YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Passing the downtown structure that until recently housed the Edison Financial Credit Union on his way to church, Al Franceschelli always found it was unusual looking.
In a few months, that “oddball building,” as he describes it -- at 45 South Ave., east of the U.S. Postal Service’s main Youngstown office downtown -- will become the new home for Francheschelli’s A&C Southway Beverage. He is relocating the store from 2733 South Ave. and expanding the operation.
“We always wanted to be downtown so when this building came open, we jumped at the opportunity,” Franceschelli said.
“Downtown has that special aura for us,” he continued. “We’re city people and we enjoy the city. We’ve seen a big, positive change here in the last four or five years and we wanted to be a part of it. We didn’t want to run to the suburbs.”
Franceschelli bought the building about two months ago, he said. The credit union relocated its office Oct. 3 to 6000 Mahoning Ave. in Austintown.
A contractor is renovating the triangle-shaped building so the store can open after the holidays, Franceschelli said. The work so far has involved taking out 15 offices from the main floor. “There was just no way we could get all this work done [before the holidays] because we’re changing it from [a credit union] to a retail store,” he said.
When completed, the building is going to be “a real showpiece,” he said. “I’m like a kid in a candy store. I can’t wait to see it done.”
Franceschelli says his operation will be a “high-end wine, beer and liquor store” that will more than double the space of his store’s current location. “Obviously the products are going to change from where we’re at because of the difference in clientele,” he said.
“It’s going to give us an opportunity to fill a need, especially with some of the attorneys and everything here,” he added. “They enjoy the better liquors and stuff. We’ll be able to carry them here.”
In addition to liquor, and as many as 600 brands of wines and beer selections including craft beers, the store will offer candies, fine cigars and a small, self-serve deli section, he reported.
The relocated business will also take advantage of several of the building’s existing features. One of the vaults might be converted to serve as a humidor. Wine and other tastings are planned for finished space in the basement. An area on the same level, because it is located underground, stays a consistent 60 degrees, making it suitable for storing wine. Cases can be transported between the ground and basement levels via a dumbwaiter.
The existing drive-up automated teller machine will remain due to an agreement with Edison, but Franceschelli plans to enclose the other two existing drive-thru lanes. The relocation and expansion will involve doubling A&C’s existing workforce to up to 15, Franceschelli said. “This is probably going to be one of the biggest stores in the state that handles this,” he said. “It’s going to be a really big store.”
“As someone who lives downtown and works downtown, you love to see reinvestment taking place. We’re excited to welcome a new company downtown and hope they take part in what’s going on in the community,” remarked Dominic Marchionda, facilitator for the Economic Action Group, a grassroots initiative that addresses downtown issues.
Marchionda noted the city has regular meetings as part of its memorandum of understanding with property and business owners to provide updates on what is happening downtown. “What we all want is to be a true 21st century, vibrant urban core. We need all these different uses and as long as everybody is willing to work together” they can succeed, he said.
Pictured: Al Franceschelli stands beside the sign telling passersby what to expect when his "upscale" beverage story opens early next year.
Copyright 2014 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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