A convenience store located near an elementary school in Ravenna will find out within 45 days whether it can sell beer and wine along with vapes and other products.
Ravenna Mini Mart, 623 W. Main St. in Ravenna, previously sought a liquor license through the Ohio Department of Commerce’s TREX program. That was denied after council opposed it with a 5-2 vote, saying the convenience store didn’t represent economic development.
Another liquor license later became available, and now the store is applying to transfer that license. Council decided to oppose that also, so Ravenna played host July 23 to a hearing of the Ohio Department of Liquor Control at Ravenna City Hall. The virtual hearing was streamed for those who couldn’t attend in person.
Law Director Frank Cimino presented the city’s case, taking testimony from Councilman Paul Moskun and residents Carmen Laudato and Cliff Soudil.
“The city of Ravenna has concerns,” Cimino said. “We are concerned with the amount of alcohol we have in our city and the effect it has on people.”
Columbus attorney Kurt Gearhiser represented store owner Josh Patel. He said his client is trying to bring a business in the city.
“He has done everything the city has asked,” he said. “They’re trying to be a good neighbor.”
The city’s claims
Witnesses for the city said they objected to the liquor permit application, claiming that the store is too close to the school and that the city is oversaturated with liquor permits.
Moskun said he was concerned the “bright lights” and advertisements could be an enticement to children, who walk past the store every day. The store is just east of West Main Elementary School, and Moskun said it’s less than 200 feet away
“I’m very concerned for the students of that elementary school,” he said.
Gearhiser asked Moskun about the Dairy Mart that had previously occupied the site, and if the school was there at that time. Moskun said it was, but the two stores had a different focus. “Do you think the children have ever been inside a grocery store?” Gearhiser said.
The attorney also pointed to speculation about the school’s future. “That school is closing, isn’t it?” he said.
The Ravenna school district closed West Park Elementary School, which housed the district’s kindergarten program, at the end of the school year, and Superintendent Ben Ribelin said that a second building would also close. Ribelin said the board still has not announced the second closure.
“There are lots of rumors about which building it will be but that decision hasn’t been announced,” he said.
Laudato, who is running for Ravenna City Council, said she lives in the area and opposes the license. She said she had done research on the number of liquor establishments in the area. She said the city, which is 5.63 miles, has 17 establishments that sell alcohol. The city’s population is 11,200 residents, according to 2023 census data, and its population has declined by 10% since 1990, she said.
“You only have to walk an average of 0.26 miles to consume alcohol in Ravenna,” she said.
Gearhiser said the Ohio Department of Liquor Control allows one carryout permit per 1,000 residents, and one on-premise permit per 2,000 residents. Those standards, he said, allow additional permits for “any portion thereof,” he said, and allow for 24 permits.
“We are not over quota in Ravenna,” Gearhiser later said. “We are at quota.”
“I don’t think you and I are doing the same math,” Laudato said when told that the city is allowed more than the 17 businesses she had found.
Soudil said the store is too close to the school, and children will come by to see what is in the window. The permit for which Patel applied became available because Tavern 1888 in downtown Ravenna closed.
“We’re trying to get our neighborhoods together,” he said. “We don’t need anything else tearing it down.”
He said he remembered the store that was in the same location as the mini mart, but said it operated 23 years ago, and was different. Many people, he said, came in for snack items and “Lawson’s Chip Dip” and might not have noticed that alcohol also was sold.
“People have changed their lives,” he said.
Owner: ‘I’ve got to push my business’
Patel said he had put more than $350,000 into the building and has had no problems in the six months he’s operated. He previously operated two similar businesses with his family in Summit County, which also operate without incident.
“A lot of neighbors are welcoming,” he said. “They’re glad the store is coming back.”
Patel previously told council that he would open the business without a liquor license, but he didn’t think it would survive. He said he is seeking the license so he can recoup his investment and keep the doors open.
“I’ve got to push my business,” he said.
When Cimino asked him about vapes, he acknowledged that those products make up about 45% of his sales.
What happens next
Hearing officer Marge Brewer said she would review the testimony and make a decision within 30 days whether to affirm or overturn the application. Her recommendation will be sent to the state’s liquor control board, which will make the final decision.
An administrator for the board said a decision will be released within 45 days of the hearing.
Reporter Diane Smith can be reached at dsmith@recordpub.com.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Ohio liquor board weighs alcohol sales near Ravenna school