A&C Beverage beefs up downtown retail presence

By Kalea Hall

khall@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

In less than five months, a former credit union’s offices and vaults were transformed to hold another treasure: fine wines, liquors and craft beer.

A&C Beverage took over the 7,000-square-foot building at 45 South Ave. last fall and officially opened just a few weeks ago after its renovation was complete.

Al Franceschelli, a Youngstown guy and owner of the establishment, said the move was the best decision for his business.

“This concept has to work because the city needs retail,” he said.

Franceschelli ran his previous location up the street at 2833 South Ave. for more than 30 years. Franceschelli jumped at the chance to operate his beer, wine and liquor store downtown after the Edison Financial Credit Union moved its downtown offices to a centralized location in Austintown.

The 1970s-built structure has a different outside design that appealed to Franceschelli, and so did the location.

“I’m glad to be downtown,” he said.

The store is three times the size of the old store and has three times the selection, he said. It still smells and feels new. Products line the walls with an option for seemingly everyone who walks through the doors or goes through the drive-thru.

Franceschelli poured his passion for wine into the store, and it is obvious.

The first floor once housed about 15 offices. They were knocked down to make way for hundreds of bottles of wine from the traditional, low-priced fare to the fancy, expensive brands. Rows of liquor cover the center of the store, and a 100-foot row of beer, including several craft options, line another end of the store.

“I think the store will sell itself,” he said.

Just about every person who walks into the store knows Franceschelli. His expertise, he says, helps the business because he knows people, and they trust his opinion.

The store has received positive feedback in its short existence.

“People are impressed with the way the store looks,” he said. “It’s upscale and well-lit.”

And, of course, there is the long product list, which also includes cigars, Philadelphia Chocolates and, coming soon, a deli.

Franceschelli already has seen a difference in his customer base. While he has maintained many of the customers he had at his previous store, the base has expanded. People browse in the new store, which they never really did before. They go in during their lunch break or on their way home from work. The amount of sales has yet to exceed the other location, but the sales are larger.

“Our fine-wine market was nonexistent up there, but now we have one,” he said. “This is big for the city, in my opinion.”

Franceschelli will not delve into the details of his investment in the building, but he will say it was a lot of money and time. He is proud to have the store in the heart of the city despite those costs.

“I think everyone is pulling for the city to come back again,” he said.

He reflected on the times he would spend downtown back in the day when it was bustling. To him, retail is needed to get the downtown, to some extent, back to its glory days.

“It is only going to expand the city in an area that needs expanded,” he said.

Youngstown Mayor John A. McNally said the store is huge and has something for everyone’s taste and offers a varying price range.

“It is just another small piece of the puzzle in continuing to bring more life in downtown,” he said. “We are just happy that he made a substantial investment in downtown Youngstown.”

A&C Beverage is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 1 to 7 p.m. Sunday.