Each employee working Saturday night at The Lockview received $200 from owner Daniel Basone to compensate for halted business after the cancellation of all weekend events on city-owned property.
Basone said his restaurant at 207 S. Main St. is down $7,500 because Akron Mayor Shammas Malik canceled Friday, Saturday and Sunday city events due to safety concerns from the June 2 massing shooting.
Taking care of his employees was Basone's priority, he said.
"I'm at a loss today," he said. "I always put employees first. I don't want them to be distracted by what's going on and say, 'Let's go to Cuyahoga Falls and work. It's safer.' The city is pushing everybody away. I don't think Akron's dangerous. Things happen. They happen everywhere."
Malik made the announcement during a hastily assembled news conference Friday night. Halted events included the North Hill 5K (moved to July 7), the American Heart Association Heart Walk (no makeup date yet) and the Akron Juneteenth Festival at Stoner/Hawkins Park (no makeup date yet), which was set to be the kick-off event to the city's eight-day Juneteenth celebration.
Basone said he and other local entrepreneurs have had to steer their businesses though other low sale times such as the COVID restrictions and the downtown Akron curfew in 2022 following the deadly police shooting of Jayland Walker.
This time, Basone, whose business celebrated its 23rd anniversary in Akron on Saturday, said he is reaching out to an attorney.
"I know what the city's going to say: 'We'll do a tax break,'" he said. "I don't want a tax break. I want the income that I would have made that pushes my business forward."
Other business owners also saw a decline in turnout over the weekend.
"We probably had one of our slowest Saturdays of the year," said Brad Cover, owner of Twisted Tomato Pizzeria & Beer Wall at 325 S. Main St. "It's all event-driven downtown. As things shut down here, it's 'just close the doors' because there's nothing going on."
Cover said Fridays and Saturdays are his shop's busiest days in the summer due to planned activities.
James Crooks from Tear-Ez at 360 S. Main St. said the bar's sales were down compared to the average weekend.
"It was slower than usual," Crooks said. "I was here Saturday and Sunday during the day, and it was slower than normal. Saturday and Sunday night was a little less than average."
When preparing for an event-filled weekend, Crooks said the bar does not usually need to bring in extra staff — except during Akron's Pride celebration Aug. 23, when Tear-Ez expects to be packed from open until close.
Basone said the upcoming weekend promises to be better for The Lockview, with blues rock singer Bonnie Raitt coming to the Akron Civic Theater Saturday. With over 2,400 tickets sold, he said the restaurant is going to do its best to create a fun time for a large crowd.
"There's going be a lot of people to see the show, and a lot of those people won't realize there's problem downtown, and when they come into town, we want to make those customers love Akron," he said. "Now that (events are) threatened by the city, they'll go, 'Wow, Akron's that dangerous? The home of The Black Keys, LeBron James and Chrissie Hynde? I don't think it's that dangerous. The city, the council are putting scare into everybody."
Ogarth Thompson, who owns Jamaican food truck Ogarth's Kitchen, had signed contracts to work Saturday's Juneteenth Festival at Stoner/Hawkins and the Sunday West Akron Parade and Juneteenth Father’s Day Celebration at Buchtel CLC and Kerr Park.
Thompson stressed the importance of safety, calling it "the number one priority over everything."
However, he called the event cancellations "an unfortunate situation" and said he is seeking clarity on why city officials decided to cancel them.
Thompson said it would benefit event organizers and vendors to know if anything can be done to improve event security.
He said he spent between $800 to $1,200 on food for the two weekend events, including about $700 just on oxtails. On Monday afternoon, he said most of the food should preserve until the next event at which he's setting up, the Akron Urban League's Juneteenth Celebration at the organization's building on Vernon Odom Boulevard. On Monday evening, the city of Akron and the Urban League announced a joint Juneteenth celebration at the John S. Knight Center.
He said he is not looking to place blame on any specific city officials.
"Politically, I try not to get into that aspect because right now people (are) just basing how they're feeling off their emotions because people were banking on going out this weekend, spending money; some people were banking on going out to receive and make money," he said.
Tiffany Becton, The Honey Pot Doula, signed a contract to be a vendor at the Saturday Akron Juneteenth Festival at Stoner/Hawkins Park that was canceled Friday.
Becton said she has been a vendor at that festival for a few years, with the exception of last year when she was working another event. Her vendor services at events include consultations and the sale of products such as herbal teas.
She said she loves seeing the community, including children and businesses, come together for the Juneteenth Festival at Stoner/Hawkins.
"But at the same time, safety is important," Becton said.
The event organizers posted on Facebook that another festival could come in July, which Becton said she welcomes. She added that she would feel safe bringing her family there as long as police are patrolling the event.
"Pray for protection and peace," she said. "More peace in Akron: That's what we need. More peace and love."
Reporter Isabella Schreck can be contacted at ischreck@gannett.com. Reporter Patrick Williams can be contacted at pwilliams@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Businesses respond to cancellation of weekend events in Akron
