience in Chagrin Falls, and they spend their money in the village, buying stuff from local shops and eating in local restaurants.
Third, visitors and movie fans would flock to the village to watch movies being made and would do the same — shop and eat.
Movie making in Chagrin Falls would raise the town’s profile and its prospects. New business would move in, and empty stores would be occupied again.
And Chagrin Falls has a lot to offer the movie folks as well. Aside from skyscrapers and desert cactus landscapes, our town could fill the need for any one of a number of locations.
Need a quaint downtown? Chagrin Falls has that covered.
Is a wilderness required? How about Whitesburg Nature Preserve?
What about a mix of building types? Not a problem. Chagrin Falls has large homes and small ones, old homes and new ones, tree-lined neighborhoods and pristine housing developments and even a spooky old mill.
Perhaps there is need for a scenic river, a dam or a waterfall. Check, check and check again.
“Chagrin Falls: Movie Capital of the Midwest” also fits with the village’s recent reboot of its image as an arts and entertainment destination. And now, maybe even Hollywood’s new back lot.
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