Vendor Locators
Toledo Vending Machine Location
Toledo Ohio was named after Toledo Spain. It is located on the west side of Lake Erie along the Michigan border. The 200 population of around 314,000 people has shrunk to about 298,000 folks. Toledo, like neighboring Michigan is suffering from hard times. A lot of manufacturing and auto related jobs have moved overseas, leaving a struggling populace behind.
That is not to say that Toledo is a dying city. Not at all. But it is one of the initial places being hit hard with the shifting of jobs to other countries. Michigan - Ohio - Pennsylvania - the Rust Belt states - these are the states not really experiencing the economic boom America experienced in the mid 2000s. But as such, they stand a good chance of not suffering as much as other locations in the U.S. in the next years of "outsourcing" to places like India and China. Toledo has already been through it - California and Florida and New England have not.
So while the current situation is tough - it will be comparatively better in the future. The damage has already been done for the most part. So where are some areas a vending machine operator should concentrate to build a profitable vending machine route ?
Northern Toledo
Just a great area! There are a lot of longtime residents here. Stores along Stickney Avenue still do well. And the reconstruction of I-280 is nearing completion, so traffic patterns will resume going through northern Toledo like before. Manhattan Boulevard near Joe E Brown Field has usually done well. This baseball field was named after Joe E Brown, a Toledo boy who became a big comedian in the 1930s. All along Sylvania Avenue and also on Bancroft Avenue (where the University of Toledo is) restaurants and shops support vending machines - but quite a few untapped profitable locations remain.
Alexis Avenue has gotten pretty built up over the years. I can remember when Brondes Ford was about the only business along there. Today there isn't much open land. This development, plus the heavy traffic flow creates a lot of opportune locations for placement of a vending machine or placement of an entire vending machine route .
Jackman and Upton - between Central Avenue and Sylvania Avenue also has a lot of old-time Toledo folks. But the vending machine locations need to be along the main streets to be successful. Newspaper, soda, and amusement machines do well here.
Maumee
If you take the Anthony Wayne Trail out of downtown Toledo you will pass the Toledo Zoo. In my opinion, this is one of the finest zoos in the country. They've been renovating for a couple years and are about done. It's a great area of town to place a vending machine - along the routes leading to the zoo. I don't like how they put the train accross Anthony Wayne like they did. The ride is shorter and not as interesting. My favorite stop is to see Louie the baby elephant. He was born probably 2001 or so, and it's fun to see how much he grows each year.
Keep going on Anthony Wayne and you will get to Maumee. It's located close to the Maumee River and was once pretty much a farming area, like nearby Monclova . Vending machines can be located in hundreds of locations here. Unlike Toledo itself, Maumee and Monclova are more on an upswing in the area. Although economically struck - Maumee is better off than most of the Toledo area.
Perrysburgand Rossford
Moving south of the Maumee River, these are two communities with some good locations for vending machine placement and profits. But be selective in the type of vending machine you locate - some work - some do not. Largely residential, it benefits from I-75 passing through the area. I would recommend staying further east, however. This is largely because of the soon to be completed I-280.
Sylvania
Another great area! Every type of vending machine would work here. Bordering Michigan, it doesn't enjoy quite as much traffic to and from Adrian and the Irish Hills, since US-223 was rerouted about 30 years ago. But US-23 has been expanded and virtually all of the traffic coming south from Flint and Ann Arbor now passes through Sylvania and Toledo . Monroe Avenue and Reynolds Road, like always, have great locations for vending machine placement opportunities. And Reynolds Corners is one of the busiest intersections in Toledo on the west side.
Downtown Toledo
There is Fifth Third Park where the Mudhens play plus a totally redone riverfront area bringing visitors from far away. Detroit Tiger fans unable to see their sold-out team now visit Toledo to see the farmhands play - since tickets are still plentiful. The Sports Arena and stretches along Cherry Street are pretty well developed along the way to St Vincents Hospital. Old-time vendors dominate these older sections of town. A new vendor should consider starting elsewhere.
North Toledo by the Jeep planr
Another area I'm leery of. Willy's Jeep was bought out and replaced with a new Jeep plant. But like the rest of manufacturing in Toledo and the area - it is a balancing act keeping the business from moving overseas. I would look to the other locations I have mentioned.
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