If foot traffic is the lifeblood of a thriving city center, the work-from-home movement has bled the streets of Downtown Cleveland dry since 2020.

Sherwin-Williams announced in July that it was doing away with a hybrid work model . Starting in 2026, employees are required to return to work in the office five days a week. Michael Deemer sees it as a solution to that missing component to a vibrant downtown. The president and CEO of Downtown Cleveland Inc. says that, while visitor foot traffic is concentrated toward nights and weekends, and residential traffic is more dispersed throughout the week, office-generated foot traffic drives up much-needed daytime activity.

“That’s how a healthy downtown operates,” says Deemer. “That daytime foot traffic that is so important to supporting smal

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