On Monday, Aug. 2 at 11 a.m., Queens, New York-based attorney Marc Scolnick and Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan will cut the ribbon on Scolnick’s newest law office: not in Manhattan or Brooklyn, but at 1014 Kenmore Blvd. in Akron.
Scolnick, a University of Akron Law School graduate, chose the location because of its highway accessibility, affordability and the revitalization efforts already underway on Kenmore Boulevard, one of Akron’s 13 Great Streets districts. His is the 10th new business to announce its opening in the district since the pandemic began.
“As a U of A Law School grad, it was always my hope to open an office in Akron. We believe the area is in need of our services. We are also excited to contribute to the future enhancement of the Kenmore area.” Scolnick said.
The move is strategic: By reducing physical overhead costs and employing Akron-based paralegals and law professionals, Scolnick believes he can more affordably serve both his Akron clients and his expanding New York and New Jersey client bases.
“By eventually transitioning our support staff to Ohio, we can provide the same superior service to our clients while reducing costs, which in turn reduces fees. This will also bring jobs to the Kenmore area with competitive salaries,” he said.
The Law Office of Marc Scolnick‘s areas of practice include business law, criminal law, bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, landlord/tenant, copyright/trademark, divorce/family law, civil litigation, trusts and estates, and real estate law. The Akron location will be managed day to day by John D. Hoffman Jr. Esq, another University of Akron Law School graduate.
“We are excited to welcome Marc and his team to Akron, not only because of the services they offer but also the vision for more well-paying jobs for the city,” Mayor Horrigan said. “He could have opened his office anywhere, but he chose our Kenmore Boulevard Great Streets district, which shows the investments we’re making are working.”
Tina Boyes, executive director of Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance, Kenmore’s community development corporation, agreed: “We have legal professionals living in our neighborhood, yet they must go to the suburbs or further for employment. The more of our residents we can retain during the daytime, and the more diverse the services and employment base is on the Boulevard, the more demand there will be for things our community wants, including restaurants, coffee shops and retail shops. We are grateful to be the beneficiary of this great new Akron business.”
Scolnick is currently working with the Great Streets Akron program to improve the exterior of his building through a matching grant. The façade grant is available to business and property owners in all of the 13 Great Streets districts.
“The increasing momentum we’re seeing from our Façade Improvement Grant program is clearly evident here in our Kenmore Great Streets district,” Great Streets Coordinator Mark Greer said. “This and other program initiatives are helping fuel new business growth on the Boulevard, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome Marc back to Akron, where he began his legal studies.”
The Law Office of Marc Scolnick is located at 1014 Kenmore Blvd. For more information or to schedule a free consultation, contact 330-800-9565 or Office@Scolnicklaw.com.
Knight Foundation is asking the question, “What is your best idea for the arts in Akron?” and they’re looking for answers in Kenmore.
On Tuesday, July 20, East Avenue Market along with ArtsNow will host Akron’s first Knight Arts Challenge Community Workshop, where arts idealists can talk to past arts challenge winners, ask questions and brainstorm and bounce ideas. The event will take place 5-7 p.m. at So Fresh Used Auto Sales at 2290 East Ave.
The Knight Arts Challenge Akron is a $3 million, three-year initiative to draw the best and most innovative ideas out of local organizations and individuals seeking to engage and enrich the community through the arts. Whether you’re an independent artist, business, established arts institution, organization or individual, no idea is too large or too small, as long as it follows three basic rules:
Your idea is about arts.
Your project takes place in or benefits Akron.
You find other funding to match Knight Foundation’s grant.
Kenmore produced two 2019 Knight Arts Challenge finalists: Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance for the Big Boulevard Sign Build to transform Kenmore’s historic business district through artistic business signage, and Friends of Chestnut Ridge Park/Akron Parks Collaborative for their Many Voices, One Akron residency program.
This year, the Knight Arts Challenge is interested in how artists and art organizations are creating works that attract audiences, enhance in-person experiences, document creation, or amplify reach to people who wouldn’t otherwise experience the art. Audio, video, websites, mobile apps, augmented reality and virtual reality are all potential tools.
