CLEVELAND — Cleveland Browns Stadium sits roughly a quarter of a mile from West 6th Street, but now, businesses are thinking about the possibility of the Browns playing 20 minutes away in Brook Park.
"That's pretty terrifying," Barley House managing partner Corey May said.
Barley House, which sits on West 6th, is one of several businesses to take part in pregame tailgates for Browns games. The Ivy is another that takes pride in hosting hundreds of fans for home matchups.
"We're a sports town, we're a Browns Town," Brent Lewanski, owner of The IVY, declared.
The report of the Browns acquiring 176 acres of land in Brook Park came Thursday morning from Ken Prendergast on the NEOtrans blog. It also comes on the heels of a terrific Browns season, and a terrific year of business for Barley House and The IVY.
"It was probably our best season in 15 years of being down here," May said.
But the potential move out of downtown has many businesses on edge, especially since football season is their bread and butter.
"Financially, economically, it's going to have a major impact," Lewanski told 3News.
Businesses on West 6th believe if the Browns do move out of the city, then the city needs to have a plan in place to match the financial impact the team has on their business.
"It's the culture of the city that would be gone," Lewanski said.
In a statement, the Browns admitted they are "studying other potential stadium options in Northeast Ohio at various additional sites," though they did not rule out staying in Cleveland proper.