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: The Goodyear Branch Library is located in the Middlebury neighborhood. A previous version of this story left that information out.
Welcome to Middlebury. Born in 1807, it predates even Akron (1825).
The community in recent decades has experienced quality-of-life challenges, from disinvestment and low owner occupancies to balancing blocks around a small cluster of scrapyards. Yet several visionaries are transforming blighted buildings into community comebacks.
Look at the former nursing home that a few years ago was reimagined into apartments and a first-floor fine dining restaurant (Alexander Pierce). Or the car dealership and showroom turned upholstery company, now slated to become Akron’s first modern-day food hall by 2027. (Imagine: By the end of this decade, Middlebury’s food desert could transform into an eats destination.)
And don’t forget about the iconic Goodyear sign, which was relit two years ago, honoring its neighborhood roots.
Akron Documenter Brittany Nader is the primary contributor for this story. She is a Goodyear Heights resident and has been a Documenter since January 2024. Learn more about Documenters including how to join.
The people? University of Akron students, new arrivals, some of whom are passing through, longtime families — all are betting with The Well CDC that Middlebury can become a local destination to live, eat and in some cases work.
Akron Documenter Brittany Nader talked with Middlebury residents about their lives, loves and what they want from and experience in their neighborhood. Here’s what she found.
VOICE OF THE PEOPLE: RON KENT
Ron has lived in Middlebury for eight years. He said he used to work for a nonprofit that didn’t have its own office, and The Well CDC let the group use its building at 647 E. Market St. as their home base. He now works for Youth Success Summit, located just outside the Middlebury border at 277 E. Mill St.
What is the most interesting thing about Middlebury?
“Let me put it this way — the fact that there’s so many people here on purpose in a neighborhood where lots of people have left on purpose, historically,” Ron said.
What is missing from your neighborhood?
Ron said equity and people having a stake in the neighborhood are what’s missing the most.
“I know that’s something that is hopefully going to be continuing to return over the years,” he said.
Ron appreciates his “fam at The Well a lot and the goals that they have. I think people are getting more and more voice in the neighborhood, but definitely, I want to see more equity.”
Where is the Middlebury neighborhood in Akron?
Middlebury is located directly east of University Park and sits along the Little Cuyahoga River. The neighborhood was the first settlement in what is now Akron and is the home of The Well CDC, Stark State College’s Akron campus and Summa Health Systems, previously known as Akron City Hospital.
How has Middlebury changed over the time you’ve lived here?
“It’s definitely more beautiful,” Ron said. He referenced the millions of dollars The Well has used to rehab and restore more than 90 blighted homes in the neighborhood as an example. “I love the fact that there’s, again, hundreds of people living here on purpose that weren’t here like 10 years ago. I love the momentum,” he said.
What’s the biggest challenge facing your neighborhood, and how do you think it can be solved?
Ron said organizations like The Well and Vincent House, which focuses on after-school care and family support, are doing “beautiful things” to engage the community, but to achieve real equity, there needs to be a long-term plan that connects all residents. “Like making strangers friends and friends family, I think that’s the code, that’s the formula to revitalize the neighborhood,” he said. “To gain equity in their space is by becoming like a stable family for one another in the community.”
What else do you want people to know about Middlebury?
People outside the neighborhood may have fears or worries about the neighborhood, Ron said, because treatment centers such as CHC Addiction Services are based in Middlebury and bring people struggling with addiction to the area.
He said the neighborhood draws in many transient people as well.
“A lot of people understand that there’s a deep struggling homeless population, largely because of the heroin epidemic,” Ron said.
People often move to different neighborhoods to “feel safe and isolate,” Ron said, but he loves how walkable, connected and community-oriented the neighborhood is.
Are there any neighborhoods in Cleveland that you think compare to Middlebury, or is it just its own unique place?
“I love Akron a lot, and it’s worth being a homeowner in any of the neighborhoods. It’s worth being a homeowner, and it’s worth being a neighbor and a friend,” he said. “It’s worth building community here in Middlebury.”
“I lived in Ohio City [a neighborhood in Cleveland], and to me, it feels like the early years of that,” Ron said. “Only, we need to come up with a positive word for ‘gentrification,’ where you’re making stuff beautiful on purpose, but not stealing from the community while you do it.”
He said it’s been exciting to see home values in Middlebury increase with the changes that are happening in the neighborhood. Unlike Ohio City, where he saw affordability decrease, local businesses get shut out and the demographic of the neighborhood changes, he’s excited to see how Middlebury could do it differently.
