Cooler by the Lake Photo Gallery and Aromatherapy opens in Madison Village

Jun. 13—A husband and wife have combined their separate talents under one roof to establish a new store in downtown Madison Village.

Max Sorensen and Susan Linn are the owners of Cooler by the Lake Photo Gallery and Aromatherapy. The couple opened the shop on May 23.

Sorensen and Linn launched their new businesses about two years after retiring as the longtime owners of Wagon Wheel Bar and Grill in Madison Township. They sold the business, which is located at 1388 Hubbard Road, to new owners.

For many years, they also owned and operated the former Spinnaker's Sports Lounge, which was adjacent to the Wagon Wheel.

"We did our thing (at Wagon Wheel and Spinnaker's) for 34 years," Sorensen said. "It was wonderful. We have a lot of great memories, met a lot of great people. But it was time to move on."

Cooler by the Lake consists of two commercial ventures which share display space inside the store: Focus on You Photo Gallery, which is Sorensen's enterprise; and his wife's product line, The Susan Linn Collection Aromatherapy.

"People come in, and of course, we give them a tutorial on both sides," Sorensen said.

Susan Linn Collection Aromatherapy features a wide variety of essential oils in items created by Linn, such as soaps, lotions, neck wraps, and linen and body sprays.

Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils to improve a person's health or well-being, according to clevelandclinic.org.

Linn said she began making aromatherapy products about 25 years ago, when she went back to school and became a licensed massage therapist.

"So I did the massage therapy and aromatherapy at the same time," she said.

Although she no longer works as a massage therapist, Linn continues to produce aromatherapy products by hand. Over the years, she has sold those items either online or through in-person opportunities.

Some of the popular fragrances in Linn's aromatherapy items at Cooler by the Lake include lavender, rosemary and mint, fresh rose and warm vanilla sugar.

Focus on You Photo Gallery offers an assortment of landscape-style photos taken by Sorensen, who is an avid photographer.

Sorensen said he discovered his love for shooting pictures when he took a photography class in college, nearly 50 years ago.

"I increased my camera collection over the years," he said. "A few years ago, I went digital and bought a Nikon. But the reality of it is that most of these pictures (in the gallery) are from my smartphone."

Photos of various sizes that are displayed for sale in the gallery include Lake Erie sunsets, waterfront shots during daylight hours, agricultural scenery and a lighthouse.

Customers who buy Sorensen's photos can have their pictures mounted in an assortment of mats and frames. He does all of the matting and framing at the business.

Cooler by the Lake is based in the building formerly occupied by J.C.'s Nifty 50's Diner. This space in downtown Madison Village had been vacant since the restaurant closed a couple of years ago.

Sorensen is leasing the building, and as part of the rental agreement, Sorensen covered the cost of significant interior renovations, including a new floor and ceiling and new woodwork for part of wall. Sorensen also gutted the restaurant's kitchen and transformed it into a workshop for creating Cooler by the Lake's products.

On the outside, Sorensen added an eye-catching purple awning that displays the name of the business.

Sorensen said the idea to open a new business in the empty storefront was suggested in February by his wife.

"Susan and a friend of hers were driving on West Main Street in Madison Village one day, and they looked at the Nifty 50's Diner awning, and Susan said, 'Wouldn't that be a great place for a storefront?'," he recalled.

After more discussion, Sorensen began plugging some specifics into a general business plan he had already put together. He eventually contacted the owner of the building, and after several conversations, they agreed to terms of a lease agreement.

Sorensen said the first three weeks of operation at Cooler by the Lake have been successful.

"We are getting a lot of people walking through," he said. "Maybe they won't buy something. But probably a half-dozen people who walked through came back later and said, 'You know what? I want (a particular item). So the response from the community has been really good."

Sorensen said he also will aim to attract out-of-town visitors by placing brochures and other promotional materials at Madison Village businesses such as the Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn Express and Suites hotels on Water Tower Drive; and the Love's Travel Stop and Sheetz convenience store and fueling station, which are based at the Interstate 90 and Route 528 interchange.

Sorensen also will explore ways to promote Cooler by the Lake through the SPIRE Academy in Geneva, which hosts sporting events and tournaments that draw athletes and fans from all over the country.

"We've got a lot of marketing to do now," he said.

Cooler by the Lake Photo Gallery and Aromatherapy, 104 W. Main St., Madison, is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, according to its Facebook page.