INSIDE AKRON: Akron Documenters are fanning out across the city’s 24 neighborhoods to elevate places, faces, voices and vibes — as shared by the people who live there. Expect a new profile every day through October.
Correction: Anne T. Case Community Learning Center is in the Wallhaven neighborhood. A previous version of this story omitted this.
If a blend of convenience and community is your thing, then allow us to introduce Akron’s Wallhaven neighborhood.
Here, at the busy crossroads of West Market Street, West Exchange Street and Hawkins Avenue, restaurant, grocery and other retail options intersect. You can stop at Acme Fresh Market, Whole Foods Market or the newly opened ALDI location for some last-minute groceries on the way home from work. (If you don’t feel like cooking, maybe the original Swensons drive-in at 40 S. Hawkins Ave. is calling your name.)
That dense commercial cluster quickly blends with residential life off the main drags. A notable community fixture is Hardesty Park, which regularly plays host to myriad events ranging from citywide celebrations to family parties.
Roughly 5,000 people across nearly two square miles call Wallhaven home, and it’s a familiar stop for many residents of Akron’s other western neighborhoods such as Fairlawn Heights and Highland Square, as well as for people commuting from nearby Copley and Fairlawn.
Akron Documenter Keith Castillo is the primary contributor for this story. He is a Highland Square resident and has been a Documenter since July of 2025. Learn more about Documenters, including how to join.
Akron Documenter Keith Castillo talked to residents and business owners about this neighborhood where they live and work.
VOICE OF THE PEOPLE: Patrick Tabatcher
What is the most interesting thing about Wallhaven
Patrick said it’s a mix between a neighborhood and a small metroplex with a sense of intimacy. The nearby Cuyahoga Valley National Park and Summit Metro Parks provide an interesting interface of urban living with wildlife accessibility. He also said that walkability in Wallhaven is good in parts.
What is missing from your neighborhood?
His simple answer: community. During COVID, the community of Wallhaven came together to support local businesses. He said residents still support local businesses and try to maintain the close community feel, but he said something is still missing.
How has Wallhaven changed over the time you’ve lived there?
Patrick said there is more to do, including more options and variety. He thinks the COVID-19 pandemic generated local resilience.
Where is the Wallhaven neighborhood in Akron?
Wallhaven is located north of West Akron and offers a diverse residential community. The neighborhood has a bounty of retail and dining options near West Market Street and hosts the popular Akron Arts Expo annually in Hardesty Park.
What’s the biggest challenge facing your neighborhood, and how do you think it can be solved?
Two main challenges exist in Wallhaven, he said. First, other areas of Akron are pulling residents to businesses outside the neighborhood. Second is that heavy traffic in some parts can make it difficult to walk or bike.
What else do you want people to know about Wallhaven?
Wallhaven is a beautiful look at a piece of “Americana history,” a glance at urban and rural sprawl with rustic wilderness at your back door, Patrick said. You never really have to go anywhere else, when Wallhaven has everything from fine dining like Ken Stewart’s Grille to shopping at Gabe’s.
SMALL BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE:
The Art of Essence, 1963 Ayers Ave.
Essence Young, owner
Tell me about the purpose of your business?
Essence said she has been a minority salon owner in Wallhaven for 14 years.. The business’ purpose is to make people feel fantastic about themselves. She provides salon services ranging from hair straightening to simple cuts.
What’s the most important or interesting thing about Wallhaven?
Wallhaven is a great starting spot for anything you want to do in the Akron area, Essence said, from eating breakfast to getting a tattoo. The people who live and work in Wallhaven are always very polite and courteous.
What’s missing from Wallhaven, or what’s the biggest need in the neighborhood?
The neighborhood has become too commercialized with chain retail stores, Essence said. She would like to see more local businesses in the neighborhood. One idea she has is to form a Wallhaven community garden to mentor and nurture young, minority entrepreneurs. Essence said it would be nice to have local businesses support this.
What else do you want to say about your organization and or Wallhaven?
Fourteen years ago, she said, there was no Taco Bell, no Starbucks. She thinks the overall growth has been awesome, though she’d like to see more locally owned businesses. But she’s also concerned about overdevelopment and worries that too much green space is being destroyed. The vacant lot where Klutch Cannabis is seeking a dispensary (1956 W. Market St.) would be better used as a greenspace, she said.
A PLACE FOR EVERYBODY
Three major streets intersect within Wallhaven’s boundaries — West Market Street, West Exchange Street and Hawkins Avenue. At this junction, hidden behind Westgate Plaza and across the street from the newest KFC restaurant in Akron, there is a beautiful green space called Hardesty Park.
Hardesty Park hosts a multitude of events ranging from personal birthday parties to city-run festivals. These include the Akron Food Truck Festival, a Taste of Akron, a summer concert series, the Black Excellence Arts Festival and the Akron Art Expo, which is now in its 46th year.
Walking around Hardesty Park, one would never know that it was an urban green space. Little if any sound, excluding the occasional siren, can be heard at the back of this teardrop-shaped park, yet you can clearly see the traffic zooming by.
