Brian Steere is doing more than just opening a restaurant next to Akron’s Lock 3 park.
The two-story Crafty Steere, due to open next month in a space in the O’Neil’s Building that’s been vacant for more than a decade, will have family-friendly games, a bar and a market in addition to a downtown restaurant.
The business will be “crucial” for the success of a core part of downtown, said Kimberly Beckett, the president of Downtown Akron Partnership.
“The more dense activity we can have, the more we can fuel redevelopment downtown,” Beckett said. “It’s filling in these pieces.”
Crafty Steere, adjacent to Lock 3, will fill in an empty storefront, help improve connections downtown by reducing the amount of time people are spending walking through areas without street-level interest and give people one more reason to come to Akron — or stay in the city, she said.
A recent Brookings report showed the city has 95 downtown businesses, more than both Richmond, Virginia and Birmingham, Alabama. But because Akron’s downtown is so long, Beckett said, the city’s different nodes can feel separate, making people feel as if there isn’t as much activity there.
Opening businesses like the Crafty Steere, and filling in gaps, can help downtown as a whole feel more vibrant.
Recipes from West Point Market
For his part, Steere said he wants the new space to be a destination.
He has two markets already, in Tallmadge and Fairlawn, and sells Crafty Steere’s wares at the Springside Athletic Club, which he purchased in 2019. The recipes for cheese spreads, chicken and egg salads and baked goods like Killer Brownies come from West Point Market.
As part of the new location, Steere hopes to increase production of the spreads, salads and bakery items to further scale the business. He’s already selling in Heinen’s; a stand at the West Side Market in Cleveland could also be a possibility.
Steere is co-president, with his brother, of Steere Enterprises in Tallmadge, which manufactures automotive parts. He said when West Point Market closed, he missed the food sold there and sought to bring it back. He’s been in the food business for three years now.
At the downtown location, a storefront market will likely be the first piece to open, followed by the bar, then the entire restaurant. Even though the space is under construction, he’s already done some private events in the upstairs area, which is carpeted and overlooks Lock 3.
An affinity for downtown Akron
Steere had started looking for space downtown two years ago; he acquired the former Ohio Brewing Co. space in July. The brewery, in conjunction with Damon’s Grill, left the space in 2012, Steere said.
He started renovations in January and expects to put about $400,000 into renovating the space, including a $50,000 grant from the Downtown Akron Development Corp. Steere painted, added lighting, updated the bar and installed new TVs and a jukebox. He’s planning to put two pool tables in, too.
“I’ve always had an affinity for downtown, since I moved back here,” said Steere, who lived in Chicago for a period of time. “I wanted to be part of that renaissance. I thought I had something to contribute.”
With plans for the University of Akron to update the Polsky Building and make it accessible from South Main Street, Steere said he expects, in time, to be part of a vibrant block.
Getting more of what people want in Akron
Beckett, with Downtown Akron Partnership, said she was thrilled with the increased investment downtown. By adding Crafty Steere, she said, Akron is getting more of what people say they want, with restaurants and places to go.
She said changes to the downtown landscape can remind people to come to a part of the city they might have written off as having nothing to do — without knowing all that Akron offers.
“These changes and improvements make a difference,” Beckett said. “Having another place where people can sit down and eat is helpful and impactful.”
She said building density will continue to be a focus.
Steere hopes to build a lunchtime crowd, rent out the space for events and sell grab-and-go-food and gift baskets. He hopes to open by the end of May.
“The workers, residents and students I think are clamoring for more of this,” Steere said. “I think it will reinforce how cool the downtown is, that people have forgotten.”