“Through the Knight Arts Challenge, we want to support artists and art organizations who are showing the way forward as cities reopen, and encourage them to embrace new forms of expression that mirror ways audiences are engaging with art,” said Victoria Rogers, Knight’s vice president for the Arts. “We look forward to adding new artists and ideas to help bring their incredible works of art to life.”
During the July 1 to 31 application period, Knight will host two virtual town hall meetings on July 1 and July 26, and members of the Knight Arts team will be available for virtual office hours to answer questions about the application process or to provide feedback on pitching ideas. To reserve a time, or to learn more about the Knight Arts Challenge, visit kf.org/kac21.
The City of Akron announced today that Kenmore Boulevard will soon be home to a new sit-down restaurant and tea house as part of the inaugural round of the Rubber City Match program.
SRINA Tea House plans to open its doors at 975 Kenmore Blvd. later this summer.
The venue will serve organic teas, coffee and health-conscious food made with ingredients produced on their small-scale farm in Sri Lanka and prepared by Akron’s own Chef Glenn (Edgars Restaurant). SRINA’s addition will create a destination for tea lovers along Kenmore Boulevard, joining ManiKitchen Tea Shop, which offers loose leaf teas and tea-related products for retail sale.
SRINA owner and CEO Monaqui Porter Young sees the tea house as a wellness destination for the community. It will offer health workshops, special events and opportunities for neighborhood engagement with organizations like Kenmore-Garfield High School, First Glance and seniors at the Kenmore Community Center.
“At SRINA Tea house, we are doing something beyond the cup of tea. We are building culture and community,” Porter Young said. “We believe in warmth, authenticity, kindness, positivity and passion.”
SRINA Tea House is the ninth new business to announce its plans to open on Kenmore Boulevard since 2020. It joins Gypsy Grace & the Vintage Goat as one of the Rubber City Match’s first cash award recipients. Each is receiving a business loan from local lending partners Western Reserve Community Fund and ECDI, as well as a grant from the City of Akron to complete their projects.
“The purpose of Rubber City Match is to provide funding to businesses who may not have access to traditional financing,” says Heather Roszczyk, Innovation & Entrepreneurship Advocate for the City of Akron. “The businesses receive support and guidance throughout the process, and as a result, the participating building owners are being connected to vetted tenants who are more likely to succeed.”
Applications are still open for the second round of Rubber City Match, but the deadline to submit is June 30, 2021. Rubber City Match pairs new and expanding businesses with Akron’s top real estate opportunities, providing funding and technical assistance along the way. Grants will be available through the program, in addition to business-friendly loans that will assist with launching businesses, renovations or other related expenses.
The program features four award levels for business and building owners:
• Business Plan Award: Free tuition to attend MORTAR at Bounce, sharpen your business skills and develop your business plan. MORTAR is a 15-week accelerator course that helps both existing and aspiring non-tech entrepreneurs learn the nuances of business ownership and build a comprehensive business canvas; the goal being to launch businesses that create jobs and circulate dollars locally. The program focuses on entrepreneurs who are often under-served.
• Space Award: Get matched with the right space for your business, receive technical assistance to help you choose your space and be eligible for microgrants to have attorneys review your lease documents
• Design Award: Meet with architects and be eligible to receive grants to pay for architectural drawings for the build-out of your new space
• Cash Award: Meet with lenders who focus on supporting small businesses. If there is a gap between what the business owner can put into the project and what the lenders are willing to lend, business owners are eligible to receive grants from the City to fill the financial gap.
Competing businesses will be scored on five criteria: Vision and Plan, Experience and Capacity, Market Opportunity, Community Support and Leverage of Investment. Winning businesses must agree to locate within the City of Akron for at least two years and demonstrate a benefit to the community.
To apply for Rubber City Match visit rubbercitymatch.com and for more information call 330-375-2133.
On Saturday, May 29, 2021 at 1 p.m Kenmore native Terrence Bailey will fulfill a lifelong dream by opening Ethicrace Clothing Co. at 971 Kenmore Blvd
“Ever since I was a little boy I have always wanted to own my own clothing brand,” Bailey said. He credits his “entrepreneurial mind” for helping him “create his own lane.”
