Oct. 22, 2023: I woke up in my Cascade Valley loft and started walking the city, in search of neighbors. 

Not long after, while enjoying a reprieve from the heat and humidity, I encountered Shaun Daugherty at the BLU-Tique Hotel, located at the downtown intersection of East Market and South Main streets.

You’ll recognize Daugherty by his mop of salt-and-pepper hair, commanding presence and lean-in posture. He is a bartender extraordinaire, scintillating storyteller and author of “Extra Dry, with a Twist: An Insider’s Guide to Bartending,” published in 2007.

Akron in 330

Being his only customer at that time, I was enamored with passionate and colorful conversations about four decades of bartending, from the historic Ramon’s Restaurant and Lounge on Darrow Road to the original Gasoline Alley. 

Daugherty offered a variety of refreshing summer cocktails, eventually dazzling me with a soothing French 75. He crafts cocktails for customers based on patrons’ conversations, requests or invitations for something special.

BLU-Tique Hotel in Akron
Shaun Daugherty cuts lemons while prepping the bar Monday, July 22, 2024, at the BLU-Tique Hotel. (Kassi Filkins / Signal Akron)

I told him I moved to Rubber City from Pittsburgh to be near my daughter and her newly blended family. After searching for months for just the right neighborhood, I pounced on Northside Lofts, across from Luigi’s Restaurant.

Daugherty shared his origin story — factors that led him to Main Street: Divorce. Work. Convenience. Family and friends. Roommate issues. An authentic love of Akron and a desire to be a part of its revitalization. 

He recently filmed a cocktail video with former Van Halen lead vocalist Sammy Hagar, who was impressed with the tastiness of his margaritas. 

Bartending is a second job that morphed into Daugherty’s lone career. Social and employment challenges and lack of health insurance and full-time opportunities don’t stop this energetic and magnetic person from entertaining and caring for customers at the  BLU-Tique Hotel on Sundays and Mondays and Wednesday through Saturday evenings at the nearby Courtyard by Marriott.

“I feel like the mayor and all my patrons are residents of my city,” Daugherty said.

I now consider him a neighbor and friend.

Akron in 330

The jewel of Akron is its people. They’re vibrant and resilient. Flawed, yet thoughtful and nurturing. And all of them come with compelling stories. That’s why we launched “Akron in 330.” This series offers a glimpse into everyday folks’ journeys across our many neighborhoods — 330 words at a time. Know someone we should consider? Tell us here.

Patricia Sheahan is a professor, student teacher supervisor, installation artist, educational consultant for the integration of the arts across all disciplines and a freelance writer. Sheahan enjoys more than four decades of education experience at K-12 schools in New York and Pennsylvania and higher education at Seton Hill University, the University of Pittsburgh, Duquesne University, Penn State and most recently the University of Akron. Her favorite courses to teach are Social Justice Through the Arts, Ethics, Introduction to Critical Education, Classroom Management and Integrating the Arts K-12. Interests include visiting the Akron Art Museum, Akron Library, Civic Theatre, walking downtown to view murals and window light installations plus the stunning flower and plant arrangements, antiquing, especially from her own vendor space at The Brothers North Antiques in Medina. She also frequents Akron restaurants and local boutiques, travels and spends time with her family; a daughter and her newly blended family in North Canton, a son and his family in San Diego and a son in Dallas.