AKRON, Ohio — Kenmore Boulevard has a new record store to complement the recording studios, instrument shops and live-performance venues that give credence to the strip’s recent designation as Akron’s “Music Row.”

On Saturday, Mayor Dan Horrigan, Deputy Mayor Marco Sommerville and other officials cut a red ribbon for Juju Bonz Records at the Buzzbin Art & Music Shop, welcoming the Boulevard’s 16th new business in the past two years, said Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance Executive Director Tina Boyes in a release.

What You Need To Know

  • Kenmore Boulevard has a new record store to complement its “Music Row” designation

  • Juju Bonz Records at Buzzbin Art & Music Shop is the Boulevard’s 16th new business in the past two years

  • It offers new and used records, tapes, CDs and 8-track tapes, as well as clothing, jewelry and rock memorabilia

  • The store also is a gathering place for musical artists and other creative types to network

KNA, the neighborhood’s community development corporation, has worked since its inception in 2016 to fill the storefronts of the Boulevard, which at one time was one of Akron’s busiest business districts.

Juju Bonz brings the kind of energy KNA aims to keep building on, Boyes said, calling the shop the “right place at the right time.”

“So much of the revitalization of Kenmore Boulevard centers on celebrating and building on our assets,” Boyes said. “Our musicians, our music businesses — those are assets. What’s missing are the additional gathering spaces — welcoming places where art and ideas can be exchanged.”

Juju Bonz is designed to be just that — a gathering place for musical artists and other creative types to network and learn from one another, said co-owner Julia Bentley. It also offers everything from new and used records, tapes, CDs and 8-track tapes, to clothing, jewelry and rock memorabilia.

Bentley and her husband, Chris Bentley, moved Buzzbin Art & Music Shop to the Boulevard last year after the business spent 12 years in Canton, Ohio, she said.

(from left) Deputy Mayor for Integrated Development Sean Vollman, Akron Great Streets Administrator LaTonda Mobley, Deputy Mayor for Intergovernmental Affairs Marco Sommerville, Buzzbin and Juju Bonz co-owner Julia Bentley, Mayor Dan Horrigan and KNA Executive Director Tina Boyes cut a red ribbon at Juju Bonz Records. (Photo courtesy of Shane Wynn)

The couple made the move after they attended and enjoyed one of KNA’s well-attended First Friday events, she said. First Fridays invite the Akron community out to enjoy food, vendors and live music every month during good weather.

“Juju Bonz will be whatever the Kenmore community needs it to be,” Bentley said. “Our last shop changed over time. Music and art are alive and can change, and so will this.”

One unique aspect of Juju Bonz is its “Wreck Room,” a DIY recording studio where artists can experiment.

“I want this to be an engaging space for the community to try something they’ve never tried before, whether it’s art or music,” Bentley said. To help make Juju Bonz a safe, enjoyable place for people of all ages, the Bentleys plan to host alcohol-free, live-music events as well.

According to KNA, that dovetails well with the building’s past use, as home to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

Juju Bonz Records, located at 989 Kenmore Blvd. in Akron, is open noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and noon to 7 p.m. Wednesday and Sunday.

To learn more, visit the Juju Bonz website.

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