“I have always wanted to be rich, never famous,” said Bailey.
As the director of the Kenmore Youth Basketball League, he is very proud that he was able to open the store despite various challenges. Being an example for young people to find their own lane in the community is very important to Terrence. As a child, his mother motivated him to start his own business.
“She looked at me and said that she was proud of me,” Bailey said. “I stuck to my guns and kept pushing when I wanted to give up so many times, when I doubted myself but still had the faith of a mustard seed.”
Ethicrace Clothing Co will officially open to the public on Saturday the 29th on Kenmore Boulevard. Being a Kenmore resident for 20 years, Bailey wants to help revitalize the neighborhood.
“I chose this location because I see there is an uplifting and thriving community here in Kenmore and it needed a little light shone on it” said Bailey.
Terrance believes in the future of the Boulevard and hopes that it can continue to thrive for years to come.
“My vision in the next 10 years is to be still thriving, and the Blvd to be full of life and a place where family, friends and people from all over the country come visit,” Bailey said.
Ethicrace Clothing Co specializes in t-shirts, hats, hoodies, jogging suits, shorts, jackets, belts and accessories. The most popular items are the jogging suits and short sets. Prices vary but are affordable.
Ethicrace Clothing Co. is located at 971 Kenmore Blvd. and is open Monday to Friday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday noon to 5:30 p.m. For styles and more information, visit them on Facebook or www.ethicrace.com. .
Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance is seeking proposals to design, construct and install elements of their Kenmore Boulevard Wayfinding Plan. The goal of the plan is to create a sense of place in the Kenmore Boulevard Historic District, connect the district to amenities throughout Kenmore and and adjacent areas, and provide wayfinding for visitors into and throughout the district. It was developed earlier this year by Environmental Design Group with input from a committee of Kenmore residents, business owners and stakeholders.
The Kenmore Boulevard Historic District was added to the registry of historic places by the National Park Service in September 2019. It includes Kenmore Boulevard from 11th St. to Florida Ave.
“Kenmore is a fun, creative place with a lot of history,” said Tina Boyes, executive director of the Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance. “We believe the signage you see on the Boulevard should reflect this.”
Elements of the Kenmore Boulevard Wayfinding Plan and an RFP can be found here.
Responses are due on or before 5 p.m. June 4, 2021.
Melissa Lyons, the owner of All Walks Yoga, officially starter journey to become a yoga teacher began in September 2020.
After having difficulties finding classes that offer all levels classes and variations for difficult poses, Melissa decided to become a yoga instructor.
“I hear all the time from people that they’ve never done yoga because they don’t fit what they think is the ‘typical’ yoga look or personality and I wanted to have a place to give them a chance to experience yoga,” she said.
Opening during a global pandemic brings its own challenges but Melissa said her biggest challenge was getting people to understand her style of yoga class.
“Just because my yoga classes are ‘different,’ because we use variations of poses and routines to be more accessible to everyone, doesn’t mean that they are ‘less’,” she said.
It’s a fitting sentiment: In addition to being a yoga instructor, Melissa has been an elementary school teacher in the Akron Public Schools for eight years, teaching kindergarten through third grade. She also volunteers as a high school eSports coach for the Akron STEM Eagles.
Megan is a long-term neighborhood resident and is excited to be a part of the revitalization efforts in Kenmore.
“As we continue to read the stories about the eight other businesses that have opened on the Boulevard during the pandemic, and as we talked to the residents and business owners already there, we knew that the Boulevard is a special place and wanted to bring accessible yoga to the community,” she said .
Melissa is partnering with the Rialto Theater to teach yoga classes there, but she also hopes to have a storefront on the Boulevard one day.
“Continuing to bring people together in fun and exciting ways only helps to make the Boulevard more enticing as ‘the place’ to be,” she said.
Beginning May 30, All Walks Yoga offers classes on Sunday at 9 a.m. and Monday at 6 p.m. at The Rialto Theater. Classes can be reserved at allwalks.yoga.
