- Hi there, I'm Stephanie Marie, and you have just tuned into a PBS Western Reserve special series called "City Centric".

That's right, this is Kent Centric.

In the next half hour, you're going to see that it takes all kinds of pieces, parts and people to make Kent the vibrant, creative and scholarly town that it is.

Our show starts with Kent's Heather Malarcik who tells you that a whole community of people with different time, talents and treasures have to come together to revitalize a city.

You've heard the saying, "It takes a village."

Well, since Kent is the largest city in Portage County, we're gonna say it, it takes a city.

- I think revitalization is taking a look at strong points, accentuating those, and then taking a look at weak points and figuring out how to build on them and fix them and plug resources in to make things better.

My name is Heather Malarcik and I'm the Executive Director for Main Street Kent, which is a nonprofit organization in Kent and we are here to promote all the good things that Downtown Kent has to offer.

So, our mission is to create a fun, vibrant and thriving place, and that's meant in every way.

I really enjoy what I do and it's amazing to see the progress like the actual results of the work that we do.

So, new businesses opening up and struggling and helping them to build awareness about them and promote themselves.

It's just, it's very rewarding work.

Being connected to all the different types of people is super important to revitalization.

because you need all of those people at the table.

We need the entertainers at the table to help us pull off events that are worthy of being attended and people wanna come to and come back to.

Our organization is supported strongly by our city so we have to have support from city council or that doesn't happen.

So, and the entrepreneurs, I mean, that keeps everything fresh in this town.

So, you know, you see there's turnover over the years and that's going to happen and that just undying entrepreneurship that we need all those pieces to work together for us to continue on the trek of being revitalized and continuing to grow and morph with what time is bringing to us.

A college campus connected to our downtown has helped with the revitalization, because our community population doubles when you count our students and all of the faculty and staff at Kent State University.

So, it's definitely a benefit to be that closely connected.

There used to be a highway fence between campus and downtown, and it's the farthest thing from that.

Now, that fence is down and there's a giant esplanade linking the two and now there's these Spin bikes and scooters taking people to and from town and campus.

So, there's a lot to offer in Downtown Kent.

I think the vibe in Kent is relaxed, not very stressful.

It's fun, it's vibrant, it's accepting, and it's just very chill.

The vibe of Kent is used in our approach to how we host events and how we do things in our downtown.

So, an art and wine festival in Kent is not going to look anything like one that you will go to in a neighboring community.

We keep things ever changing.

We like to use different music lineups every time we repeat an event, and we're always changing things to keep things fresh and we don't ever hit repeat on a thing, on an event.

We just have to kind of reimagine it every single time we do something.

(upbeat jazz music) - Thanks to Heather, we now know Kent's secret sauce is to reimagine, reinvent and change things up whenever you can.

If this concept is true of anyone, it is especially true for owners of small businesses.

While Kent is home to over 50 national chains, it also has more than its fair share of locally-owned businesses.

This brings us to our next guest, Mike Beder, who says that being an entrepreneur is not too much different than being a father.

- My name is Mike Beder, and I am an entrepreneur.

After, you know, working at a bar in college, I thought I knew the market.

And then late in 2000, a mom and pop deli-type place that had a liquor license opened on North Water Street that they were gonna be selling.

And I got the owner of The Robinhood and his accountant as investors to help me get started.

The fire code on that place was 62 people and we opened in January of 2001.

That was called Glory Days.

And around '03 that name transitioned to Water Street Tavern.

I own Water Street Tavern, Venice Cafe, Kent Sportswear and Cleveland Bagel Cafe.

I think an entrepreneur to me is someone who is committed to making something happen for themselves.

They're probably looking for a little more freedom in their schedule even though that's usually not the actual case.

I think there's a lot of comparisons in between being a father and an entrepreneur.

You definitely have to think on your feet and put out fires and you know, I think not being as tied down maybe as most people are to a rigid schedule has probably prepared me to roll with the punches a little bit better with being a father.

What I love about the City of Kent is the combination of the vibrance and youth and even the cyclical nature of the college students paired with the, you know, 30,000 or so residents and how that all works together and how there's multiple markets looking for different opportunities.

