The intersection of East 79th Street and St Lawrence Avenue in Chatham is a study in transition. A well-worn row of shops housing a food mart and a dollar store, an empty lot and Pride Cleaners – a 1959 modernist landmark, according to the architecture critic Lee Bey – contrast with a new strip mall on the southeast corner.
Sal Lombardo, an agent with Commercial Advantage, which is marketing the new retail spaces, says he’s finalized leases for a U.S. Cellular outlet, a Firehouse Steak and Lemonade restaurant and Ultra Beauty, which will anchor the development in a 7,000-square-foot store. He says he’s also in negotiations with an independant African-American bookseller and a bank. Three remaining 1,000-square-foot spaces are available, he adds.
The stores are slated for occupancy April 1 and will be able to open for business May 1, Lombardo says.
