The Bomb Shelter

Once you enter the Bomb Shelter store on Bank Street in Akron, you’ll think you’ve gone back in time. With merchandise dating back to the early 1900s, it’s easy to think that you’re in another time and place, and for some, it’s a place to relive old memories.

Since 2011 the Bomb Shelter, known as Akron’s retro superstore, has saved things that normally would be put on the curb. Kevin Royer, the founder and owner, says that the store was founded because they “like things to find a new home.”

Furniture, cookware and clothing have been restored and sold by their team, giving people unique items to take home that wouldn’t be found anywhere else. Royer says that the antique shop is an alternative to big name stores with big name prices.

“It used to be that it had to be a Hermon Miller [item] or some famous designer to be worthy of purchasing,” he says. “Now people are buying if it fits into their lifestyle, they can use it and enjoy it.”

Most of the merchandise is bought and sold locally throughout the Akron area. People from all over The 330 sell their old and unwanted items to the store, which are bought and made anew into someone else’s treasure.

In addition to the kitchen, clothing and furniture sections, the Bomb Shelter also has library, camping and industrial sections to satisfy a wide variety of wants and needs.

“I think we tend to hit a pretty good range of what the customers are interested in within this area,” Royer says. “It may be some of the same items that you see at a garage sale or on Craigslist, but when it’s in the store and staged, the items that we bring in feel like they can have a home somewhere else. They don’t feel like they’re sitting on a dusty table at a garage sale. We love making old things new.”