Infrastructure wise, Kent's a great city with great neighborhoods and great services.

A really great park system.

It's really a great community and a great place to raise a family and also enjoy your free time.

There's nothing in my family that led me to entrepreneurship.

I was always the kid with the lemonade stand or, you know, flipping baseball cards was a lot of fun to me when I was a kid.

So, I guess I was, I don't know, I guess it was just in me for whatever reason.

And after all this time, I still enjoy it.

I mean, there's a lot of opportunities I turn down, because as I've gotten older.

I probably value time and I'm better at vetting things out, but seeing a niche or an opportunity is exciting to me.

(gentle jazz music) - Mike really has his hands full with all those small businesses he owns and operates.

And didn't he say he's always on the lookout for more opportunities?

I guess once a kid running a lemonade stand and flipping baseball cards, will always be looking for the next business adventure.

Up next, we are going to meet Kent's James Vaughan who entertains by telling stories through illustration and photography.

- I'm James Vaughan and I'm supposed to be an entertainer, but I'm really a dreamer.

Most things are not possible unless we dream about them, unless we think about them first.

And that's what I wanna be able to give people, to give them something to dream about, to look forward to a future that's exciting.

My heroes are Steven Spielberg and Norman Rockwell, because they appeal to everybody.

They're really good at storytelling.

And so, I've almost looked at photography, looked at illustration as a storytelling medium.

And have tried to understand and become an expert at the particular way that a picture tells a story.

I was born in Ohio, grew up in Ohio, and got interested in photography and went to Chicago to study photography for college and ended up being a photojournalist.

After a couple years of that, I renovated a factory loft space type of place and got into doing studio photography, fashion portraits, advertising type of things.

And I was there in Chicago for about 30 years.

And now I'm back in Ohio and I'm doing aerospace illustrations.

Working with the subject of outer space and space exploration is really fascinating, because most of us haven't been there and it's, actually, a very strange place, and it doesn't look at all like our normal lives look.

And so, I have to understand the basics of what's going on in terms of the physics and the mechanics of the spacecraft, things like that.

But I also have to interpret what's happening and put it in a way that people can understand and relate to and enjoy.

One of the strongest things I've tried to do is to put adventure and romance back into these illustrations so that they really appeal to people.

My biggest hope is to inspire, like I was inspired as a kid, and especially, inspire young people to believe in a better future and something that's optimistic.

Something they can look forward to and build towards.

And one of my heroes, JFK.

That's a great portrait.

I never had thought much about Karsh before, but he really did a good job.

He's the photographer who shot it.

(gentle jazz music) It's nice not to have to be in a specific place.

And I think that's one of the best things about here is it just, it isn't so much effort.

I mean, there's so much effort to stay alive in a big city and there's a lot of interesting people, but it's nice to be here, because, well, for one thing, it's a big breakthrough.

A miracle that I can use computers and this thing called the internet to do my work and to work for a person, people in Europe or wherever.

The stamp, the James Webb Space telescope stamp.

I originally was commissioned by Science Magazine to do an illustration of the Webb telescope on for their cover, and it was a neat process.

I talked with Northrop Grumman, who's the builder.

They sent me some very detailed computer files, CAD drawings, so I could fly all around the thing and look at all the nuts and bolts.

And all the pictures I saw, I was in photographs, journalism pictures of it being under construction.

I was totally struck and really intrigued by the mirrors, these huge mirrors that open up, 'cause they're just fantastic, 'cause they just reflect so much light.

So right away that's what I thought.

You know, I have to emphasize.

Not only do I wanna show this great big machine, it's almost as big as a tennis court, but what it does and its primary mission is all focused around this set of mirrors.

And so, I was very intrigued by showing that reflecting the universe and the way that it increases the light and the magnification.

And so, it really was just this jewel, all this color and all, and that's it.

It's neat, 'cause it makes it a good stamp, 'cause then when it's little tiny, it still has a lot of little color and stuff going on in there.

Yeah, his original movie was one of my favorite movies "Forbidden Planet".

And then he went on to be in everything.

He was a voice about to see.

He was a $6 million man.

Doing the stamp that was just out of, that was just a surprise.

I mean, I just got a phone call from the people that put together ideas for stamps for the government.