On a bright afternoon in March, he sits at the head of a long conference table, a few dozen T-shirts, hats, hoodies and baby bibs piled in front of him. Across the hall, canned foods line the shelves of a small kitchen.
For more than a decade, this space at 937 Kenmore Blvd. has been part of Jacobs’s vision.
In 2009, Jacobs’ mother, Kim, died of breast cancer. Every day since, he’s worked to honor her life and memory by serving and supporting women through cancer treatment and beyond.
“After she passed away, I used to go to the American Cancer Society walks every year, which is very nice and they’re doing amazing things. But I’ve always had an entrepreneur spirit,” Jacobs says. “I felt like I could do more work if I really locked in and did something on my own.”
In 2014, Jacobs founded Not Just October, a non-profit designed to raise awareness, encourage education and offer wraparound services for women and their families from the moment they receive a breast cancer diagnosis.
On May 1, the Kim Jacobs Breast Cancer Resource Center will hold its grand opening. Jacobs says the space will be open to women facing a breast cancer diagnosis and in need of anything from counseling and financial advice to a massage or a wig fitting.
“It’s hard to explain,” Jacobs says. “And some people might wonder why I put so much of my time and my finances into the community and what I do. But I just know that every single moment I invest into this I invest into my mom.”
What do families facing a breast cancer diagnosis really need?
When it comes to services and resources, Jacobs says it’s often the simple things families need most. So he uses local businesses to make sure women facing a breast cancer diagnosis can have their lawns mowed, their carpet cleaned or their snow shoveled.
“I just remember every little thing we might have had an issue with when my mom was going through it,” Jacobs says, “and that helps me know what people want.”
When a woman who received a recent cancer diagnosis called Jacobs about getting a new pair of glasses, Not Just October was able to cover the cost of her prescription and deliver a new pair right to her door.
“Her prescription was like $300, so we got her glasses and delivered them. It’s just small things,” Jacobs says. “In the grand scheme of life, it may seem small. But to a woman who’s going through the hardest battle of her life, it’s huge.”
Jacobs also plans to host financial and health insurance consultations,
counseling, group meetings and therapy for women and their families.
“I plan on having one family night per week. It’ll be one family and we’ll feed them and they can come and we’ll probably play a movie,” Jacobs says. “There’ll be a nurse on site if they have questions. There’ll be a doctor on site. It’ll be appointment based. So there will be days when the doctor is here, and you’ll be able to schedule a time to talk with the doctor.”
According to a 2019 report published by the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the second leading cause of death among Black women in the United States.
Between 2012 and 2016, breast cancer death rates were about 40% higher among Black women than they were among white women, largely due to late-stage detection.
That’s why producing educational content is a big part of Jacobs’s vision for the Center.
“It’s not uncommon to find a lump,” says Jacobs. “We should encourage women not to be afraid. Sometimes they’ll find a lump and say, ‘Oh, that wasn’t a lump. I’ll just go about my life.’ But it’s important, because early detection is key. If you find a lump, go to your doctor immediately. They might find it early, get it all taken care of, and you might never have to go through chemotherapy or radiation.”
Encouraging Black women to administer self-tests — and helping them find access to mammograms and other preventative care — is something Jacobs says he’s proud of, and hopes to continue.
‘She was always there for me’
Jacobs was just 20 years old when his mom, Kim, received a breast cancer diagnosis.
“We had a really close relationship,” Jacobs says. “We used to lay around and watch soap operas. She loved All My Children and General Hospital. She could cook. She cooked really good lasagna. She was always there for me,” Jacobs says, smiling. “She’ll defend me until the end, even if I’m wrong.”
Jacobs says his mom passed along her creativity, kindness and grit. “She also had an entrepreneur spirit. She had a little [craft] store where she [made and] sold jewelry. She did cross stitch and quilts and things like that.”
With the grand opening of the Kim Jacobs Breast Cancer Resource Center quickly approaching, Jacobs says he expects the moment to be an emotional one.
