At the end of September and into October, Kent State alumna Grace Nestor-Louie began painting a mural on the side of Laziza in downtown Kent. The mural, entitled “Hello, Kent,” will welcome Kent visitors and residents as it is across from the PARTA bus station. The mural will also be visible from the Kent State University Hotel.
The mural is also community-sponsored, with a grant in process at the moment. However, any business or person that donates $100 or more will get a plaque with their name or logo of their business on it next to the mural.
Nestor-Louie, originally from Ashland, graduated from the university in 2018, where she studied business. Following her graduation, she worked in the corporate world for a couple of years before pursuing painting in 2020 with her husband’s encouragement.
Nestor-Louie said a lot of people find it surprising that she studied business in college and now paints for a living.
“Actually, they go hand-in-hand. Art’s not my hobby, it’s my business. I run my art like a business and do cool things,” Nestor-Louie said.
“Hello, Kent” will be Nestor-Louie’s first mural for a city. She has previously painted for homes and businesses, including a mural for 4th Gen Hair Salon and Spa in Kent.
This project was Nestor-Louie’s idea, as she wanted to paint a mural for downtown Kent, but she needed a wall. She reached out to people via Facebook groups, and Cassandra Frantz, a co-owner of Laziza, connected with Nestor-Louie.
Ryan Metcalf and Frantz, husband and wife, from Michigan and Illinois, respectively, bought Laziza from its original owners on Sept. 13, 2024. Metcalf worked as a restaurant executive in San Francisco for 10 years before he and Frantz decided they wanted to move back to the Midwest to raise their children.
“We found Laziza and fell in love with it, and we saw a lot of opportunity here,” Metcalf said. “It felt like the restaurant was well established, but hadn’t got a lot of TLC in the last few years, just because the previous owners were ready to retire.”
The mural will feature native flowers to Kent, including wildflowers. Nestor-Louie said her mother is a flower farmer, so she wanted to tie that aspect into the mural as well.
Nestor-Louie said she wanted the mural to also be part educational.
“Every year, we have less and less pollinators, not just in Ohio, but everywhere. Native plants are a great way to bring them back,” she said. “It’s really good for the environment to have native plants. A lot of these flowers you can find in Kent, so it’s very much of Kent.”
Nestor-Louie reflected on her hopes about the mural’s impact.
“I wanted something that very much was Kent, and something that people could take pictures in front of and just be a happy place,” she said. “I would absolutely love it if every year at graduation, Kent State students came and posed in front of the mural.”
Laziza’s owners hope the mural will bring more foot traffic to Acorn Alley and bring awareness to the restaurant.
“We think it’s another way to broaden awareness, not just of Kent, but to the business,” Metcalf said. “It’s just beautiful, and whether it leads to more business or not, it’s just nice to have it on the side of the building.”
Nestor-Louie explained her intentions with the mural’s focus on Kent’s residents.
“I wanted it to be by the community, for the community,” she said.
Melora Shue is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].
Nikki Gasiewski is the broadcast manager. Contact her at [email protected].