I think they had seen the picture somewhere online.

"Odyssey" aside, I think it's the best picture of the web out there.

And I used to dream about having my work in Life magazine and that's no longer around, but having a stamp I guess is almost as good.

(gentle upbeat music) - I think a lot of people would agree that illustrating a US postage stamp for all the world to see is every bit as good as being on the cover of Life magazine.

James said that he grew up in Northeast Ohio.

Moved away to study and work in Chicago for 30 years and then came back to Kent.

I've heard that people who grow up in the area leave to study, work or otherwise find their passion in a different area, and then come back to where they started from are called Boomer rangers.

While our next guest wasn't born and raised here it gives her a different set of eyes to see the city.

And what Kent politician Gwen Rosenberg says she sees reminds her of a set of a Hallmark movie.

- My name is Gwen Rosenberg and I am a politician.

I would define a politician as somebody who puts their heart out there.

They put a part of themselves out on the table and they do so, because they care about improving people's lives, making change for the better, fairness, and ultimately, democracy.

Politician has become this like dirty word, you know, like politician, you know?

It doesn't have to be, there are a lot of great politicians that are serving their community and they're doing good and you know, this whole good guy, bad guy thing has gotta stop.

It's not sustainable.

It's not good for the communities that they serve.

You should listen.

You should give them the opportunity to, you know, talk to 'em and find out what's going on.

If you don't like what they're saying or doing, by all means, you know, you can definitely express that and you should.

That's part of the democratic process.

There's nothing special about a politician.

It's just somebody who made the commitment and said that they wanted to get involved.

That's really at the heart of the matter.

These people they care about your community.

Local government affects you more than any other like type of government.

It's your local government that's making laws and affecting your quality life faster than any other you know, people might fuss about national politics, but it's your local elected officials.

It's your small business owner down the street that ran for City Council.

The person that you get to talk to on a daily basis.

You know, if we're out downtown you get to talk to people, you're seen and you're interacting with them.

It's important for people to realize that your local politician is just your neighbor and your friend and your people that you live with and how they affect your lives.

So, when I think about positive, I would hope that people would see that this is something that I felt strongly about.

And without any previous experience in politics, I saw a desire to contribute and I would hope that something positive that I contributed was people seeing that and thinking, okay, well, you know, participating in local politics, maybe being on a board or commission or running for office themselves.

Since I didn't grow up in Kent, I think sometimes looking at it with, you know, a set of eyes, you know, from experience living you know, in a bigger city in Cleveland.

Kent it's idyllic, it's almost like this perfect small town community atmosphere.

I can walk, I live about a quarter mile away or a half mile away.

So, I walk along our hike and bike trail along the river and you can walk downtown and see fireworks, you know, around the 4th of July.

And there's community event.

I mean, I ride a bicycle to the local apple orchard to pick apples.

I mean, these are things growing up that seem like the stuff of like Hallmark movies or something, but we're living it.

Asking our young people their thoughts on what's happening in the world is, I think it's a good practice.

Since they're not afraid of change, they're not set in their ways, but I love hearing their perspectives and opinions.

You know, these are our future leaders of a community.

These are the future drivers of business and politics and community.

- Congress and state level politics capture the attention of national news so much that we can forget that local politicians have a great impact on our daily lives.

Moving right along, I think you're gonna love this next segment.

Meet the future, Savanna Wills, fashion designer from Kent that feels design should be intentional.

Being true to herself and her environment is what makes her garments stand out.

- Hi, I am Savanna Wills.

I am a fashion designer out of Kent, Ohio.

I always wanted to pursue fashion design and even as young as two or three when I first started drawing, I was designing little sets and outfits on paper and then that grew to like making clothes for my dolls, and my mom keeps those in boxes in the basement.

So, it's cool to see how I've grown from that.

My parents, like I said, have always been supportive of me and the arts and knowing that I'm a go-getter and I've taught myself all these skills, because I knew that I wanted to pursue fashion.

I think, you know, they were confident that whatever I chose to do, I would go all in.

I remember my senior year of high school, all my life I wanted to be a fashion designer and then you really have to like sit down and like make it official.

At that point, I was second guessing myself.

