Cindy Barber, Proprietor, Beachland Ballroom

2007 Martha Joseph Prize for distinguished service to the arts

Cindy Barber opened her club in a neighborhood with which the vast majority of Clevelanders were not familiar, in a building that needed a lot of work, in an area—North Collinwood—where nothing else was happening. But Barber,  who had formerly served as editor of Cleveland’s Free Times newspaper and Northern Ohio LIVE magazine, believed in the neighborhood in which she herself lived, and she believed in the concept of a venue that would present practically every kind of music there is. 

Barber has persevered through the inevitable rough times, offering musical acts every night of the week (even classical, at least once) in the club’s two separate rooms: the ballroom and the tavern. Beachland Ballroom is now a household word among music lovers and dedicated club goers throughout the region. Its presence has sparked new economic development. Now several other businesses have opened nearby, and no one is afraid any longer to venture into the area.