He mentioned the new food hall, Factory 816, that will open at 816 E. Market St.
“I think that’s really sweet — having a space where people can walk to it and get amazing food, and like, eat and hang and be present with one another,” he said. “But like, you’re sharing and you’re getting food from people who live in Akron and in the area.”
NONPROFIT PERSPECTIVE
The Homeless Charity and Village, 47 N. Arlington St.
Lerryn Campbell, executive director
Tell me about the purpose of your business or nonprofit?
Lerryn said her group serves people with food insecurity, those experiencing homelessness, and others “just looking for community.”
She said the goal is to meet people where they’re at and provide a bridge to any services that they might be seeking. The group also works to break down barriers by meeting some of their basic needs through “food, toiletries, hot meals, a hug.”
She said it’s run as a “no questions asked” charity that serves the neighborhood all year long. Anyone can stop by their headquarters, called The Outreach House, at 47 N. Arlington St. to pick up toiletries or sack lunches or gain access to services.
She said they partner with Amazon, Bombas Socks and the Akron-Canton Regional Food Bank to bring resources to the neighborhood. In 2024, they handed out 200,000 pounds of food and cooked 150 hot meals every Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Beyond distributing products, Lerryn said she spends her days getting to know people in the neighborhood, their next steps and goals and how her organization can help guide them to where they want to go.
How does your organization fit into or support Middlebury?
She said Middlebury is a “real mix” of individuals from various walks and stages of life. By opening the Outreach House up to the community to visit, share a meal, get access to resources or just hang out for a while, they’re providing a safe space for neighbors to have conversations with one another.
“We’re in an unique position where we get to marry all of those individuals for a common mission, and so I feel like we have a great opportunity to break down barriers and provide some glue,” she said.
What’s the most important or interesting thing about your neighborhood?
“Middlebury is a very eclectic neighborhood — we have neighbors that are generational, they’ve owned their houses for multiple generations,” she said. “We also have a lot of transient neighbors, so there’s a lot of rooming houses, also transitional housing models.”
She said Middlebury is a very welcoming neighborhood, and she and other community leaders work to bring in individuals to share and provide resources where there is a need.
What’s missing from the neighborhood or what’s the biggest need in Middlebury?
“Access to affordable food is huge,” Lerryn said.
She talked about having Dave’s Market in the neighborhood but said grocery stores are not always accessible to people for a variety of reasons.
Starting a community garden at the Outreach House was important to provide neighbors with access to fresh fruits and vegetables.
“It’s really important that people have the opportunity to, in their own neighborhood, pick a peach from a tree, grab some blackberries, grab a zucchini and like, eat from the land where they live,” she said.
As it’s nearing the end of the gardening season, she said they are desperate for quality, nutritious food that is accessible to all.
What else do you want to say about your organization and/or the neighborhood?
“We’re just grateful to be able to be a part of the neighborhood,” she said. “From our councilwoman (Sharon Connor), who is easily approachable, very accessible, very supportive, to neighborhood churches and businesses to the neighbors who have welcomed us graciously.”
The Outreach House sits on a residential road and is situated near other homes. She said not every neighborhood wants to see 150 people in a backyard receiving food every week.
“You know, not every neighborhood wants to invite people who they don’t understand into their neighborhood to be fed or to be heard, and so we’re really grateful to be in a welcoming community,” she said.
She said there is a strong feeling of community and accountability around the Outreach House. Many individuals who wait to be served also assist with unloading nearly 5,000 pounds of food each week, and she remembers just about every name and face who stops by.
“Like, you are wanted here. You’re meaningful,” she said. “And that creates a space where people begin to think, ‘Oh my gosh, I matter. And when I matter, then I might be ready to see how much I matter in other places in my life.'”
How can people get involved with your organization?
She said the best way to connect with The Homeless Charity and Village is on Facebook or by visiting the organization’s website, but people can stop by the Outreach House to visit and learn more.
“We have no paid staff, and we survive on the kindness of other organizations and the kindness of our community, financially and through volunteer work,” she said. “We welcome how other people might be able to provide some of their time or energy to see this continue to succeed.”
A PLACE FOR EVERYBODY
Walking through Jewett Park along the path that winds around the park’s perimeter, visitors see a playground, seating, pavilions, gardens and green space to unwind or get some physical exercise. The park sits at the end of Jewett Street, a quiet, residential road in Middlebury. A family and child are heard playing on the playground equipment.
