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Convenience store opens in downtown Youngstown
New store downtown
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By Karl Henkel
YOUNGSTOWN
Al Adi picked a great weekend to open his new business.
Motley Crue played the Covelli Centre on Friday night, and the Italian Festival stretched all weekend long and gave Adi a grand stage to show off Downtown Circle, a convenience and deli store at 116 West Federal St.
“It was shocking to a lot of people,” Adi said. “The size of the store, the setup, the cleanliness.
“You could see it in their faces: ‘Wow, this is downtown Youngstown.’”
The 51-year-old Adi said it gave him a taste of the store’s potential, a combination of what Youngstown has (convenience stores) and what it doesn’t (healthier, deli-based alternatives), all in a prime stretch of real estate.
The Lemon Grove anchors the block of Federal Street, and two doors down is Imbibe night club (at the site of the former Plaza Optical).
“I’ve looked before at spaces by the Love Lounge, but I didn’t like it,” he said. “I’ve looked at this space specific for two years, and as soon as it became available, I jumped on it.”
Adi bought the 6,000- square-foot building for $95,000 and has worked since February to give it a clean, simple, bright appearance to attract Youngstown grocery-goers.
“Anyone who wants anything decent would have to walk from here to Belmont Avenue [JD Supermarket, about 1.5 miles from Downtown Circle] or to Boardman or other places,” he said.
He’s got big aspirations for his store — open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, until 2 a.m. on Fridays, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays — and left the door open for the possibility of an Iranian restaurant and hookah bar.
Opening the store hasn’t been easy; Adi is selling beer and wine but is still waiting on a state liquor license. Once achieved, he says his store will be complete and will boost the downtown area.
“Youngstown is coming back,” he said. “And it’s coming back strong.”