ELKHART -- The Sleepy Hollow Motel, a dilapidated Cassopolis Street building, is in the process of being demolished and a large new liquor store will soon stand in its place.
Jerry Corliss, owner of the Chalet Party Shoppe stores, said he has purchased the north side motel property and hopes to have a new facility built and open sometime this spring.
"We ended up going to the city and saying, 'What's the No. 1 eyesore on Cassopolis?'" said Corliss, who owns six Chalet liquor stores throughout Elkhart County.
No significant zoning changes are needed at the 1800 Cassopolis St. property, Corliss said, just a few variances that must be approved by the city. Building commissioner Dennis Mann confirmed that Corliss has acquired the property and obtained the necessary approval for demolition of the building.
Sleepy Hollow was the site of a high-profile police incident in 2007, when a woman and her four children were held in a room there against their will.
Jerry White was sentenced to 80 years in prison nearly two years ago on charges of attempted murder and criminal confinement. White held at gunpoint his ex-girlfriend, Kimberly Walker, her sister and several children on Jan. 20, 2007. Earlier, he shot and blinded Lathie Turnage, Walker's sister's boyfriend.
Corliss said he's wanted to build a store along the Cassopolis corridor for a while. When he acquired two liquor licenses from the former downtown Main Package Liquor stores earlier this year, now seemed like the right time to move forward with his plan, he said.
As designed, the new facility would be 8,100 square feet, slightly bigger than the Chalet store on C.R. 17. The shop will create seven to 10 new jobs, and have a similar selection of beer, wine and liquor as his other stores. It will also have expert consultants on staff to provide advice to customers.
Construction will be finished in early spring, Corliss said, and the store will be open as soon the parking lot can be paved. May 1 is the target opening date, he said, though it could come sooner.
Though development continues along the high-traffic road that connects downtown Elkhart to the Michigan state line, Corliss said he sees enormous potential there. He hopes his new store can help spur on that economic success.
"Really, it's the entrance to the city of Elkhart from the north," he said. "I just think that's going to be your next economic growth area."