Aug 9, 2010

Longtime shops find new life in Rochester’s 19th WardBy Erica BryantDemocratandChronicle.com

Rochester, NY — Shoppers in search of smoked catfish from Kenya, Ghanaian fufu flower or mango chutney from Guyana have been making their way to D and L Groceries in the 19th Ward for more than a quarter century.

In the 1970s and ’80s, their path took them past boarded up storefronts and vacant and condemned buildings. Today, the African and Caribbean food store looks out on an 88-room hotel, a two-story coffee shop and a business complex with 8,000 square feet of retail space waiting for tenants.

“My biggest thrill is to have people who have been out of town for a few years come back and say, ‘Holy mackerel, what is happening on Genesee Street?'” said John DeMott, small-business manager for the Sector 4 Community Development Corp.

What’s happening is the result of $62 million in public and private investments, attracted by a coalition of private and public entities.

The flagship of this recent development is the Brooks Landing project, featuring a Staybridge Suites Hotel and a business-retail complex on Genesee Street.

Longtime shop owners who stuck it out through the 19th Ward’s tough times are enjoying improved streetscapes, increasing property values and new neighbors and customers.

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