One person in particular, my physics teacher, she knew that I was kind of torn and she kind of knew that I was struggling with that and she said, "You have to do what makes you happy and what you won't get tired of."

And for me that was fashion design.

Post-graduation, I am starting my label Swills.

My name is Savanna Wills, so that's where that comes from.

But currently, it is based out of Kent.

There's totally fashion capitals of the world, but the Kent Northeast Ohio scene is really growing.

There's a lot of small brands starting up from this area and actually, a lot of people from all around the world come to teach fashion here.

So, I've been able to have that sort of global perspective from the small town Kent, Ohio.

I think design needs to be intentional and so, when you're creating fashion, it should speak to the wearer and the wearer should feel a certain way and they should feel like the most authentic version of themselves when they're wearing that.

I take my inspiration usually from my current environment and you know, for a long time that has been Kent and the people around me.

I really try to stick to an earth-toned palette and focus on like the small details that the wearer would experience wearing the garment and how that feeds into their intimate relationship with their clothing.

And everything that I source from is all dead stock.

So, that means it's fabric cutoffs by bigger brands that they didn't use, or cutting my patterns straight out of secondhand or vintage garments.

I wanna be known as someone who made people feel good.

I want to be first and foremost remembered for being kind and whether I make people feel good with my presence or I'm just listening to them and making them feel heard through the feeling that they get when they wear my designs.

The dream would be to remember as someone who made others feel good.

Kent-centric person, I think the number one adjective for that sort of role is somebody who is authentically themselves.

An individual who is not afraid to be themselves is a people person and values relationships and sees the best things in others.

- Kent humanitarian Candace Curtis will tell you that many people sacrifice.

So, she and her husband champion pro-golfer Ben Curtis could have their dream life.

With that kind of outpouring, it was only natural for Candace and Ben to pay it forward.

- Our mission at the Ben Curtis Family Foundation is helping children overcome disadvantages to become the best champion of their own life.

We started with 135 kids at Holden Elementary in Kent.

So, it started with Ben, myself, my sister-in-law, Sarah, and my mom, Diane.

So, we started in our basement.

We had, we thought, well, we'll try everything.

We'll set up food.

It was like in a circle.

We were getting dizzy, but we just we filled the backpacks.

Now, we're in, we have a facility where before we would pick up food from the food bank, Ben, actually, did all that.

He would drive the food to the food bank, pick it up, drive it to the church, we would unload it pack it that day, get 'em off, you know, get to the schools.

but we serve 12 districts in three counties now.

So, we're in Stark, Summit and Portage.

My mom is like one of the biggest influences in my life, but she just, I watched her take care of us, right?

And I had that, like I know what that's like and like I think that that's part of my driving force.

Oh my God, I don't think I've ever, this is like a first.

- [Director] It's okay, it's okay.

- I grew up with every need met.

I grew, you know, I had, my parents worked really hard.

So, both Ben and I come from very hardworking families.

You know, his parents gave everything they had for him to have the career and sacrificed so much for him to have what he had.

And so, I think having, for my mom, I just in that family I had everything.

And so, when you see just something as simple as food not any other issue or any other, that's the driving force is I wanna make sure that at least you're fed.

Right, we can start there maybe down the road it grows into something else.

So, I think for us, food insecurity is important to raise awareness of, because I think a lot of families too.

It's everywhere and it's always been there, but I think a lot of families now are seeing food insecurity for the first time.

So, I think the awareness piece is important to realize.

You know, and I just want people, I guess until I really started or we started this, like you park your car at the grocery store, you walk in.

You do your grocery shopping, you come out, you know and you're in there thinking, well, what I'm gonna have for dinner?

Or, you know, and I think that that's not how it is for a lot of families.

To have access to food, you know, all the time.

You know, so I think that that's, for us, that's the importance is to raise the awareness that that's not how it is for everyone.

(gentle music) - What started as four people bagging food for 135 kids in Kent has grown to stuffing 6,000 bags a month to serve Stark, Summit, and Portage County children.

It all starts somewhere, doesn't it?

What character do you play for the betterment of the place you call home?

Can you find a way to inspire, innovate, and energize?

Are you city-centric?

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