Hazel Tree Interiors

Hazel Tree Interiors Hosts an Open House to Spotlight Locally-Made Home Decor
by Brit Charek

On Market Street just west of downtown there is what has become a new famous Akron landmark: a gorgeous mural of a Hazel Tree.

The mural was designed by Kelly Tighe, who is used to painting on giant canvases designing sets for theater productions in New York City. When husband and wife team Jon Haidet and Karen Starr opened a new space in the old Norka Futon building to combine their Interior Design and Custom Framing businesses plus open a retail store for locally made home decor, they decided to paint a mural instead of purchasing a sign. The mural has drawn a lot of attention to the store from art lovers and community members a like.

On Saturday May 5, Hazel Tree Interiors is having their annual spring open house, right after the Akron ArtWalk. If you've never seen the building beyond the mural, it would be a great opportunity to stop by and see the inside of the building and what they have to offer. The owners are exceptionally excited to unveil and celebrate their newest offerings of reclaimed, re-purposed home decor from their ever-expanding network of local artisans. There will be refreshments as well as local artists on hand telling the stories behind their ingenuity upcycled pieces.

"Since we've opened we've been working hard to bring together the best and most unique home decor artisans in the area," says owner and Interior Designer Karen Starr, "Our goal with Hazel Tree has been to create a studio and store that connects both retail customers and my design clients with a source for locally-made, interesting home decor."
 

I absolutely covet this desk, welded together from industrial shelving.

Also made from industrial shelving, this chair seems to be comfortable for people of all sizes.

Some of the interesting new types of locally made home decor to be introduced include painted and re-purposed furniture, found object clocks and wall art, accent pillows, clay and glass accent tiles, and a variety of furniture, lighting and other items made from reclaimed steel.

Look at this giant robot designed by Patrick Gerber! There's a selection of several robots, including a Wizard of Oz set.

The other owner of Hazel Tree Interiors is Jon Haidet, who does custom framing. He believes that a frame should compliment the art it houses, not draw attention away from it. He has years of experience in his craft to benefit his customers and help them find something that suits their taste as well as compliment the artwork being framed.

An almost overwhelming selection of custom frames!

Hazel Tree Interiors is located at 143 West Market Street in the Old Norka Futon building. Parking is available on-street or in any of the St. Vincent/St. Mary parking lots. Their annual spring open house takes place on Saturday, May 5th from 5-9 pm. You can learn more about them by visiting their website or by liking them on Facebook.

The Toys Time Forgot

A couple of months ago, I read on Wonderful Wonderblog, one of my favorite pop culture blogs, about a local vintage toy store located in Canal Fulton.  Then a few weeks later I heard a friend who collects unusual board games talking about buying one of his precious finds at this same vintage toy store.  So I finally went down to Canal Fulton to check out this place myself.  What I found there blew my mind!

Wall to wall, floor to ceiling, aisle after aisle--Toy & Collectibles Heaven

The Toys Time Forgot make the claim that they are Ohio’s #1 vintage toy store--and you’ll believe it once you step inside.  Specializing in baby boomer toys, they buy, sell and trade vintage and classic TV toys and movie memorabilia.  You can also find Barbies and GI Joes, Transformers, Match Box and Hot Wheels, non-sports trading cards, and comic books--both old and new.  But any fan of Star Wars and Star Trek items will find that this place is their paradise!

Sci-Fi Nerd Alert: the sheer volume of both old and new Star Wars and Star Trek collectibles in Toys Time Forgot is staggering!

What I was most excited about were the vintage metal and vinyl lunch boxes that lined the shelves close to the ceiling.  Not only did they have the orange metal lunch box I carried in 6th grade--Sid & Marty Krofft Supershow--it was in amazing condition!  I asked about the most expensive lunch box and I was shown the iconic Beatles one.  But the one I most covet is Julia--a green metal lunch box from the 1960s sitcom that starred Diahann Carroll.

Do you see the Julia lunch box? It's top row, just to the left of the Hardy Boys and Knight Rider.

I was also blown away by all the vintage board games and the many classic Viewmaster reels.  My boyfriend was eyeing the Big Trak programmable vehicle that he desperately wanted as a child.  He actually hasn’t stopped talking about it since our visit!

Individual packs of non-sports trading cards on top of a display case loaded with cases of trading cards!  Yes, I was looking at past series of Wacky Packages.  Is that a Mrs. Beasley doll from the TV show 'Family Affair?' in the background--YYESS!

If you’re looking to make a stop down there, Saturday May 5th--Free Comic Book Day--may be the perfect opportunity.  The store is planning a huge event which includes: 200-250 different free comic books, all kinds of sales and discounts as well as prizes and a raffle.  They will also be the host to several special “guests” including: the Batmobile, the Joker Mobile, the General Lee (from The Dukes of Hazzard), Robot B-9 (from Lost in Space), several comic book artists making sketches, and more.  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle fans take note: they will even have artist Kevin Eastman-signed copies of children’s coloring books on hand.

Did someone say STAR WARS?

What vintage toy would you like to have?  I’m willing to bet the friendly staff at The Toys Time Forgot know all about it.  The store is clean, well stocked and inviting.  Take my warning: you’ll be in the store longer than you planned.  There really is something for everyone to see there.  When you stop in to The Toys Time Forgot, tell them Akron Empire sent you.

