Thursday October 25, 2007

The building that once housed the A&N clothing store has sat vacant on the corner of 5th Street for almost two years. Neighbors are sick and tired of it.

"There has been discussion about how much of an eyesore these empty buildings are," says Sharon Nichols, whose Dog and Horse Lovers Boutique sits caddy-corner to the empty space.

After fighting and fighting to have something done about it, local merchants rejoiced Thursday when told a developer is looking to open a high-end grocery store at the site.

"I can't think of the closest grocery store here," says Rachel Evers of Mazi's Boutique.

"I work downtown and live downtown and right now we have to drive all the way to Pantops or to 29 to go to the grocery store," Nichols laments. "There's not even a decent convenience store that's anywhere nearby."

Tyler Magill of Antics Antiques, which sits right behind the empty building, says anything to open up the Mall is a step in the right direction.

"It's strange. People from one end of the Mall don't tend to go down to the other end of the Mall. So it would be another draw for this end of the Mall."

And while residents are excited, those who take their lunch breaks on the Mall are looking forward to saving a little bit of cash.

"It's going to be great for everyone that works on the Downtown Mall so they can just run in and grab something quick to eat," Evers says. "It's cheaper and you'll have more of a variety instead of having to sit down. So I think it's a great idea."

A city official tells us the Architectural Review Board has given the go-ahead for the site to be renovated. It's only 2,400 square feet, so if someone moves in, it'll be a relatively small high-end grocer.