“I really hate this,” said Naomi Hill, 65, from Fairborn. “I hope something happens.”
The mall’s last sit-down, waitress-service restaurant has been facing troubles for years, said owner Tim Ratliff. For each of the last 10 months, the restaurant has seen a decrease of 8 percent to 20 percent in business.
Ratliff said problems worsened after a recent lease negotiation last year. Rent for the restaurant was close to $11,000 last year, but was lowered to $6,500 to accommodate decreasing business in the mall.
It wasn’t enough.
“The mall didn’t do the business we all needed to sustain ourselves,” Ratliff said. “So I told them I wasn’t going to pay rent until we renegotiated.”
After nine months and more than $55,000 in past-due rent, Ratliff faced Upper Valley Mall in Clark County Municipal Court to fight an eviction notice. Upper Valley Mall filed a civil suit to evict the restaurant in September.
On Oct. 6, Magistrate Patrick Phillips ruled in the mall’s favor and ordered the restaurant to leave by the end of the month.
Simon Malls, the company that owns Upper Valley Mall, has not made plans yet to lease the space, said Les Morris, director of corporate public relations. He and Upper Valley Mall management were unable to comment about the details of the case.
“As much business as they’ve lost, I thought they’d want to keep me,” Ratliff said. “And then it turns and comes back and bites me. There’s nothing I can do now.”
Ratliff told his oldest and closest employees about the closing right after he found out last week. This week, he sent letters out to other stores in the mall and talked with his newer employees. The closing of the restaurant will result in 20 to 25 people losing their jobs.
“This is my first and only job,” said Chrissy Thomas, who has been a waitress at Bradfield’s for 17 years. She said she woke up with her eyes swollen Tuesday from crying about it.
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