To be honest with you, working on a beautiful spring day sucks. Immensely. Stepping out every half hour or so to catch some sun doesn’t help much- it’s just a tease. So as I sat pounding away at the keyboard entering products, uploading photos, etc, etc, I looked up at the window & saw a great site- two Goodyear blimps- one it the store and one in the sky. My day of work was made much better…and it gave me a much needed blog topic. Enjoy!
You are currently browsing articles tagged Goodyear.
Today millions of students across the nation will be ’schooled’ by President Obama, LeBron, & Kelly Clarkson. No, it’s not a students vs. celebrities basketball game (I’d highly question Kelly Clarkson’s skills on the court); the ’schooling’ is actually at school. Get Schooled, a special documentary about the importance of education and following your dreams to success will air in schools across the country, as well as at 8pm on Viacom networks like MTV (nice they could take time away from quality programming like The Hills or 16 and Pregnant), BET, Nickelodeon, and more. This special is a school year kick-off to encourage students to take this new year seriously and excel in their studies.
Fifty years ago, Akron students got a little ‘kick-off’ in the form of a textbook written by an APS teacher, Sara Klippert. ‘The Akron Story’ was a supplementary text book distributed to 11,000 Akron Public Schools fourth-graders. The book served as an imaginative way to tell the history of our city, and build local pride in Akron youth. Featuring illustrations and vintage photos, the Akron Story, tells the fictional tale of twins David and Diana who move to Akron after their father takes a job with a rubber factory. The twins immediately love their new city and are determined to learn all they can about it, including joining a local pride club called Norka Wonki (which is I Know Akron backwards).
This seems like a great way to instill local pride in youth. It’s been quite a while since I passed through the APS system. I recall a little Ohio History for one semester when I was in seventh grade. Honestly, before I began working with RCC, I vaguely knew the Simon Perkins story and the history of Goodyear/Tires. I had no idea about John Brown, Sojourner Truth, Akron’s rich music history, the Toy Marble Museum, and all the other things that were Made in Akron or that Akron Witnessed First. It would be money quite well spent by APS to update the Akron Story.
If anyone knows of an available copy or would like to display theirs at RCC, please call Sarah at 330.434.4722.
No, Goodyear & Bridgestone-Firestone aren’t pulling out of the Rubber City; but we are losing an important landmark in our ‘rubber’ history: The Goodyear World of Rubber. Today the 61 year old museum closes its doors permanently. Open free to the public, the World of Rubber has long shown how rubber went from a tropical plant to prosperity in a northeast Ohio city.
My Granddad worked for Goodyear for 45 years, designing machines for tire production. He not only gave over half of his life to the company, he also gave a thumb- which was lost during a machine inspection. When I was little, Goodyear was a magical place to me. The headquarters, with the clock tower and flashing Goodyear logo, seemed like its own little city to me. I recall a few trips down there, and have vague memories of the World of Rubber. This week, at least 19 years since my last visit, I went to the World of Rubber before it was closed for good. None of it drew any recollection, but it wasn’t hard to picture having gone there in the past. Nothing appears to have changed in the last 30 years. The same mustard yellow/ pale olive green decor is still in tact; the large mod-style Super-8 video projectors played the same grainy movies about the boom of the rubber industry and the importance during wartime. There were the same dusty touch-and-feel samples of rubber; personal belongings of the inventor of vulcanization, Charles Goodyear; and a few examples of Goodyear innovations. My favorite thing on display was a World War II Corsair Engine plane. My Grammee worked as a ‘Rosie the Riveter’ during the war, building these planes. And then of course, there was the blimp. I couldn’t tell because it was behind a closed door, but I’m fairly sure that the video of the history of the blimp was on a VHS or Beta format. It’s a shame that the museum wasn’t updated to show the work that Goodyear still does from its headquarters in Akron. Sadly, when all the jobs went south, the museum stunted development.
All of the exhibits and artifacts from the World of Rubber will find a home with other area attractions, such as Stan Hywet and the MAPS museum. I’m kind of curious to what will become of the Super-8 projectors. The Goodyear Gift shop will remain open, with all kinds of logo apparel and merchandise- especially those beloved blimp erasers and inflatable blimps. Remember, you can also purchase Goodyear items at Rubber City Clothing downtown, and Made in Akron in Highland Square.
Today’s post is brought to you by Made in Akron, our sister-store, conveniently located in Highland Square. I (Sarah) am keeping watch over MiA while Elizabeth (the MiA GM) takes a much-deserved day off to go see Mary Poppins up at Playhouse Square in Cleveland (I’ve heard it’s wonderful).
While we are closely related, carry some of the same merchandise, and share one common goal (Akron pride), both stores are quite unique. While I’ve spent the last year creating a gritty, industrial boutique vibe to RCC, MiA has a genuine local art & creative vibe. Focusing more on local art and products (as opposed to the RCC focus on t-shirts/apparel, with a few local products mixed in), MiA has quite a diverse selection. From the first step in the door to the last step you take before you slam into the back wall, there is local art covering the walls and showcased on the tables. Each piece in this store was hand-selected as something great Made in Akron. There are paintings & pictures with vibrant colors; sculptures made of glass and metal, intricate handmade jewelry and mosaics. This art completely summarizes the name of the store: made in Akron. Plus there is a huge variety of local general merchandise & nostalgia, like a Stan Hywet picture book or those classic Goodyear Blimp erasers (both also available at RCC). Everyone in Akron should visit MiA & RCC. Both are truly cool local stores (and I’m not just tooting our own horns- it is fact).
Next time you need a great unique gift, or want to send some Akron love to other lands, come to RCC or MiA!
We would like to officially welcome Made In Akron to the Rubber City! Made In Akron is a new locally owned/operated retail store in Highland Square featuring products MADE IN AKRON. Located at 16 South Highland Ave (just off of West Market Street and next to Mike, the Highland Square Barber), they feature such great Akron-based products as Rubber City Clothing t-shirts, DeViti’s sauce, Akron Peanut Shoppe nuts, Pearl Coffee Co, Crave’s signature sauces, Goodyear paraphenalia, and tons of local art and unique gifts!
Stop in and see Elizabeth 7 days/week from 11am-6pm to check out Akron’s coolest new store! Their website will be up shortly. In the meantime, become a fan on Facebook!