Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance, which was founded in 2016 to create a better Kenmore through cultural, artistic, recreational and business revitalization within the Kenmore Boulevard Historic Business District, has announced that it is rebranding as Better Kenmore Community Development Corporation (CDC).
“We are at the perfect stage in our evolution to rebrand and reintroduce ourselves to the community,” said Corey Jenkins, Marketing & Events Director for Better Kenmore. “We aren’t changing the type of work we do as an organization, but we are refreshing our name and identity to better reflect who we are as an organization.”
Since the organization began seven years ago, over a dozen new businesses and organizations have moved to Kenmore Boulevard, many of the existing business and property owners have invested in building façade improvements, and thousands of people have flocked to the district during its annual Kenmore First Friday events – a series of street festivals which include vendors, food trucks, an outdoor beer garden, community activities, and live music from some of the biggest and brightest artists the region has to offer.
Speaking of music, Kenmore Boulevard is fast becoming known as Akron’s Music Row – home to live music venues, over a half dozen recording studios, a record store, two guitar shops, and a world-renowned luthier.
“As Kenmore’s community development corporation, our vision is a safe, thriving Kenmore with a revived Boulevard at its core,” Better Kenmore Executive Director Josh Gippin explained. “Our approach to achieving this is through placemaking, real estate development, attracting new businesses, hosting community events, promoting the boulevard, and creating lasting connections within the Kenmore community.”
Gippin – who was named as successor to longtime Executive Director Tina Boyes in February – says the organization will continue to focus on initiatives aimed at revitalizing the Kenmore Boulevard Historic District and honor Boyes’ legacy, while expanding the organization’s capacity.
“I really feel that I’ve been passed the torch,” Gippin said. “We’re doing the same things we always have been, but supercharged. The first thing I did when I took over was to build a team, and we have a bona fide dream team that’s firing on all cylinders.”
Better Kenmore intends to facilitate real estate development, in part by acquiring and renovating buildings on the Boulevard. One of them houses SRINA Tea House & Cafe; another, which Gippin says will be completed by this Fall, will be home to an innovative and exciting concept which will be announced later this year. A third building will be completed in Spring 2024, which will likely house a restaurant on the first floor and affordable housing above it.
Gippin has plans for Better Kenmore to strengthen its community outreach initiatives as well. “I’m excited to build the kinds of strong relationships and trust that are needed so that we can all work together on bigger projects that benefit the whole neighborhood,” Gippin said.
Better Kenmore’s signature event, Kenmore First Friday, returns to the Boulevard on Friday, June 2, at 6 p.m. and will run through September 1. June’s installment will feature vendors from Oddmall, six stages of live music including Detention and Funeral Proposals on the 15th Street Main Stage, the Magic City Brewing Company beer garden, food trucks, speed dating, a kids’ activity zone, and much, much more.
“We’ve got some new and exciting experiences planned for First Friday this year,” Gippin said, “and we hope to see you on the Boulevard this Summer!”
Follow Better Kenmore CDC on Facebook & Instagram for updates and events!
In honor of International Guitar Month, we sat down with Steve to learn more about his background, how The Loft at Lay’s got started, and what’s kept Lay’s Guitar Shop on Kenmore Blvd. for the past 60 years.
What’s your background?
My background is construction. I owned several construction companies and mainly I did concrete work. I had a company with about 60 employees, then I sold it to a bigger company and I ran it as a division for about eight or nine years before I retired.
I’ve loved guitar since I was in school. I started playing when I was in Junior High School. My first guitar was a 1967 Fender Jaguar that my parents bought for me along with a Fender Pro Reverb amp.
When and how did you come up with the idea for the Loft?
I’ve known Lay’s owner Dan Shinn and his brother Joel Shinn for many years, and as I was looking toward retirement I had some money to invest. I told them if they ever wanted to do any retail I would like to be a partner as long as it was high end stuff.
I wasn’t looking for a job, but was interested in doing it out of my love for good, high quality guitars.
What types of guitars does The Loft specialize in?
We started out carrying acoustic guitar lines like Santa Cruz, Bourgeois, Huss & Dalton, and added a number of guitar lines since then. Gibson is always a standard here, we’ve got our own brand of Lay’s guitars, we’re one of 14 dealers for Bedell guitars and recently became one of only two dealers for Echopark guitars in the United States. We’re also a dealer for Knaggs guitar dealer and the exclusive Ohio dealer for Lowden guitars.
Can you tell us more about the Lay’s branded guitars?
For a long time we did not have the facilities nor the time to invest in building Lay’s-branded guitars except for custom builds for customers. Now, we have a second facility where we are able to ramp up the production to where we will always have a good supply of Lay’s guitars in stock.
And we’re doing some different things as well. For example, we’ve got a load of Korina wood that we’re building with, and we’re experimenting with some different pickup brands. And we have our fabric covered guitars as well.
What do you think the most important, interesting guitar you’ve had in The Loft is (either because of ownership or age)?
We’ve had a number of interesting pieces here. We’ve had a lot of nice vintage guitars, but one that stands out is the last acoustic guitar that Greg Lake (of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer) toured with before he died. We’ve had a number of other guitars that artists have played or owned.