Fraggle Rocks--one loose and one still in the original box

The Toys Time Forgot is located at 137 E. Cherry Street in historic downtown Canal Fulton, OH 44614.  That’s straight down Manchester Rd. (Rt. 93) into the small town of Canal Fulton--you really can’t miss it.  They are open Tues-Sat 11am-8pm, Sun 12-5pm.
http://www.ToysTimeForgot.com
330-854-1700

Record Store Day at Square Records

Celebrate Record Store Day 2012 at Square Records

By Brit Charek

For a music enthusiast, it’s a little unnerving to discover that the average teenager has never purchased an entire album, nor do they ever plan to. In an age when you can purchase individual songs and listen to them instantly on your iPod, music stores need to find additional ways to draw customers in.

Thank heavens a handful of geniuses started Record Store Day-- a sort of holiday that was created five years ago by a group of independent record stores, which started as a way to draw attention to the fact that physical retail record stores are still here, but need the support of music buyers to keep going strong. Several special edition records were made available on this day which were only available for sale at participating record stores. This year, there are over 250 special record releases available only in stores. And just in case you haven’t physically purchased a record in a while: almost all records produced within the last few years include a digital download code!

“We've got a lot of cool free stuff to give away this year including posters, promo cds, stickers, gift certificates and a lot more,” says Square Records owner David Ignizio. There will be DJs playing records in the store all day, and local musicians Cloud Nothings and the Bizarros will play a show at Musica to top off the evening. “I’ve snuck some pretty cool rare used records out in the bins in years past and probably will again this year,” Ignizio continues, “Also we usually have donuts, which make people unreasonably happy.”

Square Records is tucked between the Highland Theater and Revival in Highland Square

Square Records opened in August of 2003. It’s pretty much strictly a record shop: they sell new and used cds and records, maybe a few books and miscellaneous merchandise and the art on the walls (by local artists, naturally). They started out generally focusing on indie rock and punk albums, but have since branched out to carry a lot of jazz, soul and classic rock as well. “I’d say our selection has gotten much weirder and more mainstream at the same time,” says Ignizio.

Show your local pride by sporting a t shirt-- it's one of the few items sold in the store besides music.

Among all the other limited releases going out on Record Store Day, Square Records will have a special release of their own: a cd called Novos Akros, a soundtrack to a mysterious movie venture from the 80s that was never finished but was to be filmed in Akron, supposedly. It will be co-released with Patternbased, and it will be the first ever release on the Square Records label.

 

 

Record Store Day will take place on Saturday, April 21 from 11 am until 9 pm at Square Records, located at 824 West Market Street in Highland Square. You can visit Square Record’s website to learn more or RSVP to the event on Facebook to see a list of all the special releases they will have stocked.

Chocolate Factory and Retail Store

Harry London/Fannie May/Fanny Farmer Chocolate Factory and Retail Store
written by Joanna Wilson

The factory building is visible from 77 when traveling both north and south on the freeway.

Did you know that we have the largest chocolate factory in the Midwest in our own backyard?  The factory makes chocolate treats for three lines: Harry London, Fannie May and Fanny Farmer.  The factory and retail store for the three chocolate lines is located at 5353 Lauby Rd, North Canton, OH 44720.  It is found just off 77 South at exit #113 for the Akron Canton Airport.  Turn right at North Lauby Rd and the entrance is just 100 feet to the right.

Stepping through the doors of the store...

...chandeliers and CHOCOLATE!

I’ve visited the very spacious retail store, located just inside the building entrance, twice since February.  I was impressed with the wide variety of chocolates available including Buckeyes, a creamy peanut butter and chocolate candy, and seasonal confections.

Adorable Easter candy is the current seasonal chocolate.

Two sizes of boxes of Artisan handcrafted, premium chocolates

What caught my eye and made my mouth water is a line of ultra-premium gourmet chocolates called Artisan by chocolatier Norman Love.  Artisan is a new line of chocolates with Fannie May available since the fall of 2011. Created in small batches, these confections are a delight not only in flavor and texture but in appearance.  They are airbrushed with cocoa butter and coloring for a very distinctive, appealing look.  Biting into the crisp chocolate, you’ll discover a ganache filled with a rich, satisfying flavor. There are currently twelve flavors: Lemonade; Double Shot Espresso; Mint Cookie; Swiss Milk Truffle; Candy Apple; Hazelnut; Birthday Cake; 64% Dark Chocolate; Peanut Butter Fudge; Chocolate Dipped Strawberry; Bourbon Vanilla; and, Caramel.  Did I mention they offer samples in the retail store?

FM Artisan premium chocolates in the display window of the candy counter.

During my first visit to the retail store, I sampled several pieces of the premium Artisan chocolates and returned several weeks later to purchase my own box.  I’ve tried each flavor and I confess my favorites are Double Shot Espresso, Caramel and Chocolate Dipped Strawberry.  The extremely friendly staff behind the counter revealed that they were working on new flavors as well. 

A bus arrives as I'm leaving.  It is filled with people excited for a factory tour--is that Charlie Bucket? Veruca Salt? Augustus Gloop?

Can you believe that this factory and gem of a retail store is located right in our own backyard?  If you are looking for an extra special Easter treat or a premium Mother’s day gift, consider a box of chocolates made locally.  Have you taken a tour of the factory yet?  What an interesting activity for entertaining out-of-town family members or for educating youth groups.  For more information about factory tours and the hours of the store, check out the website or call: 1-800-321-0444

www.HarryLondon.com
www.FannieMay.com