30 years ago, Akron residents fought Walgreens' opening in Maple Valley. Now, it's closing

Three decades after the controversial demolition of Maple Valley School and construction of the Walgreens that took its place, the pharmacy at 1303 Copley Road in West Akron is closing.

Nathan Burruss, shift lead at the Maple Valley Walgreens, said the store will close at 3 p.m. Aug. 19.

In an emailed statement Wednesday, Walgreens Boots Alliance, which owns Walgreens, said: "After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to proceed with closing this Walgreens location."

The statement said several factors are taken into account when a store closes, "including our existing footprint of stores, dynamics of the local market, and changes in the buying habits of our patients and customers, among other reasons. This location’s closure is due to unsustainable business performance and upcoming lease expiration."

Burruss said clients with prescriptions can tell store pharmacists where to send their prescriptions. If customers do not notify the pharmacy, prescriptions will be sent to the Walgreens at 834 W. Market St. in Highland Square, he said.

The Walgreens statement said existing customers who move prescriptions to one of the company's other locations "can find the same care and services they have come to expect from our healthcare professionals and team members. Walgreens remains committed to providing a seamless transition to their new retail pharmacy location so they can continue to access their prescriptions and retail needs."

Burruss said the store's roughly 17 employees will remain with Walgreens and move to different locations.

The Copley Road Walgreens is clearing its shelves, with sales beginning this week, Burruss said. Deals will differ depending on product and brand, he said, adding that some socks are 80% off.

"The deals should change to the best that I know," Burruss said. "As we get closer to the 19th, they should get lower and lower."

Walgreens plans to close about a quarter of its stores

At the end of June, Walgreens Boots Alliance announced that it planned to close about 25% of Walgreens stores that it said are underperforming over a roughly three-year period, USA TODAY reported . Walgreens has more than 150 stores in Ohio, including 14 in Summit County.

Maple Valley Walgreens property listed 'for sale and lease'

At 1303 Copley Road, the 1.63-acre property and 13,392-square-foot building are listed as "for sale and lease" on the website of real estate company Colliers with no dollar amount attached.

The Colliers listing states that the property is accessible from Copley Road and South Hawkins Avenue, has 83 parking spaces and that the building is a freestanding structure with a drive-thru.

Chris Seelig, a senior vice president and principal at Colliers, who is listed as a contact on the firm's website for the property, declined to comment to the Beacon Journal. Lauren White, a vice president at Colliers, who is also listed as a contact for the property, could not be reached for comment.

In 1994, controversy surrounded the Copley Road Walgreens

Thirty years ago, the sale of the property at the corner of Copley Road and South Hawkins Avenue to become Walgreens was met with community opposition.

Residents had unsuccessfully petitioned for the Maple Valley School building to continue to be used for education or be converted into a type of social-service institution, according to Beacon Journal stories from the time.

Maple Valley School was razed in April 1994 to make way for the Walgreens, and construction of the pharmacy began that year, according to the Beacon.

Social services eventually expanded in the neighborhood. In 1996, the Lawton Street Community Center opened up in the building of the former Lawton Street YMCA that had closed in the 1980.

In March of this year, the city of Akron named the community center in honor of the late Judge James R. Williams.

Pharmacy chains shuttering under pressure

The Walgreens closure comes at a time when a separate large pharmacy store chain, Rite Aid, is undergoing Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. All Rite Aids in Summit, Portage and Medina counties are closing .

Patrick Williams covers growth and development for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached by email at pwilliams@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @pwilliamsOH.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 30 years ago, Akron residents fought Walgreens' opening in Maple Valley. Now, it's closing