Downtown restaurant owners reflect on explosion
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — It has been a year since tragedy struck the city of Youngstown.
The Realty Building explosion killed one person, injured more, and left a gaping hole in the middle of downtown.
In the months that followed, downtown Youngstown became a ghost town once again, leaving businesses struggling to keep the lights on, while some others were forced to turn the lights off entirely for months.
'We're resilient. Youngstown has always been resilient,' business owner Mark Canzonetta said.
Canzonetta reflected on a year of struggle and growth inside his restaurant, Casa di Canzonetta, one year after the Realty building exploded. A mural on a far wall honors the old restaurant — Bistro 1907 — a reminder of what once was and what the city has overcome.
'It's been a crazy year. It's been a year of transition. It's been a year of growth, soul searching, faith in God getting us through that tragic time,' Canzonetta said.
The explosion shut down Bistro 1907 and the Doubletree Hotel for four months straight since the building was just across the street from the Realty Building. Canzonetta realized quickly he was in for a long struggle.
'The shock factor set in, 'What am I going to do? You know, how am I going to take care of our team members here?' Canzonetta said. 'That was hard because I had 80 people's lives that changed.'
Other businesses struggled, too — as many people avoided coming downtown altogether.The owner of Avalon Pizza said she thought there were moments their business might not survive.
'When you go from sales to, you know, to basically very little in sales but yet you still have all your bills like you would normally have. It's scary. It's very scary,' said owner Anne Massullo-Sabella.
Many downtown restaurant owners said the explosion was one of several blows to business and came after years-long struggles with the pandemic and the ongoing construction downtown. Restaurant owners say something needs to change. For now, they say it's the community keeping downtown alive.
'Nothing's going to beat us no matter how far down we are. We're going to find a way to bounce back. We're going to find a way to succeed,' Canzonetta said.
'We have survived that I never, ever expected to ever be and never thought I was going to survive it, but… the only reason why we survived it is because of the community support that we got,' Massullo-Sabella said.
'Youngstown is alive, well and ready for people to come back,' Canzonetta said.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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