Cruchelow Jewelry & Loan, located at Cobb Parkway and Mack Dobbs Road, was closed Monday, with little merchandise remaining inside the store, which took up two suites in the Mack Dobbs Point shopping center. The store opened late last year despite a stipulation in the strip mall’s 2004 zoning that prohibited a pawnshop from opening there.
“I couldn’t really believe it,” said Bill Harris, a nearby resident who has maintained a website critical of the store. “It’s too easy.”
A city oversight, and subsequent council approval, allowed the store to get business, pawn and precious metal licenses. But the Kennesaw City Council voted 5-0 on May 16 to deny a request from property owner Celestino Venturi to amend the zoning and allow the pawnshop to stay open, paving the way for the store’s closure.
The final vote was the last step in the back and forth between Venturi, store owners John and Serena Cruchelow, the city and residents of nearby Summer Stream and Summerbrooke subdivisions. After the May meeting, Venturi’s attorney, Garvis Sams, said he planned to fight the decision in Cobb Superior Court, but efforts to reach him and Venturi were unsuccessful Monday afternoon.
The Cruchelows’ lawyer, Michael Pryor of Atlanta, said he didn’t know of the store closing and couldn’t comment on what his clients’ next step might be.
The store had been threatened with closure before city council once before. An April 2 hearing was called to determine if the pawnshop violated a state law prohibiting pawn brokers from having the word “loan” in their name. But Mayor Mark Mathews said the city had no ordinance prohibiting such advertising in its ordinance, which meant it had no jurisdiction to enforce the law.
On Monday, Kennesaw city officials were either unavailable, didn’t know about the case or didn’t return phone calls seeking comment.
Harris said a neighbor noticed activity outside the store over the weekend. He later went to check the site for himself and saw it was “90 percent” empty, with some rugs and other items left.
“They may have already opened somewhere else,” Harris said. “As long as it’s not in my neighborhood.”
In April, the Cruchelows said they could not afford to move to a new location because they had already spent $40,000 to remodel and stock the Mack Dobbs Point store.
Calls to the pawnshop went unanswered Monday.
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In the very first place, the both of them, John and Serena1, bragged about how they were able to "beat the system/ city/ zoning and got their pawn shop in"!
They were well aware of their actions; consequently, knowing outright that pawn shops weren't welcome in that location.
They're shady characters and I for one hope they're never able to operate a successful business, if you wan't to call a pawn shop a business, and rip off unsuspecting people in a poor situation!
Get off the backs of American business men and women you loser.
I hope they win the lottery then sue Bill Harris the busy body into the ground.
Have a good life, sir.
West Cobb Resident
Zachery
Questioning
Just Saying
Watchful in Kennesaw
Gimmie a break
and maybe a few others. The 'give away' is that they are all combative and specify 'Mr. Harris'.
Grow up troll and don't forget to go back to the pawn shop and pick up those rugs you left behind, they might be worth something at some flea market.
So again, what problems did this business cause so much that you crusaded to close them down? If they were in place for any length of time, many laws must have been violated, right? And what harm was the business causing during it's operational hours, Bill?
Please don't hide behind the zoning says so, it's a weak stance to take.
You can get out of town too loser.
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The photos are courtesy of a wonderful new technology called 'windows'. Now who is the moron?
The shopping center was built in 2004 WITH the zoning restriction against pawn shops. Whether or not you think pawn shops are good or bad, that is the zoning that has been in place for that center.
Possible deception and mistakes not withstanding, the zoning was in place.
If you're going to say that since the store was allowed to open, let it stay, then what good are ANY zoning codes anywhere?
If the business wasn't causing any type of public problem, the City could and had the responsibility to work something out over running them out!