Everyone who has lived in Cincinnati for a while has heard the saying, "The West Side is the best side."
But is that still true, with so many area stores and restaurants closing the past five years?
The latest: the Bed Bath & Beyond store in Western Hills, one of 45 Bed Bath stores nationwide closing.
Shopper Julie Kramer said the West Side has been hit hard, especially compared with Kenwood and the Fields Ertel Road area, which continue to grow.
"It's becoming a ghost town out here. More and more things are closing," she said.
Greta Turner said the real losses along Glenway Avenue over the last decade have been department stores such as Sears, Macy's (Lazarus), and Dillard's.
"The Dillard's outlet is gone, which was very nice," she said. "Now we have to go to the East Side for that."
And it's not just stores, according to Matt Schneider.
"We had a Qdoba, which I loved around here, and a City Barbecue, and they are gone," he said "It really seems like a lot of the businesses are leaving."
In addition, plans to build a new Olive Garden restaurant in the old TGI Friday's space on Glenway fell through a few months ago, leaving another vacant spot.
Hope for redevelopment
But look hard and you will find the situation in Western Hills is not as bleak as it might seem.
Even though Bed Bath & Beyond is closing, you've got a busy TJ Maxx next door. Further down in the plaza, Target is still doing quite well.
In the meantime, the Westwood Civic Association recently unveiled plans to turn the closed Sears store into seven individual stores and restaurants as part of a $17 million investment to bring new life to the shopping center by next year.
Backhoes are ready to begin demolition in the coming days.
And a new Kroger Marketplace and Kohl's on Harrison Avenue 10 minutes away in Green Township indicate that reports of a West Side retail death are premature.
So support your local businesses, and don't waste your money.
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