17 Black-Owned Businesses in Downtown Akron

The Experience Barber & Beauty Shop provides haircuts, razor fades, beard trimming and shaving, and styling in a relaxing and welcoming shop located on the corner of Mill Street and Broadway. You can expect professional service, competitive prices, and high-quality services for men, women, and children. Walk-ins are welcome or book an appointment on their Facebook page. 

Located inside Northside Marketplace, India Ink Tattoo Company is the only Black- and female-owned tattoo shop in Akron. They specialize in black and gray designs, as well as realistic color designs. Their website offers easy booking and price transparency, and they even offer gift cards. Check them out online or in person at Northside Marketplace.

April Nicholson-Couch, the artist of Totally Tangled Creations, creates intricate Zentangle-inspired wall art, bowls, serving ware, t-shirts, coloring books, and so much more. Zentangle is a drawing style made up of intricate doodles that form beautiful patterns that grow and evolve as the artist works. Every piece of Nicholson-Couch’s work is unbelievably detailed and truly one-of-a-kind. Visit Totally Tangled Creations’ on Facebook to check out her unique work, or stop by Summit Artspace or Northside Marketplace to check it out in person.

The Jaron M. LeGrair Studio is a voice studio that provides comprehensive voice training for singers and speakers. Owner and founder Jaron M. LeGrair has multiple degrees and studied voice, speech, and hearing sciences, making him an experienced and well-rounded teacher. His mission is to encourage boldness, creativity, and awareness of the voice. Book a session, buy merchandise, or check out his guided vocal warm-ups on the Jaron M. Legrair Studio website.

Street Craftery is a creative destination for DIY projects like candle making, guided painting workshops, and more. Located on East Mill Street, they offer craft projects for people of all ages and even welcome private celebrations and corporate events. Learn more about Street Craftery on their website.

P31 Art & Design is a Christian art and design company run by a mother-daughter duo whose goal is to bring more awareness to the Black art community and create paintings, purses, stationery, greeting cards, and more that are completely hand painted and fully customizable. They use organic substances and natural materials in their art. Their studio is located inside Summit Artspace.

Located on Main Street and veteran owned, Perfect Pour specializes in martinis, bourbon, and burgers. Stop by for a wide array of craft cocktails and beers, and be sure to try their fried green tomatoes, specialty burgers, salads, and more. 

The Plannerz Place was established as a home catering business just months before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and is now open for dining inside Northside Marketplace. Owned and operated by Tonya Essick and her daughters Carolyn and WyTerria, The Plannerz Place Eatery offers an incredible rotating menu of southern style soul food.

Pizza 77 is downtown's newest pizza shop. They boast classic pizza shop offerings, from customizable to specialty pies, saucy wings, and jojos. Their crust is airy, their sauce is robust, and their pepperoni is Xtreme. Order in store or online.

Essential Dipped Delights is a gourmet dessert company specializing in unique desserts, perfect for gifts, special occasions, corporate events, or your everyday sweet tooth fix. They serve marshmallow pops, banana pudding, cheesecake bowls, chocolate-covered strawberries, and so much more. Visit Essential Dipped Delights in the Northside Marketplace or online to get a quote for your event.

Charles Tyler Law Firm provides exceptional legal services to Ohio families and individuals. With 16 years of legal experience, Tyler is knowledgeable with family law, criminal defense, bankruptcy, school law, personal injury, estates, and creations of 501(C)(3) organizations. Learn more about their services on their website.

Families First Health Services, is made of a team of highly respected mental health professionals. They boast one of the leading practices in Ohio with their high-quality, focused services to both individuals and families, whether in the form of outpatient therapy, community support, psychological testing, behavioral health, or school-based services. Learn more about the services they offer, and take the first step in getting the help you need, on their website.

Located at 388 S. Main St., Woods Associates offers services in financial planning, investment analysis, and estate and retirement planning to help clients work towards building and preserving their assets while helping them work towards their financial goals. Learn more about how Woods Associates can help you manage your finances on their website.

Capital Talent Development Group's mission is to help those who have been historically underserved and underrepresented advance in the labor market. They do this through services centered on workforce development and social capital building. Call 330-400-4036 to learn more.

As the name suggests, Blaak Media is a media company that focuses on creating photos, videos, and branding material for creatives, small businesses, and nonprofits. Their portfolio includes masterful promotional videos, music videos, audio recordings, portraits, and group photo shoots. Check out their website to see for yourself.

Lannon Home Care is an in-home nursing care service, offering compassionate care for people of all ages who need assistance with daily living. The services they provide are unique to each client's needs and may include medical or non-medical home care, companion services, live-in care, geriatric assessments, non-medical transportation, light housekeeping, assistance with mail correspondence, and more. Learn more about their services on their website.

Sammons Safety Services provides consulting and training services to companies to help them ensure they're compliant with local, state, and federal regulations. They specialize in construction safety services and on-the-job training, as well as occupational safety and health services, including crafting health and safety manuals specific to individual companies.

Clean-N-Shine is a family-owned professional, commercial, and residential cleaning service.