Don Jeffrey went from dressing mannequins to drawing neighborhoods

When Akron resident Don Jeffrey was growing up in Stow, he dreamed of being a cartoonist. He wanted to be “the next Charles Schulz,” creator of the Peanuts comic strip, and have his comics published in a newspaper. But with television on the rise and newspapers in decline, he decided it wasn’t a realistic goal, so he went to work in retail. 

“I worked, mostly, in visual merchandising and display,” Jeffrey said. “You know, the people who do the mannequins and do the decorations for Christmas and stuff, department stores like Macy’s and Kohl’s, and I worked for Dillard’s and Penney’s. That’s what you have to do in retail unless you’re in management.”