Article published September 23, 2008
Downtown Toledo retail corner revived
111-year-old site will be market and restaurant
Pierre Eid relaxes briefly in the site of Le Pam Pam Pizza and Subs. The restaurant/market will open by mid-October.
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THE BLADE/AMY E. VOIGT
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By GARY T. PAKULSKI
BLADE BUSINESS WRITER
A downtown building which for years beginning in the 1930s was home to a pair of popular drug stores is reverting to use as a store.
Businessman Jacques "Jack" Eid and his wife, Rania, have spent nearly $300,000 to rehabilitate a 111-year-old building at Madison Avenue and North Michigan Avenue into space for a store and adjoining restaurant.
The Madison Market and Le Pam Pam Pizza & Subs will open by mid-October at the high-traffic corner across from the Toledo-Lucas County Library, said General Manager Pierre Eid, who is Jacques Eid's cousin.
The three-story building most recently was the site of a photo-processing center. For many years, however, it was home to M&M Drug Store and, before that, Cooley's Drug Store.
Despite the tough economy and spotty record of retailing in the downtown area, the owners are optimistic that they can succeed.
The Madison and North Michigan corner was a drug store for decades.
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THE BLADE/AMY E. VOIGT
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"We think downtown is on the verge of going up," said Pierre Eid, who like his cousin, is a native of Lebanon. He cited a growing number of people who live downtown, the success of Fifth Third Field baseball stadium, and the multi-purpose arena going up nearby.He isn't concerned about the failure of Monat Market, a grocery store that closed last winter several blocks away on the ground floor of LaSalle Apartments. "That was a supermarket," Pierre Eid, 43, said. "This is a convenience store. We don't have enough residents downtown for a supermarket to survive."
Like grocery stores, the market will sell milk, cheese, and beer. But it will follow a formula perfected by convenience store operators. It will offer a gourmet coffee bar, small deli counter, baked goods, snack foods, and incidentals like emergency auto supplies. Unlike prior stores that occupied the space, however, the store will not feature a pharmacy.
In a bow to the owner's heritage, cuisine of the adjoining restaurant will include grape leaves, spinach pie, and a few other Middle Eastern specialties. There will be seating for 35 to 40 people.
Both establishments will close at 6 p.m., and not be open on weekends.
"Downtown is almost dead on weekends," Pierre Eid said, adding that the store will consider expanding hours if more people move downtown.
He and his cousins have considerable experience in retailing. Jacques Eid, of Lambertville, owns a convenience store at Bancroft Street and Upton Avenue.
The downtown store and restaurant will occupy 4,000 square feet.
As part of renovations, the owners have preserved the original tin ceiling of the building, which was constructed in 1897.
They are considering converting the upper floors into 10 condominiums.
Library officials had expressed concerns about the sale of cigarettes and alcohol so close to an institution that attracts many young people. But the owners have satisfied those concerns, said Charlie Oswanski, superintendant for facilities and operations for the library.
Tom Crothers, executive director of the Downtown Toledo Improvement District, said he is pleased with the improved appearance of the building, including new windows on upper floors. "They've done a good job with that building," he said. "It looks to be a nice operation."
Contact Gary Pakulski at:
gpakulski@theblade.com
or 419-724-6082.
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