“Nobody is going to do business under what HB 545 created,” Saunders said. “I have 700 employees in the state, and I’d like to make a go of it. We have a window of opportunity to keep the doors open.”

Saunders said he will evaluate the stores’ viability in a couple of months or sooner. The alternatives never will make things as lucrative for the business but might be enough for them to survive, he said.

Checksmart also has stores outside Ohio, which gives it an opportunity for survival that others do not have.