Village General Store news

We have an update about the Village General Store at the corner of Enright Avenue and 8th street, and you can come and see it for yourself on Wednesday, January 13 for a Soup Potluck at 6 pm.

According to our contracting company, Red Door, the outside back stairway is due to be finished by January 27th at which time we will be nearly ready to advertise our rental unit, (after our 2nd floor bathroom is ventilated). We will be so glad to see this project, which began in July, followed through to its end. Thanks to Charles, Nathan, Jim Drommond and Jamie for helping to do a good portion of the demolition in order for this to happen!

Last month we were very sad to be told by our heating and cooling specialist, Steve Fricke that the furnace was no longer of any use. By a stroke of luck, our friend Merry Beth invited Jeff Wilmink, a heating specialist who helps create energy solutions for old buildings, to come and have a look. He offered to donate a new furnace on the spot. What great news!

In addition to the stairway, our Ecovillage crew has also been working very hard to tear out the black dropped ceiling in the front area of the store. As a result, the store has a grand, open feel to it and now one can see the ceiling is actually tiled. And the windows to the left of the bar are much bigger. We are really in for a light-filled treat when this work is done!

On the advise of our “store mentor” Jerry Lewis, we applied for probono help with Probono Cincinnati. We were accepted as clients and told it may take a while to find the right advocate for our needs. However, in just one month we were connected to a lawyer who’s father grew up in Price Hill. While all the physical work is being done, Chris Habel will direct us in obtaining our permits and licensing as well as answer many of our compliance questions. We will hear more about the best approach and timeline they advise very soon. Previously, we were not been able to secure the liquor license because of several leins on the license and later because of the renovations. Now, we will also need to have an operable furnace before the store can be inspected.

Thanks everyone for being so patient with the updates. I will post more regularly now that there seems to be more movement and more good news!!! Perhaps you will be interested in joining us for more discussions about our store’s branding and the campaign we wish to launch next month. Come by the Soup dinner on the 13th and let us know. We would love to see you and bring you on board!

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Doshi
Chair Village General Store initiative

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