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Ain't It Grand
Overcoming obstacles, Fair Haven's Grand Avenue experiences a commercial renaissance
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Business New Haven
9/15/2003
By: Karen Singer
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Several months ago, a 24-hour convenience store called Spunky’s was a hangout for drug dealers on Grand Avenue in Fair Haven.
All that remains of Spunky’s now is a dirt lot, which is being transformed into much needed parking space for local businesses.
The demise of Spunky’s [the city took over the building and had it demolished] is one of the most visible signs of change in this Fair Haven neighborhood, and is part of an economic revitalization spurred by community action and city assistance.
A cleaner street and refurbished storefronts also are evidence of a growing transformation of an area between the Mill River and Quinnipiac River that had been dotted with dilapidated buildings, trash piles and rampant gangs.
The revival has sparked turf clashes between residents and politicians, but progress is being made in spite of the bickering, spearheaded by community activists working in concert with the city.
The ultimate goal, according to consultant Robert Fort, is to make Grand Avenue an even greater economic force not only for Fair Haven residents, but also for visitors lured by ethnic restaurants and shops containing products not available anywhere else in the city.
The transformation of Grand Avenue began in the mid-1990s with the influx of Latinos buying buildings, setting up shops and renovating houses. City Hall began to take notice around three years ago, when local business leaders sought action on a common concern — parking.
"We organized because of a lack of parking space and widespread ticketing," says Rose Cimino, whose family operates Apicella’s Bakery, a Grand Avenue fixture since the 1920s, which supplies Italian bread, biscuits and pizza dough to restaurants and supermarkets. "We agreed that we needed to go to the police and fire department and ask them to do something about this."
Initial meetings led to the formation of Grand Avenue Village Association (GAVA), a Fair Haven merchant and business organization meeting monthly to discuss ongoing problems. GAVA recently launched a bilingual Web site, wwwgrandnewhaven.com, listing commercial resources in the neighborhood.
"GAVA is not only a group of people who look to improve their businesses," says Cimino, one of five GAVA executive directors. "We’re also concerned about the people we service."
Monthly GAVA clean-up campaigns and new city-supplied trash bins are encouraging businesses to care more about their surroundings, according to Angelo Reyes, a GAVA executive director and activist. Some are going an extra step, giving a few bucks to Reyes’ friend, Nicky Navaro, to cart off excess garbage.
Edgar Muralles, owner of Las Americas Mini-Mart, is participating in the cleanup, but is hoping for more police presence in the neighborhood. Meanwhile, he has plenty of security hardware, including closed-circuit cameras, and shows a recent visitor an automatic pistol and machete he keeps at hand, just in case. Speaking in Spanish, which Reyes translates, he says he’s not a violent man, but wants to be able to protect his family.
Even with the removal of Spunky’s, store owners say, drug-dealing remains a problem, but is somewhat less visible. And GAVA recently was able to derail plans for a 24-hour Laundromat, which might have become another focal point for drug dealers.
Last fall Reyes, who owns property in the area, renovated a building next door to Spunky’s and invited two non-profit agencies, the Mutual Housing Association of Connecticut and the Spanish-American Merchants Association, to rent the space.
"I liked their concept of helping the community," Reyes says. His brother, Wilson, is renovating a building down the street housing the former Burns Café. It is slated to reopen as a pub this autumn.
Among the few vacancies on the street is the former New Haven Brewery site, recently acquired by the city, which will put it out to bid by the end of this month, according to city officials.
City officials became involved with Grand Avenue businesses about three years ago, when the mayor "identified them as a stable and vital force in Fair Haven," explains deputy economic development administrator Paul Wessel. The street is home to around 70 businesses and institutions, including restaurants and food stores as well as services ranging from hair salons, clothing stores and a health clinic to a bank, dry cleaner and two pharmacies.
Because the street falls within the federal Empowerment Zone, it is eligible for federal funding, which is funneled through Empower New Haven.
"We started with good old-fashioned door-to-door footwork, celebrating business for the work they did and asking what we could do to improve the quality of their businesses," Wessel says. Several themes emerged, he notes, such as the need for greater policing and street cleaning.
