Archive: News

These day when you hear the phrase 'market crash' it means another depressing day in the stock market. But Monday it meant a woman crashing her car into Lansing Market less than 48 hours before it was scheduled to open. But open it did, when a large crowd gathered to celebrate a ribbon cutting Wednesday morning. The long anticipated opening began with a welcome by Andy Sciarabba, who assembled investors and professionals to create and run the store. Sciarabba stressed the local connection that he says will make Lansing Market a vital at of the community in many ways.

"Lansing has waited for over 15 years for a grocery store," he said. "That day has finally arrived. It's one of the basic services the community has desired for a long time and I'm pleased to say that in a few minutes you'll be able to walk in and start shopping. And please shop often!"

Sciarabba says there have been very few hitches in the planning and construction of the market. But Monday saw what could have been a big monkey wrench in the works of getting the store open. Around two o'clock a woman, thinking the store had already opened, parked in a handicaped parking space, but didn't stop there. Her car plowed through a brick pillar into the foyer, smashing through large panes of glass.

Thanks to the project contractors, Doug Boles and Doug Dake, the damage was repaired within only 28 hours, leaving plenty of time before the opening. The pillar was replaced with new bricks, and the windows and other damage were repaired.

"If it wasn't for the Dougs I don't know if this would have come off as smoothly," Sciarabba says. "We're fantastically pleased with how it came out and the cooperation we've had from the contractors and all the community representatives. That woman was very anxious to start shopping, but we weren't open yet. She thought it was a drive-through. We wanted to open the store with a bang and she did!"

Sciarabba thanked the people who made it possible to open the market, a startling number of the Lansing people. Eight couples invested in the store. Six are from Lansing, one is the child of a Lansing couple, and the eighth is store manager Don Taylert, who lives with his wife in Trumansburg. Sciarabba says that between investing in the store and all the time he will spend managing it, Taylert is now an honorary Lansing resident.

Sciarabba thanked AWI, the cooperative that will not only supply products at competitive prices, but provided invaluable assistance including providing a market study, interior design, and training. He also acknowledged Tompkins County Area Development (TCAD), the Lansing Planning Board and Codes/Planning Department, The Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency (IDA), engineering firm TG Miller, Chemung Canal bank, the architect, contractors Doug Dake and Doug Boles, and Lansing builders and workmen.

 

From Tompkins County Area Development (left to right) Stephen Kimball, Heather Filaberto, Michael Stamm

"A lot of the folks that did this construction work are Lansing people," he told the crowd. "They are Lansing folks who have businesses here. We try to do that as much as possible, just as we will try to carry as much Lansing produce and other products from the area."

Over four years ago Sciarabba started working on the concept of getting a grocery store into the town. He felt the town lacked many basic services, and knew that since the closing of Egan's Market in 1995 people missed having a supermarket nearby.

"I contacted a number of the regional and national chains. Some did actual market studies, some just were not interested, and all of them came back and either said the community is too wealthy or too poor. They had all kinds of reasons why it wouldn't work. I said it was time for us to do it ourselves, like we did with the RINK. That was the same thing -- it was supposed to be built at Cass Park at one time, but it never happened with the city so we decided to do it ourselves."

In light blue Lansing Market shirts Andy Sciarabba (left) and Don Taylert cut the ribbon and open the store

That became a reality Wednesday. After Sciarabba's opening Taylert introduced his department managers. After the ribbon cutting people streamed into the store, some to take a first look, but most grabbed carts and baskets and started shopping.

"This has been a process of a family coming together," Sciarabba said. "The Lansing community has come together with this thing. All the employees that Don has brought on board, the contractors and everybody else all have a vested interest in this. I see Doug Boles come in every morning because he likes it here, it's his baby. And that's true -- it's his baby as it is all of our baby."

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