Six new stores are coming to downtown Ithaca in the spring. Two local business owners who are transforming portions of the Ithaca Journal building into new shops on Green Street.
John Guttridge and David Kuckuk, partners of Urban Core, LLC, said they hope to bring new businesses into the spaces left abandoned in downtown Ithaca after many owners were forced to close during the economic recession in 2008.
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When they purchased the warehouse in March, Guttridge said they were encouraged by others employees in the building to demolish the area and build parking, but they saw the space as a place for downtown shopping.
The plan is to redevelop the alleyway into tiny retails stores measuring 265 square feet, as opposed to spaces found on the Commons that measure 1,100 square feet, Guttridge said. The alley will allow for open air shopping and conditioned spaces depending on the weather for a year round operation.
Though some residents said the plan seems promising, others are concerned about finding parking in the area near the new stores.
“I think it could be cool,” local Steve Gattine said. “It depends on what they end up putting there. The parking obviously isn’t wonderful down here.”
Their first store, Life So Sweet Chocolates, opened last week in the redeveloped warehouse.
Guttridge and Kuckuk are looking for tenants now, starting with a local café. They expect to begin renting in the coming months, construct during the winter and plan to open in spring.
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Erin Elizabeth 