A survey of Grand Avenue commercial potential based on the 2000 U.S. census also proved to be an eye-opener, according to Lawrence Kenney, vice president of AMS Advisory Services. Findings showed a growing, diversified Latino population, including immigrants from Central America as well the Caribbean, and a higher than expected median income level.
Among the survey recommendations was "the need to work one-on-one with businesses in terms of understanding business growth and development," Kenney says. "The survey pointed out there were real possibilities. Many businesses were doing well and looking to expand."
So far, the city has supplied around $500,000 this year for city services, including policing, clean-up and code enforcement, Wessel says, adding the targeting of resources "has steadily increased and doubled over the past three years."
An additional $500,000 in federal dollars have been channeled through Empower New Haven, covering research, streetscape and Web site design, as well as a planned marketing campaign.
"What we had four years ago was drugs, vandalism and graffiti," Reyes says. "What was missing was no community effort, and merchants who would create a mess."
"The difference this time is we have money to fix these things."
One initiative that is gathering momentum offers businesses a $10,000 outright grant and $10,000 in matching funds to improve their storefronts. So far, two of 19 Grand Avenue storefront projects have been completed, according to economic development officer and facade program director Craig Russell. He expects even more merchants to participate this year.
A fresh coat of paint, new signs and new lights are among the recent improvements to a building owned by Angel Actarina. The building houses four stores, including Silver Moon, Actarina’s wholesale operation for religious articles, a botannica, and a karate studio.
"We’re all trying to work together over here," Actarina says.
At least one store, La Supermarcheta, will soon undergo a peach-colored stucco facelift, which is a "classic Havana look" architect Kenneth Bourson envisions for a row of a dozen buildings. If his rendering becomes reality, the storefronts, which were "all over the place," will have a consistent stucco look "used a lot in the Southwest and Florida," Bourson explains.
Apicella’s Bakery also looks dramatically different than it did just a few months ago. Brick and open windows have replaced a boarded-up storefront. Expansion plans include the addition of a café.
C-Town, a neighborhood supermarket specializing in Spanish products, also is pondering improvement plans, according to manager Raifiz Vargas, who supplied refreshments for the GAVA clean-up day in August. "We try to fit into the community, and help whenever we can," he says.
Vargas says he has noticed many new C-Town customers are transplanted New York Latinos who have bought property in Fair Haven since the September 2001 terror attacks.
Changing outside perceptions of the neighborhood may be difficult, but the Ferry Street Bridge closing has created an opportunity to get started, says consultant Fort.
"There are usually around 8,500 cars passing through; now there are close to 12,000," Fort says. "We are trying to get people to make their establishments more attractive to a new customer base.
"The trick is to get people [outside the neighborhood] to make it a destination, or some place to stop if they’re in the area."
Fort believes food will be a major selling point, whether it be pork specialties served at La Lechoneria, coconut cakes from Cecy’s Mexican bakery or herbs from Las Americas Mini Mart unavailable elsewhere in New Haven.
When the marketing campaign gets underway, it will focus first on Spanish language media, Fort says, including local print and radio.
The impact of the Web site interests Kenney, who conducted the Grand Avenue survey for the city.
"I’m not sure how many communities have ever had one, and it will be a very interesting case study to see whether it will be effective," he says.
"What we’re trying to do is strengthen what’s already there," Wessel says, "and give people an opportunity to take charge of their neighborhood commercial street."
Wessel anticipates more overt signs of progress as non-participating merchants become involved, and that the area will "evolve into a business improvement district."
He acknowledges "some degree of initial resistance by people who have a healthy skepticism about how helpful government can be." In spite of that, he says, "We’ve been able to develop a good partnership."
Michael D’Avino, owner of Green’s Cleaners, agrees. The dry-cleaning business on Grand Avenue has been in his family since the mid-1950s, and now he’s thinking about upgrading his storefront.
"I’ve seen the area go from bad to good, and back to bad," D’Avino says. "I think we’re on a positive note now. About 20 years ago we got new sidewalks and paving - and it’s finally happening again."
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