When Carolyn Clay, Tonya Essick and WyTerria Thornton decided to expand their catering business and open a soul food restaurant, the three settled on Northside Marketplace.
The marketplace’s reputation as a small business incubator and its proximity to downtown were major draws. The Plannerz Place Eatery opened at Northside Marketplace in February 2024, and its owners worked diligently to attract new customers. Essick said the restaurant brought in $8,000 to $10,000 per month in 2024.
“The first year was really incredible,” Essick said. “From day one, we did extremely well.”
Today, the Northside Marketplace looks very different. Plannerz Place Eatery is the last remaining vendor — and Clay, Essick and Thornton now must figure out what’s next for their business.
The marketplace closed July 31, two months after vendors went public about missed payments from owner Justin Lepley. In May, Joel Testa said his company would take back control of Northside Marketplace and turn it into a nonprofit. Testa Cos. developed Northside Marketplace in 2017. Five years later, Lepley purchased the business, with Testa Cos. retaining ownership of the physical building.
Vendors reacted positively to the announcement that Testa Cos. would regain ownership. Many hoped a change in leadership would save the struggling marketplace.
That hope was short-lived.
On July 18, Testa announced, in a statement shared on Northside Marketplace’s Facebook, that the marketplace would close. Vendors were notified by email the day before, but in recent weeks, some have said they did not receive the email or subsequent emails from Testa Cos.
“Despite every effort by Testa Companies to try to step back [and] find a sustainable path forward — including exploring new operating models and the creation of a nonprofit organization — we have reached the difficult conclusion that the Marketplace’s current financial realities simply cannot support its future,” the Facebook post reads.
‘We’re just kind of in a hard place right now’
Essick had one word to describe her reaction to news of the marketplace’s closure.
“Shock,” she said.
“Disbelief,” Thornton added.
She continued, “We were hopeful when Testa was gonna take back over and turn it into a nonprofit. I was excited for it because this is where the collaborations are gonna come from with it being run by vendors.”
Testa Cos. gave The Plannerz Place Eatery an extension to continue working out of the marketplace. They expect to be there until September. Right now, they’re doing delivery and takeout orders and catering jobs.
When the marketplace was open, The Plannerz Place Eatery used a separate point-of-sale system from the centralized system the other vendors used. The restaurant offered a grab-and-go station that carried drinks, desserts and salads. For grab-and-go items purchased when the restaurant was closed, customers paid for those items through the centralized checkout.
For those grab-and-go items, Essick said they didn’t receive payments for January through May. Lepley subtracted the amount, about $400, from the business’ rent, she said.
“It wasn’t detrimental to our operation,” Essick said of those missed payments.
Clay, Essick and Thornton also own Venue 37 at Midway Plaza at Brittain Road and Tallmadge Avenue, but they cannot operate their restaurant out of that space because it only has a prep kitchen, not a commercial one. They did a complete remodel of the kitchen space at Northside Marketplace when they moved in. Thornton said they are still in the process of paying off the costs of that renovation.
“We’re just kind of in a hard place right now,” she said.
Testa Cos. were unable to secure funds for marketplace
Earlier this month, Testa emailed vendors an update on Northside Marketplace. The email states that Testa Cos. reached out to the City of Akron and philanthropic organizations for assistance but were unsuccessful in securing additional funding.
“Unfortunately, we were not able to secure funds from any of them with the overall sentiment being the highly public and messy nature of the situation and the ongoing discussions surrounding the Marketplace in social media as well as the desire to not have those funds perceived as a bailout for Justin [Lepley’s] company,” Testa said.
The email goes on to say that Lepley owes Testa Cos. $275,000 in back rent. The company decided to “forgo immediate collection” of the rent in order to “use that leverage to negotiate a better outcome for Marketplace vendors.”
The email also states that Lepley signed an agreement stating that he would repay the money vendors are owed in exchange for his debt to Testa Cos. being waived.
In an interview with Signal Akron, Testa elaborated on the decision.
“Our feeling was that the amount that Justin owed us, he wouldn’t be able to pay. And if we were to go after him and collect, it would force him into bankruptcy,” Testa said. “Our feeling is that there would be nothing left for anybody to collect [if that happened].”
As of now, there is no timeline for vendor repayment, Testa said. He added that because his company wasn’t contractually involved with Lepley and the vendors, there is no way for them to enforce a repayment timeline.
“Our end goal was to protect the vendors as best we can,” Testa said. “If falling on our sword puts everybody else in a better position to get paid back because we weren’t the ones forcing him into bankruptcy … we felt that was our fiduciary duty.”
Missed rent payments from vendors contributed to marketplace issues
Under Testa Cos.’ ownership, Northside Marketplace operated at a loss, Testa said. In order to make it sustainable, Testa Cos. had to secure a grant from the Knight Foundation and philanthropic support from the Testa family.
Under Lepley’s ownership, some vendors failed to pay rent, which led to the issues that ultimately closed the marketplace, Testa said.