One thing that we’re kind of famous for is our Les Paul conversions. And so we’ve had some very, very nice Les Paul conversions.
How would you best explain a Les Paul conversion to someone who maybe isn’t familiar with the concept?
The Holy Grail of electric guitars are the 1958, 1959, and 1960 Gibson Les Paul “Bursts.” So we take 1950’s Les Paul Juniors and Specials, which are more affordable, and convert them into the coveted “Burst” style Les Pauls. So instead of spending half a million dollars on a guitar that started its life as a “Burst, customers can buy one of our conversations for a fraction of the cost made out of old wood and vintage parts.
Steve Givens (left) holds an Echopark guitar, while Echopark founder Gabriel Currie (right) shows off a Lay’s Les Paul Conversion.
Over the years Lay’s has evolved from a guitar repair shop, to a place for custom builds, and now with The Loft a place to shop for guitars. What’s next in the evolution of Lay’s?
We want to grow the Lay’s Guitar brand and get the guitars we build into the hands of some high profile players and get some endorsees. They’ve wound up in the hands of a few players already. Brad Paisley has had a couple that he’s played and still has at least one.
Lay’s opened in Kenmore during some of the Blvd’s glory years and has remained here as it slowly began to decline, through its wilderness years, and it’s here to see its gradual revitalization. What’s made Lay’s here through all the ups and downs?
Some guitar companies have actually asked if we would move to another location that maybe would serve them better, but the feel and the vibe of what we have here is what we’re looking for and we don’t want to lose it by moving anywhere else.
You serve a lot of people locally, you also have customers all over the world. Where’s the furthest/most interesting place you’ve sent a guitar to?
We ship to Canada regularly and have shipped guitars to Japan, Russia, China, Japan, Austria, Germany, Sweden, and other parts of Europe. Sometimes shipping costs can be prohibitive when it comes to shipping to some regions.
What should people keep their eyes open for? Anything exciting coming to the Loft?
We have three guitars that will be coming made from the tree mahogany [a.k.a. “The Music Tree”], which is ultra rare. The tree mahogany is one tree that’s found in Belize that the Smithsonian recently did an article on and I’ve got one guitar coming from Santa Cruz and two from Bedell coming made from that tree. Slash has a guitar built out of that tree.
What’s your favorite part about being located in Kenmore?
It’s a friendly, tight-knit community and everybody is here to help each other.
The Loft at Lay’s is open Monday – Friday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. or by appointment. Learn more about The Loft at Lay’s at theloftatlays.com and be sure to follow @steviesguitars on Instagram to see what’s new in The Loft!
The Guitar Department has been a Kenmore Blvd. destination for guitarists and bassists for almost fifteen years.
To help celebrate International Guitar Month, we sat down with Ed Michalec, owner of The Guitar Department to learn how he started, what’s new at the shop, and what he thinks of where Kenmore Blvd. is today.
The Guitar Department opened in 2009, but you began buying and selling guitars in the mid 1980s. Tell us how you got started?
I was initially playing bass and I could not afford a decent instrument. So like so many other people, I kept buying things I thought were better and then I would replace what I had with something else or add to it. Eventually, I liked the idea of buying and selling instruments as much as I liked playing bass and took it from there. I consigned with a local shop that was in Kenmore and eventually, when they went out of business, I opened my own place.
What made you decide to open a physical store after years of selling at shows and consigning?
I was pushed by my wife at the time to get the stuff out of our house. She didn’t like half stack guitar amplifiers in her dining room .
What made you decide to open on Kenmore Blvd. and what’s kept you here?
There was a longtime shop called Musician’s Bargain Basement that was where I consigned most of my pieces and was pretty much the basis for the idea for starting the store. We’ve taken it in a different direction than they did, but when they closed and when other stores that were staples in the area eventually closed, I felt like there was an opening in the market for someone to do something different.
I’ve stayed here because the neighborhood is improving, people finally know where I’m at, and Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance’s work to improve the Boulevard is making it a more desirable place to be and a better place to do business. Plus, there’s a synergy with Lay’s Guitar Repair next door that brings customers in the door every day. We’re thankful for that too.
Thousands of guitars, basses, amps, pedals, and other pieces of equipment have passed through your hands at this point – what’s the most interesting thing you ever had and sold?
Wow. I don’t know. It’s all a blur now. There’s been so many, but I’ve had some really nice pieces. I’ve had some very strange pieces. I’m definitely drawn to the eclectic. I picked up a pretty cool guitar in Indiana a couple days ago, it’s a Bacce Rocket guitar that was handmade in Spain.
I had a Gibson Invader that was covered in calf skin that was featured on a “Ridiculous Reverb Listings” video on YouTube. [the guitar sold as a result of it’s appearance in the video]
I’ll always have the stuff people want, but I buy the stuff I like too. So I always have something a little bit different here. You know, a B.C. Rich might be a pretty normal guitar compared to some of the things we bring in. We do a lot of used and we’re starting to get a little more vintage in again. I’m always searching for something interesting.
