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Move from suburb to South Side props up furniture business
YOUNGSTOWN
The owner of a secondhand furniture store says business has improved since she moved her shop one mile north to Youngstown.
Market Street Furniture moved April 28 from 5330 Market St. in Boardman to the corner of Market Street and Midlothian Boulevard, which is inside city limits.
“Business has really picked up. It’s a corner, and the traffic stops, and people can see the store,” said owner Kim Lucarell.
The location isn’t the only thing that’s changed; the store will now be called Market Street Furniture and Appliances. A new sign is on the way, said Lucarell, but many people still identify the building as the former home of Bernard Auto Parts.
Lucarell said she moved the store to Youngstown because the overhead costs are lower, and it is closer to her client ®le.
“We were able to lower our prices because overhead went down. Youngstown’s rent is lower than Boardman, even though it’s one mile exactly” from the old store, she said.
Lucarell said that several letters from the Boardman zoning department “did not play a role” in her decision to move.
Zoning Inspector Anna Mamone said she sent three letters to the store because residents and surrounding businesses called her office concerned with the store’s appearance.
“Residents were calling and complaining that it looked a mess because all the old furniture and appliances were in the parking lot,” she said.
Mamone learned that the store did not have a conditional-use permit for selling secondhand merchandise, which is required even though the property is already zoned commercial. Under the township’s land-use tables, a conditional- use permit is needed for secondhand stores, pawn shops and flea markets, Mamone said.
The last letter, marked “Final Notice to Prevent Court Action,” was sent to the property owner, Maple Leaf Expansion Inc., and the store March 23 and outlined violations of inoperable vehicle on the premises and debris stored outside.
The new Youngstown location has enough space for all of the appliances and furniture, ensuring all items are stored inside.
When Lucarell first opened her shop about three years ago after selling household items on eBay, she said she was one of the few secondhand stores in the area. Now they are more prevalent, she said.
“I’ve shopped [those stores] and make sure my prices are lower,” Lucarell said.
The stores hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday and Thursday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 12 to 4 p.m. the first two Sundays of the month.