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.
Kenmore, historically home to salt miners and rubber workers, is today undergoing a “reimagining” that focuses on the boulevard business district, the local music scene and community events, like BLVD First Fridays, that draw people together.
Annexed by the City of Akron in 1929, Kenmore Boulevard was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2019, the first Akron neighborhood business district recognized in this way.
Soon, a new Pfeiffer Community Learning Center, combined with the Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts, will be built on the site of the old Kenmore High School, now an empty lot. And Prentiss Park, a winner of the Akron Parks Challenge, awaits its own reimagining when it undergoes $150,000 in improvements to its courts, playground, walkways and lighting.
Akron Documenter London Green is the primary contributor for this story. She is originally from West Akron but now lives in Fairlawn and has been a Documenter since June 2024. Learn more about Documenters including how to join.
Akron Documenter London Green talked with Kenmore residents about their lives, loves and what they want from and experience in their neighborhood. Here’s what she found.
VOICE OF THE PEOPLE: MARY ANN FORD
Mary Ann has lived in Kenmore for four years. She moved away, but returned to the neighborhood in August.
What is the most interesting thing about Kenmore?
The most interesting things about the neighborhood are its local businesses, specifically Pierre’s Brooklyn Pizza & Deli and Srina Tea House & Cafe.
What is missing from your neighborhood?
“A hamburger joint,” she said, adding the neighborhood needs a good place to order a hamburger meal with fries.
How has Kenmore changed over the time you’ve lived there?
Many of the businesses that Mary Ann once frequented are no longer open. There used to be a Chinese restaurant that she enjoyed going to, but it’s now closed.
Where is the Kenmore neighborhood in Akron?
The Kenmore neighborhood is located directly south of West Akron and was once known as a town of salt miners and rubber workers. Now, this neighborhood is becoming a hub for music, arts and entertainment.
What’s the biggest challenge facing your neighborhood and how do you think it can be solved?
“Businesses need to stay open,” Mary Ann said. She’s concerned about the number of them that come and go in the area and suggested local businesses could prioritize marketing in places such as the local newspapers.
What else do you want people to know about your neighborhood?
Kenmore is a good neighborhood, and Mary Ann wants people to know about it. “It’s quiet, it’s nice, it’s not riddled with anything,” she said.
What’s your favorite business to visit now?
SRINA Tea House & Cafe on Kenmore Boulevard is her favorite business to visit. Mary Ann typically gets coffee and a food item that’s being featured. The “cozy tea haven,” according to its website, just celebrated its second anniversary in business.
Small business perspective:
Just A Dad From Akron, 937 Kenmore Blvd.
Kenny Lambert, store owner.
Tell me about the purpose of your business or nonprofit?
“Nine times out of 10, I come down here — I create and design fashion, community-based fashion, faith-based fashion, recovery-based fashion,” said Kenny. He opened his store on Kenmore Boulevard in 2021.
“Some days are different. I screen print, so I print some of the designs. … But sometimes I’ll come down here and create a design. Try to just pray every morning that God will send whoever he sees fit here to the store. So really, I just try to be a light and a vessel.”
Kenny’s clothing brand is designed to inspire “positive change through our community,” according to Just A Dad From Akron’s website.
The store is always open for anyone to come in. Lots of kids come in to hang out, he said, whether they are seeking advice, mentorship or a positive male role model. Unhoused individuals visit the store seeking food, resources, recovery and sober living skills and treatment.
In June, he and his wife, Kristi, opened The JADFA House, a nonprofit recovery community that supports individuals and families in recovery, across the street from the store. Staff are on site to guide visitors to the right resources for their needs.
How does your organization fit into or support the Kenmore neighborhood?
“So when I first started, I always wanted to be apparel with purpose, not just like any other clothing brand or fashion designer. I wanted to be purposeful, to give back, to build relationships with the community.
“It really just boils down to having a lot of faith and praying and trusting that God’s gonna provide the right amount of stuff and send the right people. I’ve always wanted to be a community-driven business that gives back in relation and in return, builds relationships and partnerships, but also inspires people in the community. You know, that they can do whatever their dreams are,” Kenny said.
The couple hosts events like back-to-school drives, where book bags, free haircuts, school supplies and hot meals were provided. Other events surround holidays including Easter, Christmas and Halloween.
What’s the most important or interesting thing about your neighborhood?
“When I first moved here in 2020 I lived [above the business],” he said. When he opened the store in 2021 there were only seven businesses on Kenmore Boulevard. Now, it’s more than 20.
He sees the area “being cleaned up, less trash on the ground, less weeds, random people as they’re walking and picking up a piece of trash, versus everyone throwing trash out of their car or as they’re walking,” Kenny said. People are “coming together to make it better.”
What’s missing from Kenmore or what’s the biggest need in the neighborhood?
“I would say food, I love food. With this being the historic part of the boulevard, when people like to go shopping, or walking around, everyone loves food. Food is a big thing and there’s been a few restaurants coming in and out. But I think good solid food that’s affordable for the culture and community of this neighborhood.
“It’s Kenmore — a lot of people don’t have money here. So there’s tacos. Everyone can afford $2 or $3 tacos versus a $20 meal, but [we need] something that would really stick and stay and also be affordable and taste good.”
What else do you want to say about your organization or Kenmore?
“I’m grateful that I made it this far.” Kenny said there were a lot of times where he thought he “wasn’t gonna be able to push through, close the doors, but the community and God continues to provide the support.” His wife’s nonprofit stemmed from the business, based on the efforts around recovery, the Bible studies and “the faith-based stuff,” he said.
It all “became too much for me, it grew so fast, too much for just one person to do.” The building across the street was donated in 2022 or 2023, and Kristi took control over the whole organization over there he said.
“It’s a beautiful thing that people have a place to go and get the resources or hang out and recover. They can do it at both. Over there, it’s the real treatment. I’m not a counselor, I’m not peer support, and they can get exactly what they need” across the street. It “gives more help and more opportunity for the community,” Kenny said.
What is your favorite part about owning a business, along with your nonprofit?
“I would say my favorite part about owning the business, it’s like a catch 22. I can make my own hours and do this and do that, but then also it’s like I’m responsible for everything so it all falls on me at the end of the day.
“Some days I’m crazy busy. There are some days I wish that I just could go work a nine to five, because then I could leave everything at work and then not have to deal with it.
“But the way that this is molded and created, I’m on call 24/7,” he said.
“The brand — it’s built around the story of getting sober and helping people…some days it’s very hard and some days it’s very rewarding.
“I love when I can answer a phone call and get someone the help that they need or direct them. But then some days when I’m mentally drained, I need to take time for myself.”
He said he’s learning that he cannot run on empty and try to be of service to people who are in need, and that taking time for himself is important.
A PLACE FOR EVERYBODY
Prentiss Park is a 14-acre community park located behind Innes Middle School. It offers a playground, basketball court, ballpark and a large grassy field.
The park is the largest green space in the neighborhood, and is home to Kenmore Youth Football, a community-based football program founded in 1959.
In 2024, the Akron Parks Collaborative selected the park as a recipient of $150,000 in city-funded capital improvements.