“It’s very bittersweet,” Jacobs says. “There’s certain things that I wish my mom could take part in. The fact that she never met my wife and she’ll never meet my kids? That’s very difficult. But I know she’s around.”
Opening the Center in her honor has helped Jacobs feel close to his mom, even more than a decade after her death. But arriving at this moment hasn’t been an easy journey.
When Jacobs’s wife left for California in December to work on COVID-19 assignment as a registered nurse, Jacobs took on parenting their two sons. By day, he drives a bus for the Akron METRO Regional Transit Authority. By night, he works on building out the Center’s resources — whether that’s packaging hoodies and T-shirts or answering calls from families with new cancer diagnoses.
In between, he picks up his 1-year-old son from daycare, and meets his 12-year-old at the bus stop.
“It’s not for everybody,” he says. “And it’s hard. I’m so busy. I’m tired.”
But Jacobs says those busy days are a small sacrifice — especially in the weeks ahead of the resource center’s grand opening.
Jacobs says he hopes the Kim Jacobs Breast Cancer Resource Center will help bring something good to Akron’s Kenmore neighborhood, and act as an example of service and community — for his own sons, the neighborhood and beyond.
“That’s what powers me every day,” Jacobs says. “That’s what energizes me, when I know I can do something good for someone.”
“I took a huge risk to do this, so I don’t minimize this moment,” Jacobs says. “We’re at the mountaintop. But there’s another mountain over there, and we’re about to climb that one too.”
If you or someone you know have been diagnosed with breast cancer, contact Lavar Jacobs at (330) 760-9956 to learn more about the Kim Jacobs Breast Cancer Resource Center.
H.L. Comeriato covers public health at The Devil Strip via Report for America. Reach them at HL@thedevilstrip.com.
She now devotes time to another passion: Marigold Sol, a retail gift store with a vintage vibe featuring an eclectic collection of crafts, gifts, furniture and specialized solvent-free paints and more.
Julien on Thursday opened Marigold Sol in the heart of Akron’s Kenmore Boulevard Historic District. It’s in the neighborhood’s tallest building, at three stories, that dates back to the early 1900s. The space at 962 Kenmore Blvd. previously was occupied by The Dragon’s Mantle gift shop, which moved to another nearby site on Manchester Road.
Marigold Sol is the sixth small business, and the third owned by a woman, to open on the boulevard during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kenmore merchants and others say that’s a good sign for the working class neighborhood that has been struggling to fill empty storefronts even during good times. The city has made the boulevard a top economic revitalization priorities as part of its Great Streets Akron program; the opening of Marigold Sol merited a ribbon cutting visit by Mayor Dan Horrigan.
Julien isn’t new to running a retail operation; she had side gigs, including furniture refinishing, while still working as a nurse.
“This isn’t my first shop,” she said of Marigold Sol. “I had a shop [Salvage Style] for four years in Wadsworth and the property got sold and the owners had new plans.”
Between closing in Wadsworth and opening in Kenmore, Julien sold at shows and rented booth space at other storefronts. She knew she wanted to open another shop of her own and was looking for the right opportunity.
“My husband and I were walking down the boulevard one day and I realized that Dragon’s Mantle moved out,” Julien said. “I reached out to Tina Boyes at Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance and she connected me to the owner and here we are.”
They turned the space around in 30 days, with the lease signing taking place in March, Julien said.
“I said, let’s just do it,” she recalled. “I love what the Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance is doing here on the boulevard.”
New shops are transforming thoroughfare into a trendy destination
Marigold Sol and the other nearby retailers are largely destination businesses, said Boyes, executive director of the Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance community development corporation. The stores include long-standing hobby shops, new and established food operations, and others, she said.
“We’re lucky to have businesses that have weathered storms in the past,” she said. “Kenmore has seen its share of tough times.”
It’s nice to have Marigold Sol, which should appeal to many female shoppers, as the boulevard’s next destination site, Boyes said.
The boulevard also should see a coffee shop/cafe open in upcoming months, and an entrepreneur is looking at opening a craft brewpub in the relatively near future, she said.
