By JILL MCNEAL
6 News Anchor/Reporter
KNOXVILLE (WATE) - A North Knoxville strip mall is trying to clean up its act, after complaints from customers and business owners.
The Broadway Shopping Center was built in the 1960s and a Kroger store moved in as the anchor back in 1984. In recent years, the area has been plagued with panhandlers, trash and homeless camps.
Frequent visitors to the shopping center are taking notice of a new tenant, the Knoxville Police watch tower. Officers say it is a response to complaints from people being harassed for money in the parking lot.
"Of course, my customers don't want to bum out money when they're walking out the door," said Hamesh Amin, owner of Tobacco King.
That's not the only problem he has had recently.
"About two months ago, I had a guy outside my door when I came into work," Amin said. "He was passed out. I woke him up and there was vomit all over the place."
He said the police tower has also come with more patrols. Friday evening, officers driving through picked up someone for public intoxication and another man for illegal parking.
"The area's really trashy and there are a lot of homeless people walking around," said Alisha Somani, an employee at the center's Cricket Wireless. "So I kind of had this feeling of what am I getting myself into?"
Somani said she accepted her position at Cricket Wireless about six months ago. She said once she noticed Knoxville Police's intervention, she knew there was a significant problem.
"When I noticed that police tower over there, I'm like okay they're taking this stuff seriously," Somani said.
Trash is another big complaint. Inmate volunteers from the Knox County jail were out just this week to clean up debris from the homeless camps at the edge of the parking lot.
"I think it's great. This part of town is really taking steps to improve," said Kroger shopper Spencer Hall.
He's also impressed with the upgrades to his neighborhood grocery store.
"We feel like it's critical that we shop where we live," he said.
Kroger is updating its decor and expanding the natural food department, among other things.
The manager of the shopping center said the front of the stores were painted last year and more exterior and parking lot improvements are planned over the next two years. They're also pursuing action to get some of the chronic panhandlers charged with criminal trespassing.
Frequent visitors to the shopping center are taking notice of a new tenant, the Knoxville Police watch tower.
