CLEVELAND – Businesses are starting to cash in as gamblers will hit the jackpot at the Horseshoe Casino.
The Cleveland casino opened this week, and now places like Volk’s Jewelry and Loans are seeing an upswing in business.
“We’ve had a few customers come in that came from out of town,” said Burt Kay, owner of Volk’s. “I had a lady here the other day that came up from Columbus and she said she had come up to the casino and she was shopping in the area, so it shows promise there. I think there’ll be retail business on the street as a result of the casino.”
The pawn shop has been in business since 1899, making it one of the oldest stores in the city. It’s located 417 Prospect Avenue, just two blocks from the new gaming center. Kay said the location will likely come to the shop’s advantage this summer.
“They’re not going to spend all their time in the casino,” he said. “We expect we’ll get some traffic and business from them. We’re optimistic about the future of what the casino will bring.”
It may be too soon to tell the long-term effects of the casino, but Kay said when gamblers walk away winners, everyone else will too.
“If there’s no winners, there will be no customers over at the casino,” he said. “So, for sure there’s going to be winners. I did have a gentleman the other day that came in. He had won a substantial amount, and he wanted to invest some of it in a nice piece of jewelry for himself.”