Exchange Street (500 block) 3 PM
The Dave Walter BMW dealership, built on a former Akron Public School lot, has brought the sort of hope to a recently tumultuous section of Highland Square that an elementary school could not. “These hard-working, unemployed Akronites wake up each morning, look out over the unmowed grass of the neighboring abandoned home, and see inspiriation,” says John Cartiman, a salesman at the dealership. “You’re not gonna get that from a school or anything.”
The dealership, which opened in 2007, sells new and pre-owned BMWs that typically have an MSRP value of between $50,000 - $100,000. Many of the homes that surround the dealership are worth much less than those figures. “Half the value of most of the homes around here are from their proximity to a lot of beautiful foreign cars,” explains Representative Marco Sommerville. “Really, it’s just a small step financially to move your family from a $30,000 3 bedroom home to a $55,000 2001 M3”.
-KF
