Average Joe: Attention, Trader Joe's — the Akron area really, really wants you

I wasn’t sure what to expect two weeks ago when I threw open the question: What places are on your wish list for local stores and restaurants?

Rest assured, you were ready to answer. Several hundred folks weighed in via email and Facebook, and the runaway leader with 135 endorsements was Trader Joe's, a national chain that says it has been “transforming grocery shopping into a welcoming journey full of discovery and fun since 1967.”

Now, I’ve never been to a Trader Joe’s. And I guarantee you that when I visit for the first time, my wife is going to direct me to go stand under the sign so she can snap a picture. She does this with any sign that says Joe. Lucky for me, there aren’t too many Joes in the world.

But lots of folks don’t want to have to go to the Cleveland suburbs to scratch their Trader Joe’s itch. Bring one here — “pretty please,” some respondents insisted. Just to satisfy my own curiosity (without having to take out a second mortgage to fill up my gas tank for the drive to Woodmere or Westlake or Mentor), I’m even going to tack on a “with sugar on top” to sweeten up that “pretty please.”

(Hey, everybody, pretend not to eavesdrop; I’m just going to talk Joe-to-Joe here for a second.) Psst. C’mon, Trader Joe. They’re asking very nicely. They’re good people. They’re my people. I’ll vouch for them. Just look at all those big, sad, longing puppy-dog eyes!

Follow me to Akron

Let’s get back to the bigger conversation about stores we’d love to have in our area. My casual poll resulted in mentions of 91 different stores or restaurants by name.

Taking second place with 40 votes was Ikea, the trendy Swedish home furnishings and meatballs and lingonberry jam megastore that I visited for the first time ever just over a week ago north of Columbus. I tend to become easily overwhelmed by giant retail complexes, and I experienced that a little at Ikea. But, gosh, that place is pretty neat. And bustling.

Here’s where things get really interesting. The third-most-offered response, with 35 entries, was not any particular store. It was a vote for fewer chain stores and more mom and pop stores. Considering this was an entirely write-in ballot, that says a lot about our determination to support locally owned businesses.

Both types of operations, though, have their place and bring the potential for jobs and economic boosts. There’s plenty of room in the ever-changing bricks-and-mortar scene for them to function side by side. And plenty of imagination about what could fill those vacancies.

Among the next top vote-getters were supermarket chains Publix (22 mentions) and Wegmans (15). And eight eateries:

• 15 votes for The Cheesecake Factory, a restaurant franchise with two Cleveland-area locations.

• 11 votes for Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen, which has an Ohio location in Springdale, north of Cincinnati.

• 10 votes for Zaxby’s, a chicken restaurant based in Georgia — with no locations in Ohio.

• 10 votes for Ponderosa, which has mostly vanished from Northeast Ohio. But if you’re planning on a night out in Warren ...

• Nine votes for Mellow Mushroom, a pizza and wings place with a location in Rocky River.

• Nine votes for Blaze Pizza; its Canton location just isn’t close enough for local fans of this chain that counts LeBron James among its major investors.

• Eight votes for Bojangles, the chicken and biscuits restaurant that — this just in — is coming soon to Northeast Ohio.

More: Fried chicken chain Bojangles coming to Belden Village area

Beyond the numbers

The virtual ballot box for this exercise also turned into a suggestion box. Here’s a sampling of the feedback:

• One reader emphasized the need for any new store to keep its customers’ mobility in mind. “Whatever you bring, please make it wheelchair accessible. Check the threshold at the doors, the steepness of the entrance, levelness of parking; hallways to bathrooms need to stay clear.”

• More options are sought for people who follow strict diets, whether by doctors’ orders or simple preference. The region needs “a variety of dedicated gluten-free places without cross-contamination worries. Other allergy-focused-friendly eateries would probably be appreciated,” one respondent noted.

• People are in search of more options for seafood and international cuisine including Ethiopian, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, French and Chinese. Also, New York-style bagels and Korean barbecue.

• Women over 40 want more options for clothing stores that understand their age group is not necessarily interested in teenage and 20-something fashions, a reader pointed out.

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Wish you were here   

Another theme that played out in the responses was longing for the return of long-closed establishments.

One reader rattled off this list: “Sanginiti's, Nick Anthe's, Pewter Mug, Peninsula Nightclub, Amber Pub, Little Joe's Pub, Lou & Hy's.”

Ah, I remember several of these quite well. Sanginiti’s hosted some of my siblings’ wedding rehearsal gatherings. I dined with my homecoming date at Nick Anthe’s. I worked part time as a dishwasher at the Amber Pub my senior year; I loved that place and the people I worked with. Indeed, there is something quite special about the mom and pop places.

If you are Trader Joe’s or Ikea or any other chains on this wish list, there are plenty of us who will be delighted to roll out the welcome mat. Know that we are fiercely loyal people when it comes to shopping and dining. Provide great service and great job opportunities, and you’ll fit right in and thrive here. If you’re only about reaping the profits that a big name enjoys, we’re not going to hit it off too well.

Don’t be shy. Take a chance on the Akron area; there’s something about you that makes people wish you were here. Just don’t lose sight of that. There’s a place for you, and there’s also a place for this person over here who responded: “I could go for a good Swensons burger right now, top It off with some Stricklands ice cream — and maybe some Belgrade’s chicken.”

That’s just who we are.

When he isn’t toiling away as the Beacon Journal metro editor, you can occasionally find Joe Thomas musing about everyday life as the Average Joe. Reach him at jthomas@thebeaconjournal.com 

Go read more Average Joe: Help! My kitchen is revolting

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This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Average Joe: Trader Joe's, IKEA top wish lists for new Akron stores