“Food and beverage is a high priority for us right now,” Boyes said.
Seth Vaill, co-owner with his brother, Nate, of The Rialto Theatre at 1000 Kenmore Blvd. and parent company Just A Dream Entertainment, said he expects the addition of Marigold Sol and the other new businesses will help the neighborhood.
“The new businesses, that’s been fantastic,” he said. “There are some amazing new additions to what we’ve got going on here.”
The Rialto closed during the pandemic and will reopen in the near future with the new addition of a kitchen and bar at the front of the building, Vaill said. A related recording studio business has remained open, which is “helping pay the bills and keep the lights operating,” he said.
“We are still here. We will get the place rocking again,” he said.
John Buntin Jr., owner of Kenmore Komics & Games on the boulevard and president of the Kenmore Chamber of Commerce, thinks the opening of Marigold Sol and the other new businesses is a good sign. He said he thinks the new shop will do well.
“As for the boulevard, it amazes me with American ingenuity,” Buntin said. “Tina Boyes has been doing a lot to promote Kenmore. The city has done a lot recently to fix up.”
Buntin said his business has been supported by his regular customers and has been “doing all right” during the pandemic. “Some of the businesses on the boulevard are doing OK, some are a little slow,” he said.
Howard Evans, owner of E&S Hobbies & Trains at 980 Kenmore Blvd., said his shop – he calls it the largest of its kind in Ohio – is doing OK being open just two days a week, Fridays and Saturdays, during the pandemic. He expects to be open more days when the pandemic ends.
“We’re not doing bad,” said. “I don’t know how the rest of them are doing.”
Ron Mohlmaster, pastor of The Church on the Boulevard, said in the couple of years prior to the pandemic he was seeing new life come back to the neighborhood. The church moved to Kenmore from Green in 2008 and has about 150 members in its congregation.
“The past year suppressed what was coming up,” Mohlmaster said. But it looks like most of the businesses have not been closing down, he said.
“There’s still a lot of life on the boulevard,” he said.
Dan Shinn, co-owner of Lay’s Guitar Shop, a service and retail store at 974 Kenmore Blvd., praised the efforts to help the business district. His specialty service business that involves repairing and restoring guitars draws in customers from outside Ohio.
He thinks other nearby businesses should be able to attract his customers as they wait to pick up an item or have a repair made. Shinn also hopes to sponsor live music events behind his shop and said he is looking forward to the reinstatement of the First Friday entertainment programs on the boulevard that bring people to the neighborhood.
“I know the neighborhood alliance has been working real hard to get the storefronts open,” Shinn said. “I always thought the boulevard would be a great place to have an eclectic assortment of businesses. … I’m happy. They’ve been working real hard to get the storefronts full.”
With those kind of efforts going on, Shinn said he expects many currently empty Kenmore Boulevard storefronts will be filled in the next two years.
Neighborhood seeing dividends from Great Streets program
Back at Marigold Sol, Mayor Horrigan said at the ribbon cutting that “this is what Great Streets is all about.”
The Great Streets Akron program, created in 2018 and modeled after a similar Los Angeles initiative, aims to help out 12 neighborhood business districts, including the one in Kenmore.
Afterward, Horrigan noted that the city in recent years has been making changes in Kenmore in response to needs, including helping out the people taking on risk by opening businesses.
One of the most noticeable streetscape changes in recent years involved in part putting in bike lanes along the boulevard. Lines were painted to narrow the road and create new parking patterns as a response to ongoing speeding issues, he said.
A top goal for the changes was to create an urban, walkable district, Horrigan said.
Julien said she plans to hold furniture painting and refinishing classes in the back portion of Marigold Sol. She is the county-exclusive dealer of Wise Owl Paint, solvent-free and zero VOC coating and paint products.
“I’m not here alone. I have some amazing, talented vendors that are sharing space with me,” Julien said.
“I love the old, walkable retail storefront area,” she said. “I love what the Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance is doing here on the boulevard. I want to be a part of that.”
