Eastlake Historical Society

Tom Nichols was born in Miami, Florida, on March 25, 1929. His parents, Tom and Lee (Johnson) Nichols were entrepreneurs who owned hotels in Miami and York Beach, Maine. They also ran a charter bus that ran between the two destinations. Vacationing in Maine is still something that Tom enjoys doing when he can get away from work. Mr. Nichols is a jeweler who owns and operates the jewelry store DavEd, located on Erie Street in the city of Willoughby.

As a young man, Tom Nichols, grew up around E. 134th St. in Cleveland. He graduated from Shaw High School in 1947. He presently lives in a home on Hillside Drive down in the Chagrin Harbor. This was an area that his grandparents enjoyed visiting during the summer months. They would come all the way from Cleveland in a horse and buggy to this area which was somewhat of a summer retreat for those who lived in the big city. Beaches were 300 feet deep during the 1920s.

Tom spent his summers fishing, frog hunting, boating and swimming. With such fond memories of the area it was only natural that he should move into the family cottage located two blocks from Lake Erie. And after marrying in 1949 to Fran Vest, that is just what they did. For a number of years Fran worked for the City of Eastlake in the water department. The couple had three children. Their daughter, Sherry Nichols Wagner, still lives in Eastlake and teaches English for Eastlake North High School. Their son, “Nick” Tom Nichols, died in 1999. And their son Tim runs a barbershop in the city of Mentor called Stylize Hair Design.

From summer retreat to family home

With their growing family many projects were completed to improve the house. Heat was the first priority. Because the home had been a summer cottage, this was something that had never been needed. He also had to dig into the side of the adjacent hill to build extra bedrooms. His parents moved next door to them in 1950.

An invention that Tom really appreciates is the electric blanket. I wonder if that has anything to do with all the times he went to bed with little heat. The man has never touched a computer and still has three working rotary phones in his home.

The jewelry store was originally started by two men named Dave and Ed. Tom and his father bought them out soon after they had started up in 1945. It was just easier to keep the name the store had when founded. Tom Nichols has run the store for 69 years.

He has been honored by the city of Willoughby during their Pioneer Days celebration. He was given the title “Mr. Willoughby” for the contributions that he and his business has made to the community.
Although the harbor experienced some years of flooding, the Nichols family never let it get them down. The kids paddled boats where cars would usually drive. Neighbor helped neighbors. It was a community where everyone knew everyone and some were even extended family members.

Look for the T-Bird

The harbor has an association of which Mr. Nichols was once president. Depending on who was in charge at the moment, the association played a very social role in the harbor community. They have a hall where holiday parties are held, a yacht club where boats can be launched and docked, a beach on the shore of Lake Erie, a playground and even a tennis court.

After the association complained about frequent flooding in the early ‘70s a dike was built to keep the water from the low lying area. Since then many of the cottages were renovated. One just recently sold for more than $300,000.

Tom has always enjoyed owning a power boat. It was a perfect compliment for where he lived and the family spent many enjoyable hours on the water. When not working, this 80-year-old man enjoys taking his antique car around to classic shows. If on a Sunday afternoon you are at Eastlake City Hall for their car show, look for a 1956 white Thunderbird. Stop by and tell Tom “hello.” Tom thinks that participation in the show seems down. He would like to see the show moved to a Saturday. Perhaps this is something that can be looked into.

This article is brought to you by the Eastlake Historical Society. If you are , or know of someone who is 80 years of age or older, and has lived in the city of Eastlake for 50 or more years, please contact us at Eastlake City Hall, 15150 Lakeshore Blvd., Eastlake, OH.

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