Check Out the Newest Businesses Setting Up Shop in North Ridgeville

Gym Skills Cleveland

Looking for a great way to get your kids active this year? Gym Skills is on it. The business offers recreational gymnastics, tumbling and Ninja training, which Manager Heather Thompson describes as “a mix of parkour and gymnastics, combining strength, agility, coordination and confidence.”

Gym Skills offers non-competitive classes for all ages and experience levels, from parent-and-tot classes and preschool programs to school-age classes. “We really want Gym Skills to be a place where every child can find something they enjoy,” Thompson says. “Our goal is to help kids stay active, build confidence and have fun.”

Gym Skills also offers a variety of opportunities for kids and families to stay active throughout the year, including Mobile Gym programs at local schools, summer and school-break camps, Friday night open gyms, parents night out events and birthday parties.

“We want to be a place where families can come together, try something new, stay active and feel connected to their community,” Thompson says.

33553 Liberty Parkway, 440-219-4451, gymskills.com/cleveland

Lake Effect Comics

Lake Effect Comics was a long time coming.

“My family and I have lived in North Ridgeville for over six years,” Matthew Petz says. “We love the community. I’ve been waiting for someone to open a [comics] store here and no one did, so I figured, ‘hey, how about me?’”

Lake Effect Comics carries over 30,000 comic books.

“If you can’t find a comic you like here, you probably don’t like comics,” Petz laughs.

The store also sells games, vintage toys, Funko Pop!, Pokémon and lots more, with prices ranging from affordable for kids to all the way up to serious collectors.

“You’re more than welcome to come in here and hang out and play as long as you want. We’re trying to build a community,” Petz says.

To that end, there’s a back area with vending machines, a restroom and plenty of space to play games. Just 10 days in, Petz was already welcoming some regulars. Check the store’s social media pages for upcoming tournaments and special events.

33117 Center Ridge Road, 440-219-4875 FB, IG: @lakeeffectcomics

Impact Counseling Solutions

Ever since COVID-19 drove everybody into their homes, many mental health counselors have offered remote, online appointments to clients. So, does location still matter? It sure does, says Impact Counseling Solutions Owner and Clinical Director Anne Raleigh. Her practice opened in January 2026 in North Ridgeville, offering appointments in person at the office, or you can select an online option.

“[The city] has been really great,” Raleigh says. “We just became members of the chamber of commerce, and everybody’s been so welcoming. We sponsored a T-ball team. It’s easy to make a lot of connections here; it’s very small-town community based.”

Impact Counseling Solutions employs two non-clinical staff and eight clinicians who focus on everything from OCD and personality disorders to counseling for couples, kids and teens.

“We’re hoping to grow and stay in Lorain County,” Raleigh says. “It just feels like home.”

39160 Center Ridge Road, 440-455-1511, impactcounselingsolutions.com

D&S Automotive

D&S Automotive’s North Ridgeville location might be the company’s newest, but it’s the sixth location for this 50-year-old family company. The more locations, the better the business can serve customers, especially those who need help ASAP.

“Nobody says, ‘hey, I want to go see the guys [at D&S] next Tuesday, so I’m just going to tear my mirror off,’” says Owner C.J. Paterniti. “We have to be there in your time of need.”

D&S has maintained a personalized touch (some employees at the shop are holdovers from previous owner JC Auto Body), but the business stays on top of technology, including using 24-hour software to initiate four-way calls with customers, their insurance companies and a tow truck.

“People just want to be taken care of, especially in the heat of things,” Paterniti says.

Taking care of people goes beyond the day-to-day at D&S Automotive. The annual Cruise-In car show, now in its 13th year, has raised over $278,000 for UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital.

34343 Mills Road, 440-616-9649, dsautomotive.com

Recognition Robotics

Recognition Robotics is a worldwide robotics software company with its roots in Lorain County. The business recently moved its headquarters to North Ridgeville after outgrowing its space at Lorain County Community College.

“We have a history in Lorain County,” says Rafi Melikian, a software engineer and

mathematician. “The company that started with a small innovation fund [in 2008] paid back all of the grant completely and then blossomed into this world player.”

The North Ridgeville headquarters employs four people; a few more are in California and Italy, with a testing facility in Michigan.

“Recognition Robotics creates software that basically gives eyes and a brain to robots ... primarily for car manufacturing. Typically, a robot is just moving to fixed locations, but with our systems ... it literally looks like a robot is thinking and seeing,” explains Melikian, who is pleased with the company’s new location. “North Ridgeville is a friendly environment with a sense of community. We started in this area and are continuing to grow.”

39000 Center Ridge Road, 440-781-1850, recognitionrobotics.com

Thriving Smiles Pediatric Dentistry

When George Boukas was looking to open a pediatric dentistry practice three years ago, North Ridgeville was an excellent fit.

“I saw that there was a lot of growth in North Ridgeville,” he says. “A lot of new homes, a lot of young families, and there was not a pediatric dentist here. My goal was to open a pediatric office that had a neighborhood feel — that’s part of the community. And people here have accepted us with open arms.”

The practice sees infants on up, including some older patients with special needs.

“We have smaller diagnostic [tools] like smaller X-rays. We’ve got TVs on the ceiling. But the thing that makes the biggest difference is having an experienced team that loves what they do,” he says. “They care so much and they make sure that at every appointment, every patient is treated like family.”

The special sauce seems to be working — Dr. Boukas was named a top pediatric dentist in 2026 by Cleveland Magazine.

34155 Center Ridge Road, 440-249-0818, pediatricdentistnorthridgeville.com