AKRON, Ohio – While much of the business world remained closed over the past year, Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance has been filing storefronts on Kenmore Boulevard, with the business district welcoming its sixth new business since the pandemic started.
Marigold Sol will open at 962 Kenmore Boulevard on April 1 at 1:30 p.m., followed by a public grand opening from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The store will offer new and vintage furniture, home décor, gifts and jewelry, as well as classes in custom furniture refinishing.
Marigold Sol is owned by former nurse Lori Julien who said she has decades of experiencing in furniture refinishing and resale. She chose Kenmore Boulevard as the place to turn her part-time passion into full-time work, she said
“I have a deep respect and appreciation for communities that are investing in neighborhood revitalization and what they’re doing here on Kenmore Boulevard is really inspiring,” Julien said in a release.
Over the past few months, several small businesses have joined Kenmore’s popular music and hobby businesses on the Boulevard.
“I really believe that when people were sent back to their neighborhoods they tended to do more in their neighborhoods, and when you’re able to offer amenities and services that residents need within their neighborhood, they’re more likely to support a local business,”
Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance (KNA) Executive Director Tina Boyes said.
KNA is a nonprofit organization working to drive economic development in the neighborhood. The Boulevard is one of Akron’s Great Streets Districts, a program overseen by the city’s Office of Integrated Development designed to help bring business and vibrancy back to 10 Akron neighborhoods with small-business districts.
Great Streets offers business owners low-interest loans and facade-improvement grants, working with organizations like KNA to enhance business districts’ infrastructure, from new lighting to street improvements.
“Great Streets districts like Kenmore Boulevard serve as hubs of business and social activity in our community,” said Mayor Dan Horrigan in a release. “Marigold Sol will undoubtedly be a wonderful addition to this district and add to the vibrancy and community pride of the Kenmore Boulevard area.”
Improvements on the Boulevard’s physical storefronts and other projects has resumed after the pandemic suspended the work last spring, Boyes said.
On June 4, the neighborhood’s popular First Friday events will restart as well, she said. Since 2018, the monthly outdoor parties have drawn thousands, celebrating the Boulevard’s musical backbone, and helping keep the neighborhood’s energy alive, she said.
“I think a lot of our momentum came from the public events that we were doing, so not being able to do a traditional First Friday event, that was hard,” Boyes said. “But we pivoted, and when numbers plateaued or started to go down during the summer, we were able to do some socially distant parking-lot concerts.”
With several recording studios on the Boulevard, Kenmore draws all calibers of music and instrument aficionados, Boyes said.
The Rialto Theatre is a live-music venue and studio. The Guitar Department is a new and used consignment shop offering music lessons and Lays Guitar Shop has been known since the ’60s for instrument repair and restoration.
To promote the business district, KNA is also seeking an artist to help launch a marketing campaign, Boyes said.
“If you go to go to any small town downtown in a mainstream community across the United States, you will see a cool logo, you’ll see a nice tagline, you’ll see businesses advertising together,” she said. “You see efforts in the community to bring people down to the district. We want to help them succeed.”
KNA is looking for an artist who can capture the neighborhood’s legacy of combining hard-work with quality play by designing a logo that features a cardinal, Boyes said. Design submissions are due April 1, and guidelines can be viewed on the alliance’s website.
Marigold Sol will join Just a Dad from Akron clothing store, which was opened in March by community activist Kenny Lambert, who donates a percentage of profits to help struggling young parents and those battling addiction.
BrightStart Early Preschool opened at 1069 Kenmore Boulevard was started by former Kenmore High School student Aletha Harris.
Also opening were ManiKitchen Tea Shop opened at 979 Kenmore Boulevard; My Love Health Care at 983 Kenmore Boulevard and ThaiSoul Fusion Grill at 992 Kenmore Boulevard.
Boyes said more businesses are in the works.
Not Just October, a nonprofit offering resources to breast cancer patients, survivors and their supporters, is planning a grand opening on May 1 for its Kim Jacobs Breast Resource Center.
A June opening is planned for a café at 975 Kenmore Boulevard featuring outdoor seating, and serving organic tea, coffee and natural foods.
