Sleepy Hollow Market and Rico's Bar, two Pearl Road fixtures in Brunswick Hills Township for two decades, are shutting their doors for good by September 30. The building's owner will not renew either business's lease, and Rico's Bar is closing because the property has been sold, leaving both tenants scrambling in the final weeks before the corner they've occupied since 2006 goes quiet.
The news broke to the Tailor family at the end of June, according to Om Tailor, who told Cleveland.com that the family learned about the lease termination then. Sleepy Hollow Market has leased its space from property owner Russell Sposit on a month-to-month basis for the past five years, and Sposit was unable to be reached for comment on the closure. Raj Tailor, who owns the market and moved his family from Cleveland to open it at the corner of Sleepy Hollow and Pearl roads in 2006, said the Brunswick community has supported the store for the past two decades.
A Family, Not Just Customers
“It's more like family than customers,” Raj Tailor said, describing the bond built over 20 years behind the counter, per the same Cleveland.com report. His son, Kabir Tailor, was more pointed about the circumstances behind the closure, describing the lease termination as the little guy being forced out. Raj Tailor said he hopes to find another location in the area to keep the business going.
The store plans to liquidate as much inventory as possible over the next few weeks before closing for good on September 30. The Sleepy Hollow Market family thanked customers, employees, friends and neighbors in a Facebook post on August 17, marking one of two public farewells from the Pearl Road businesses in their final months.
Rico's Bar Says Goodbye After 20 Years
Next door, Rico's Bar has occupied its building for 20 years and will remain open until September 30 as well, closing because the building itself was sold. Rico's ownership thanked customers in a Facebook post on July 2, and the bar held a farewell party on August 15. All of the bar's interior items are now up for sale as it winds down operations.
The tavern hosted a Nov. 30, 2025, celebration of life for Michael Scott McGregor, according to Waite Funeral Homes. That two-decade run at the corner of Pearl and Sleepy Hollow roads now ends with the property sale.
Cannabis Retailer Eyes the Same Corner
What comes next at 2173-2175 Pearl Road remains unclear, though a cannabis retailer has already made its interest known. Green Thumb Industries, a Chicago-based cannabis operator, is considering opening a Rise Dispensary at 2175 Pearl Road. Daniel Shaker, senior vice-president and general manager of Green Thumb Industries, spoke at the Brunswick Hills Township Board of Trustees meeting on May 12, according to Brunswick Hills Township meeting minutes.
The company's proposal calls for $1.5 million to $2 million in property improvements, including renovations to the existing 5,200-square-foot building and its parking area. Thomas DeCastra said GTI is actively engaged with the current property owner, per the Cleveland.com report. Green Thumb Industries currently operates six RISE Dispensaries across Ohio, including Northeast Ohio locations in Cleveland on Pearl Road, Lakewood, Lorain and Toledo, according to RISE Cannabis. According to the Ohio Department of Commerce's Division of Cannabis Control, the first dual-use dispensary Certificates of Operation were issued on Tuesday, August 6, 2024. The Ohio Department of Commerce's Division of Cannabis Control says licensed dispensaries can sell cannabis to individuals aged 21 and over.
Jobs and Tax Revenue on the Table
The Pearl Road proposal is projected to create 15 to 20 local jobs starting at $16 per hour, according to a report from the podcast Cleveland News Today. But before any dispensary can open, the project must undergo a traffic study and Brunswick Hills Township trustees must update local zoning regulations to permit adult-use retail sales, the same report notes.
The neighboring City of Brunswick has proposed prohibiting adult-use marijuana dispensaries within city limits, according to the Medina Gazette. Elsewhere in the county, Seville officials have projected $550,000 in annual tax revenue from a facility.
That local tax-sharing incentive traces back to state law. Ohio voters passed Issue 2 in November 2023, and state law designates up to 36 percent of tax collections for host local communities. According to the Ohio Department of Taxation, Ohio levies a 10% excise tax on adult-use marijuana purchases. Whether Brunswick Hills trustees ultimately approve the zoning changes and traffic study needed for Green Thumb's Rise Dispensary to move forward remains an open question, one that will determine what eventually replaces the market and bar that anchored this stretch of Pearl Road for two decades.
For now, the building's future use remains unclear, and the corner where Raj Tailor built what he calls a family rather than a customer base faces an uncertain future.
