New Shop Just One Sign of Progress

(Reprinted from the Akron Beacon Journal)

When Michael Litt, a former management consultant, decided to open a coffee shop on West Market Street, he was following his dream.

He’s always wanted to run his own business, and he saw reopening the defunct Coco’s Coffee Bar as the right opportunity. It was a chance not only to fulfill his professional vision, but also to contribute to the community he calls home. But something happened that the 41-year-old Litt didn’t expect: Folks in Akron have been extremely helpful as he works to get established.

"Instead of creating something for the community, I’m creating something with the community," Litt said.

In recent weeks, neighboring business owners have connected him with trusted suppliers, coffee fans have knocked on the door to offer to their assistance, and city officials have been attentive and helpful in guiding him through regulations. Litt plans to open the Nervous Dog Coffee Shop at the former Coco’s on Sept. 18.

"I’ve just been amazed," he said. "It completely surprised me."

Litt’s is the type of energy and commitment to community that urban consultant Rebecca Ryan identified about a year ago when she issued her recommendations on how to create a more vibrant business community. Akron leaders hired Ryan to tell them how to attract young, creative people. One of her suggestions was for Akron to create more coffee shops and alfresco dining spots. Some people also say the sort of support and kindness Litt describes is exactly what Ryan was urging the business community to foster.

That type of energy is hard to define in words, let alone measure, said 31-year-old Leah Anglin, president of Young Professionals of Akron, a group of action-oriented young leaders. "All I know is Akron has tons of it," Anglin said. Anglin’s point illustrates why it’s hard to assess where Akron is on the to-do list Ryan left a year ago.

Ryan, founder of Next Generation Consulting in Madison, Wis., spent months studying Akron before coming up with her suggestions for change. Anglin and others charged with making Ryan’s vision a reality said the consultant’s role has been unfairly reduced to the 18 steps she offered, which include putting bike racks on buses. "I look at most of those as the fun stuff, " Anglin said. Ryan’s "core accomplishment was to inspire this young group of people to stop looking at our shoes and be proud of where we’re from."

Deputy Mayor David Lieberth agreed with Anglin. "This is not just bubble gum. She spoke of critical needs," Lieberth said. "She provided the context for what we know is important." For instance, Ryan, an economist, determined thar 4,000 crucial jobs will be open over the next couple of years as baby boomers retire, he said. Employers are already scurrying to fill them.

But Akron has made progress in the year since Ryan issued her 18 steps, city leaders said. It has enlisted the aid of Hitchcock Fleming & Assoc. to design a "Come Home to Akron" campaign, expanded the Towpath, created a brainstorming group to support the local health-care industry and added bike racks to city buses, among other accomplishments. Some of the other suggestions—such as creating strolling areas in neighborhoods—require ongoing effort.

"I couldn’t be more pleased with our progress," said Dan Colantone, president of the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce. Like Lieberth and Anglin, Colantone said some of Ryan’s most important contributions were intangible. "She was able to validate some of the things we already had in place and made us think of what kind of culture we need to attract the next generation of workers," he said. Ryan said she views her primary contribution as helping people fulfill one of the deepest human needs: leaving the community a better place than when they found it.

"Every person, no matter who they are, has that desire," Ryan said. Area leaders will tell you that while adding bike racks is simple enough, much of what Ryan talked about is much harder to handle. Decisions aren’t made in a vacuum. Many organizations must be convinced of the vision for things to come together. "It just feels overwhelming at times," Anglin said. For instance, she said, Ohio’s public education system has been struggling for years. State funding of public universities has been cut dramatically, and local school districts continually face financial emergencies. "If you don’t have good public schools—whether you’re in the city or the ‘burbs—people aren’t going to rush to move there no matter what you do," Anglin said. "It feels like we’re just swimming upstream."

That’s to be expected, Ryan said. The important thing is that a year ago, young and established leaders "met at a place of mutual respect" and agreed to take action to nurture their shared community, Ryan said. Litt, who lives in Akron, worked in Cleveland and commuted to Chicago before striking out on his own. When he was commuting, he said, he didn’t have a sense of community. Now that he is opening a business a few blocks from his house, a sense of belonging is a major factor in his well-being, he said.

"I’ve already made so many friends, and I haven’t even opened yet," Litt said. "I’m excited about what’s to come." Litt plans to bring young local bands in to play at the coffee shop and enlist area schools to put on a student art show. He also envisions a game league that would pit regulars of one independent coffee shop against another. Think Angel Falls in Highland Square battling Nervous Dog in backgammon or checkers.

When Ryan heard of Litt’s plans for his coffee shop, she couldn’t hide her enthusiasm. "That’s fantastic," she said. "That’s just the kind of thing I talk about."