AKRON, Ohio -- The Northside Marketplace quietly opened its doors on Monday night, allowing the public a sneak peek of the wares available from Akron's entrepreneurs.

The retail space, located in the Northside Lofts on Furnace Street south of N. Howard Street, is like an incubator for start-ups whose offerings range from fresh-baked goods and locally roasted coffees to all natural skin care, clothing, art, food and virtual-reality gaming.

The Testa Companies created the marketplace with support from Downtown Akron Partnership and the Knight Foundation. It's designed to offer Akronites a unique place to shop while supporting local retailers. It's also meant to be an interesting space in the Northside Arts District to gather with friends.

So far, about half the retail spaces are ready for business, and a central checkout area will serve the smaller startups that share spaces. Larger businesses, like Rubber City Clothing, Akron Honey Co., Dirty River Bicycle Works and Sure House Coffee serve as anchor businesses.

Visitors are encouraged to use the marketplace's central gathering space, which features big-screen TVs, tables and lounging furniture. It also has a lengthy bar overlooking Cascade Valley that will soon be stocked with beer, wine and champagne. Users can download the app, Audiofetch, to tune the TVs to their mobile devices.

Visit the Northside Marketplace at 21 Furnace St. Hours are Monday-Thursday from 4-8 p.m., Friday from 4-10 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Parking is available on N. Main St. and Furnace St.

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