These days many musicians are making their purchases online at Reverb or Sweetwater or shopping with the big box competitor fifteen minutes to your north. Why do you think it’s important that musicians still support their local independent guitar shop before calling Sweetwater or going to Guitar Center?
I think the true difference is attention to detail. A lot of the big box stores and bigger internet sellers just open a box and put the guitar on the wall. And if you’re any kind of a player, you understand that a guitar is something that requires adjustment from time to time and a little bit of work to make it more playable. Especially if the guitar has been built in a factory overseas and gone through six climate zones on a boat deck getting here.
Guitars are made of wood, which is cellular and the wood moves. So you need to adjust and intonate and get everything ready to play. That’s something we do with every guitar. It takes a lot of time and effort, but it makes a better playing experience for our customer. When you buy something here, it’s been set up to play.
The smaller shops, most of them typically do that. Most of them are run by players. Most of them care about that. The big box stores, I can tell you, I go into them pretty often and you don’t see that there. I’ll see used instruments with someone else’s dust on it hanging on the wall.
Everything we get goes across the bench. No matter if it’s a $100 guitar or a $7,000 guitar, it gets taken care of before it’s available for sale.
Though I do have some people that ask me to buy stuff right when it comes and I typically don’t do that until we can get the guitar into good shape.
Who are you talking about?
I don’t know. There’s this weird Corey guy in this band called Big Pop who wants to buy everything I buy as soon as I buy it.
If you had to pick a favorite guitar for sale in your shop right now, which one would it be?
I like the 1965 Epiphone Coronet I have right now. It’s a one pickup guitar, and I love Gibson Les Paul Juniors which are also one pickup guitars. And this is kind of the USA Epiphone version of that.
I bought it off an older gentleman who begged his dad for it when he was fifteen years old and played it for years in teen clubs in the sixties and into the seventies. He told me that within six months of getting it, he had made enough money playing music to buy a Fender Tremolux amp – which was very expensive at the time.
He said that he made more money playing that guitar as a teen than his father was making working a job. The only reason he was selling it was he was having trouble with his hands and could no longer play.
There have been a lot of changes on Kenmore Blvd. since you opened here 14 years ago. What are the biggest changes you’ve noticed?
The area is cleaner. People are taking better care of their buildings. More of the storefronts are occupied by actual businesses rather than people using them for other purposes.
People are coming to the area because they’re hearing positive things about it. So I’ll get people in from out of town that have heard of Kenmore and wanted to check it out and came to the store as a result.
What do you want prospective customers and people who have never been to the store to know about The Guitar Department?
We care about the customer. It’s a small staff. It’s a family-owned company. It’s myself and my son Quinn that run it day to day with a few friends who serve as occasional guest staff members that help us out from time to time.
We really do care about the product we put out and want the customer to have a good experience every time.
Anything new and exciting at The Guitar Department that someone who hasn’t been in for the past six to twelve months might not know about?
We currently have a huge selection of Boss and Roland products. That’s our latest edition. Katana amplifiers, Roland Amplifiers, Boss Pedals, anything that Roland makes that’s guitar-centric we pretty much have.
We’ve also brought in JHS Pedals, and it’s not the newest thing, but we’ve added to our Paul Reed Smith selection and have the largest selection of Paul Reed Smith guitars in the area without a doubt.
What should the rest of Akron, Northeast Ohio, and the world know about Kenmore?
Kenmore’s a good place to be. We’ve been here 14 years and area has had its ups and downs, but a lot more ups lately. Things are moving in a very positive direction. It’s a very music-centric area with a lot of musicians. The summertime Kenmore First Friday concert series is not to be missed. It’s just a good place to be.
The Guitar Department is located at 972 Kenmore Blvd. and is open Tuesday & Thursday from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Wednesday & Friday from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.; and Saturday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance is excited to welcome grant manager Eleni Manousogiannakis to its team!
Eleni spent almost a dozen years as an optician for LensCrafters before receiving her Master’s degree in Public Health at California State University- Northridge. Upon earning her degree, Eleni turned her attention to the nonprofit world where she focused mainly on fundraising, operations and quality improvement.
After soaking up the sun for fifteen years in The Golden State, Eleni decided to return to her roots and come home to Akron. No stranger to Kenmore, Eleni spent her childhood here and attended Pfeiffer Elementary School and Kenmore High School where she played volleyball, basketball, was in the marching band, and a member of student council.
“I really enjoyed band camp, the friendships, fun activities, pranks and the discipline I learned through early morning band practices.” Eleni said when reflecting on her time at Kenmore High School.
Eleni has a passion for positive change – and is driven to be a part of change that improves the quality of life for the people she is serving. As a member of the Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance team, Eleni will work to increase grant revenue which in return will be recycled back into the community of Kenmore.
When Eleni isn’t working you can find her watching The Godfathers series, taking a bike ride through the neighborhood, or hanging out with her kids. You might have already met Eleni during the first Better Block while she was painting the sidewalks.
Make sure to say hello next time you see her out and about on The BLVD!
