Newly Renovated Plaza Opens in Downtown Struthers

STRUTHERS, Ohio – After a $300,000-plus renovation, a small and long-vacant retail plaza downtown has reopened, and two of its three storefronts are already occupied.

The plaza at 178-82 S. Bridge St. was restored by Selah Management, which also owns and operates Selah Restaurant, just a few hundred feet away at 130 S. Bridge St.

Brian Palumbo, chef and co-owner of Selah Restaurant, and his business partners are the principals of Selah Management. But Palumbo is the sole owner of Gepetto’s Costumes, which is one of the two tenants in the plaza.

The other tenant is Modiste Couture, a custom dressmaker and tailor shop owned and operated by Therese Pitzulo.

A third storefront remains available, and work will begin soon on turning an attached garage into a fourth storefront space.

Palumbo is also the founding director of Top Hat Productions theater in Youngstown and a veteran of the local theater scene. While he wears many hats – chef, theater operator, landlord, businessman – Palumbo’s first passion is costume making.

He has created stage clothing for years at his own theater and others in the Mahoning Valley. Most recently, he designed and sewed the costumes for the lead roles in The Youngstown Playhouse’s landmark production of “Beautiful” at Powers Auditorium last month.

Gepetto’s Costumes recently signed contracts to create costumes for Opera Western Reserve productions and the opera program at Baldwin Wallace University in Berea.

Project History

With a vested interest in downtown Struthers, Palumbo’s group purchased the long-abandoned plaza almost two years ago and began its transformation.

The building was in deplorable condition at the time.

“The roof had a hole in it, and it was full of rubble,” Palumbo said. After installing a new roof and replacing the exterior, he had the building rewired and installed new plumbing and HVAC systems. The interiors have been completely remodeled, with new plaster walls, flooring and light fixtures.

Over the years, Palumbo has amassed an enormous collection of costumes, which he now stores in the basement of the plaza.

“I have at least 14,000 costumes in this building,” he said. “The downstairs is all costumes.”

Previously, the costumes were stored in the sub-basement of Selah, and in rented storage units.

Many of the costumes made by Palumbo and his colleague, Patti Thorsby, at Geppetto’s are ornate dress wear of the Renaissance era. The shop, in fact, has the aura of a bygone era. A gilded cabinet is stuffed with historical jackets, and a rack of exquisite headwear lines one wall. Sewing machines, a measuring table and other tools of the trade can be found at the rear.

Before designing a costume for a stage production, Palumbo does extensive research into the clothing of the era.

But theater troupes aren’t his only customers. “We’re doing more masquerade costumes,” he said, referring to custom-made wear “for people who want primo costumes” for private parties.

Palumbo started doing tailor work and creating costumes when he was 16 years old, working at Master’s Tuxedo in Youngstown.

“My grandmother owned a dress shop, and she had taught us how to sew,” he said. “When I started working at Master’s, I realized I wanted to work in theater, and I never stopped. There have been pauses, but I never stopped.”

Modiste Couture

The other store in the plaza, Modiste Couture, complements the atmosphere at Geppetto’s.

Store owner Pitzulo has been creating costumes for theaters, dress wear for private clientele, and draperies for decades, working out of her home.

Most recently, she made the costumes for The Youngstown Playhouse productions of “Dreamgirls,” “Pippin,” “Hairspray” and “CATS.”

The shop at 182 S. Bridge St. is Pitzulo’s first, and it represents a lifelong goal.

“This is my dream,” she said. “I always wanted a little French dressmaking shop, like Dior or Chanel,” she said.

Modiste Couture is an elegant place where Pitzulo sees clients by appointment for fittings and alterations. There are no walk-in hours.

A new signature item is her dressing robes. They are made from vintage wedding gowns – usually the mother’s – and used by brides when they are getting ready for their big day.

Other Projects

The new plaza is the latest development in the steady rebirth of downtown Struthers, which already boasts Selah and Donavito’s restaurants, and Rauschenbach Art, a studio and gallery.

“Arts and little shops are going to be the future of Struthers,” Palumbo said. “It’s flipping really quickly.”

Last year, Palumbo’s company purchased a long-vacant two-story storefront structure immediately east of Selah.

More than 18 truck beds of trash and debris have been removed from it, and work was to start this week on replacing the windows, doors and the façade.

“I was waiting until the plaza project was done before starting this one,” Palumbo said.

He will transform the building into a five-unit boutique hotel on the second floor and a banquet room on the first floor. The room, which can accommodate gatherings of up to 100 people, will open onto the alleyway between it and Selah, which is already used for outdoor dining.

More projects are also in progress.

A block east of Selah, at 118 S. Bridge St., work is underway to transform a vacant two-story structure into art studios, gallery space, a store and performance space. When complete, it will be known as the Struthers Mercantile – the original name of the building.

The project is under the auspices of 118 South Bridge Street LLC, which is owned by Struthers native Kevin Walsh, who is now a Florida-based businessman.

Walsh’s company has also purchased two adjacent buildings at 6-10 State St., and 14 State St. The latter was the site of Struthers Newsstand for many years.

The vacant buildings, which have multiple storefronts, are being gutted and renovated into retail space, according to Eric Rauschenbach, project manager and a nephew of Walsh’s.

Both Rauschenbach and Walsh are Struthers High School graduates and share an interest in transforming their hometown’s business district.

“There are a lot of small square footage units in downtown Struthers that lend themselves well to artisans, craftspersons and more specific types of retailers,” Rauschenbach said. “There is a lot of opportunity for food and beverage businesses. We have a lot of employers downtown, and everyone needs a place to eat lunch or have coffee. This corridor lends itself to that.”

Rauschenbach also pointed to the heavily used Cene Field baseball park downtown, which draws players and fans from beyond the region. He suggested an ice cream parlor or similar business would be able to attract fans before and after games there.

Rauschenbach also owns the building at 2-4 State St. and is renovating it into retail and living space.

His brother, artist Daniel Rauschenbach, already occupies part of the building and uses it as a studio and gallery.

Rauschenbach could not say when any of the building projects will be ready for tenants to move in. “We are doing [the renovation work] right so they stand the test of time,” he said. “The bones of these buildings are good, but after decades of repairs, there is a lot to strip back.”

Each building will get a new roof and facade and a total interior renovation, he said.

Pictured at top: Brian Palumbo in the sewing area of Geppetto’s Costumes.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.