Downtown Akron has a new independent book store as part of the growing Northside Cellar project.
Trust Books is part of the Downtown Akron Partnership’s pop-up retail program, which has supported 35 new retail storefronts and vendors since 2015. It’s in the lower level of the building, and managed by Wendy Geonis. She co-owns the art and clothing gallery on the ground floor, and says shops like hers are attracting people ranging from college students to out-of-town visitors.
“Even from just Columbus or Dayton who come up to Akron just for the weekend just to see what’s happening around here. Because they’ve read about it or heard about. We don’t think of our little community being interesting to other people, but we get a little bit of everybody.”
The bookstore’s selection is curated by entrepreneur Michael Owen, who owns the building. He says the room is acoustically superb and he plans to host monthly music events there starting this week with musician Bethany Joy performing her new album, “After,” this Thursday at 7 p.m.
The space is also a showroom for Akron-based Whiskertin Lighting.