“Having vendors consistently pay rent on time is always the challenge,” Testa said. “For Justin, he was letting people who didn’t pay their rent not pay their rent.”
He continued, “Without the rents coming into the marketplace, he could not cover the expenses.”
Regarding the $275,000 Lepley owed Testa Cos. in back rent, Testa said he was unsure when those issues began. He acknowledged that his company was “a little bit lax” in pursuing rent from Lepley. The company wanted the marketplace to succeed, Testa said, and they were working with Lepley to resolve the missed rent payments.
Once vendors went public about not being paid, though, Testa said his company had to step in.
“We realized it was a big, widespread problem. And I wanted to save it.”
Testa Cos. found no evidence of wrongdoing on Lepley’s part when they reviewed the marketplace’s books.
The email to vendors from Testa Cos. also said that Lepley wants to reopen NOMZ in a new location and use the proceeds from that business to repay vendors. NOMZ and the plant store Lepley & Co. were part of Northside Marketplace but are owned by Lepley.
Lepley did not respond to Signal Akron’s request for comment.
Some vendors have ‘given up’ on receiving payment
Reactions to Testa’s email were decidedly mixed among Northside Marketplace vendors.
Many are still missing payments and are unsure what recourse they have now that the marketplace is closed.
Erin Latham joined Northside Marketplace in November. Her business, The Petite Stegosaurus, sells handmade zipper pouches and makeup bags. She said Lepley owes her $194.
“It feels like that money is fake, if they’re willing to let $275,000 go,” she said. “I understand why they’re doing that for our sake, but I don’t have confidence that we’ll actually get our money.”
Latham continued, “I’m not owed the most money out of everybody, which I’m incredibly grateful for. But there are people missing thousands of thousands of dollars. It really just feels like we’ve got taken advantage of.”
One vendor that is owed thousands of dollars is Elizabeth’s Bookshop & Writing Centre. Owner Rachel Cargle said she is owed more than $2,000. The bookshop relocated to Northside Marketplace in 2025 after several years at The Well CDC.
“Justin’s choices and subsequent attitude toward those asking him to be accountable have caused several rifts in many communities of Akron,” Cargle said via email. “Not only were vendors robbed of their revenue, but customers were also lied to, believing their money was going to the makers they value and support.”
Former Northside Marketplace vendor Allison Williams said she has “zero trust” in Lepley’s plan to reopen NOMZ as a way to pay vendors back. Her business, Rainbow Cloud Workshop, is owed about $800, she said. Williams joined the marketplace in 2023, selling handmade magnets, fidget toys, keychains and more. Williams said many vendors “have just given up” on receiving payment.
“Our success is dependent on his success, which is very messed up,” Williams said. “He has assets that he could sell to pay us.”
Jennifer Kowalski, owner of Stitches n Sews 330, is owed around $500. She joined Northside Marketplace in 2024 selling her handmade hats, aprons and cozies. The closure of the marketplace left her feeling sad, angry and confused.
“I don’t understand how he could get that far behind in rent and not be called out on it earlier,” she said. “I don’t understand how he’s going to manage that business and pay off his debts if he couldn’t manage Northside and pay the vendors and Testa the rent.”
Elizabeth’s Bookshop, other vendors outline plans for future
There are no definitive plans for the former Northside Marketplace at this time, Testa said.
Despite the closure of the marketplace, vendors are forging ahead and planning for the future.
While the shop is in-between physical locations, Elizabeth’s community programming continues. Queer Reader Meetups and free drop-in poetry workshops are held monthly at The Well.
Director September Howat said Elizabeth’s will relaunch its BIPOC and All-Reader Meetups this fall, as well as a novel writing workshop. Those who want to support the small business can do so by making a purchase through its Bookshop.org page.
As they continue to look for a new commercial space, the owners of The Plannerz Place Eatery plan to host themed dinners — family Fridays and soul food Sundays — at Venue 37 starting in September.
Williams, of Rainbow Cloud Workshop, runs a successful Etsy page, but she still wants to find a new physical location for her business. She enjoyed having a storefront because it gave people an opportunity to see and touch the products in person. She said she hopes to find a store on Front Street in Cuyahoga Falls to sell her products.
Many marketplace vendors also sell their wares at local markets. Fans of The Petite Stegosaurus can find Latham at the Akron Food Truck Festival in Hardesty Park on Friday and Saturday. She is also looking into selling her products at Forest City Vault in Cleveland’s Hingetown neighborhood.
Kowalski said she has received offers from stores that would like to carry her products, but she’s not quite ready to do that.
“It’s just trusting that the business will pay me,” she said. “Also, I’ll have to start all over again, building up a whole new customer base, which will take about a year, and figuring out what area I’m in and what to sell. I’m just not ready for that.”
Moving on from the fallout at Northside Marketplace has not been easy, she said.
“I make all the products that I sell. When I don’t get paid for that product, it’s like it was stolen from me,” Kowalski said. “Recovering from that is very difficult emotionally. I don’t think people realize how much of the artists goes into the art they create. And when it’s not paid for, you feel like it’s not appreciated as much.”
