Tennessean Story on Salemtown and Blighted Volcano Discount Tobacco Market Coming in Davidson AM Section

Or so the Salemtown email list says. Reporter Andy Humbles is said to be doing this one. Last week Michael Cass had a story on Erica Gilmore's single serve beer bill and he touched on some of Salemtown's ongoing problems with the market.

Troublesome Salemtown Market Has Beer License Suspended

On the heels of another neighborhood association meeting filled with residential complaints about continuing problems at a beer market at 7th and Garfield, Salemtown Neighbors President Freddie O'Connell followed up with Council Member Erica Gilmore, School Board Member Sharon Gentry (minors loiter by the store during school hours), Metro Police, and Beer Board Member Jackie Eslick.

Ms. Eslick was the first to respond to Freddie with some positive news:

inspectors got direct evidence of drinking on the premises, which is prohibited. As a result, Volcano Discount Tobacco (the new operating name for K&M Market) has had its beer license suspended for 14 days effective Dec. 1st. Weakening their case, the owner of the market did not respond to a subpoena to come before the board to represent himself.

This property is owned by well-placed Nashvillian Kenny Norman, and the store seemed to be the subject of a recent Tennessean article that suggested it is the focus of frivolous, race-based phone calls to the police. Tennessean reporter and Germantown resident Janell Ross interviewed a man outside the market who told her that police had been called against him because he was black and merely talking about the weather and politics while standing outside the market.  Maybe Ms. Ross can make amends by doing a follow-up on how law-breaking public consumption on the premises translates to innocent conversations about the weather and politics.

Police reported to SNNA last night that the market operator was arrested two weeks ago for reckless endangerment after he shot a gun at his own bulletproof glass while customers were in the store just to see if it would work. The officer also told neighbors that the Women's Rescue Mission around the corner on Rosa Parks Boulevard does not help the situation since many of the women staying that the mission have been involved already with alcohol, drugs, and prostitution, and the recidivism rate among the mission's population is probably high.

Salemtown truly needs Ms. Gilmore, Ms. Gentry, the police, and Ms. Eslick to work together to change the poor conditions at 7th and Garfield.  I don't know how much influence property owner Kenny Norman has in keeping conditions as they are in Salemtown, but Metro officials have to do more for the sake of the community.  Also, neighors need to keep in mind that the Women's Mission owns several vacant lots on 7th behind their mission and across the street from the market.  There has been talk of plans to expand the mission in the future.  That is a prospect to which we should strenuously object, given the current conditions.

Even Without A Beer License, Norman's Market Allegedly Sells Alcohol From Its Back Door

A well-placed source tells me that Kenny Norman has sold Norman's Market (7th Ave., North and Garfield Street) to new owners who do not have a beer license. Nonetheless, the source tells me, the new owners are selling alcohol illegally out of the back door.

The police have already worked with Norman's Market to sign a trespass waiver to run loiterers off. However, I am getting reports from neighbors that people are still gathering in groups to drink around the market and that they merely cross the street to either an MDHA-owned property or private property (especially a corner lot owned by the Nashville Rescue Mission) when they cannot gather at the Market. Last night at 10:00 p.m. I saw three people sitting on the Market property after closing around a picnic table covered with bottles.

If the allegations about illegal alcohol sales are true, the new owners could be in some serious hot water. If I could mount a hidden camera like the boys and girls in the mainstream media, I would try to verify the allegations.

08/09/2005, 9:45 p.m. Update: I located some confirmation that Norman's Market has a new owner from the July 13, 2005 edition of the Nashville City Paper, which lists it as a "New Business" with the owner's name listed as "Abdoalfath Alkaifi."

According to an unrelated story in the Tennessean, Norman's Market was raided July 2004 for suspicion of illegal gambling devices and two people were charged. Then owner, Kenny Norman, was not charged at the time of the raid.