NORWOOD, Ohio -- Sherman Market, a Norwood corner store that became the focal point of more than 200 police calls over two years, will remain closed for the next 12 months -- and nearby residents said they were breathing sighs of relief at the news.
Wilburn Jones, who has lived near Sherman and Carter avenues for nearly half a century, said the store’s police-ordered shutdown in July had allowed his neighborhood to rest easy knowing the crime it appeared to attract was on hold.
"You can sit out on the porch and watch the neighborhood and not be scared that someone’s going to throw a rock through you," Jones said.
Sherman Market and another Norwood business, Donna’s Carry-Out, were shut down by Hamilton County authorities in July.
Hamilton County prosecutor Joe Deters said the two businesses “caused nothing but trouble for the law-abiding citizens in the community” based on repeated reports of fights, drug trafficking and a felonious assault in which one person was shot.
City council member James Bonsall called the continued closure a victory for the area.
"I was happy for the residents that live over there," Bonsall said. "Many people have expressed concern about different crime, loitering, other things that are maybe not desirable."
Bonsall predicted that the building, which is owned by Creico LLC, would be sold and repurposed in the year it stood empty.
That's what happened at Donna’s. The business reopened as the second location to bear the name Cappy’s,which also has Cappy’s Wine and Spirits in Loveland.
People like Jones just hope the new tenant at Sherman Market will attract less commotion and help the surrounding neighborhood maintain its newfound peaceful atmosphere.
"When the store opened up, the riff-raff started," Jones said. "It’s gone now. It’s back to the old neighborhood again."
