Latest news with #Canzonetta
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
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 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.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Youngstown mayor prepares for State of the City address while local business owner criticizes his focus
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – As Youngstown Mayor Tito Brown prepares for another re-election campaign, he is offering a preview of his upcoming 'State of the City' Address this Wednesday. 'We're gonna talk about some of the things that we've been able to achieve,' Brown said. The mayor said his focus is on reducing crime, as well as creating affordable housing in city neighborhoods and attracting new businesses downtown. 'Those are things that are in front of us, but I think when we talk about the innovation hub and what we're investing in downtown, those are things that are gonna lift up downtown,' he said. But downtown restaurant owner Mark Canzonetta argues that the mayor isn't doing enough to help the inner-city core. 'It's like it doesn't exist in Youngstown. I don't know why, but it's off their radar for some reason,' said Canzonetta, who owns Casa Di Canzonetta. Canzonetta said the administration was too slow in trying to revive downtown following the COVID-19 pandemic and then later with the explosion and demolition of the Realty Building, saying work to rebuild major roads in the area resulted in fewer places to park and far too many empty storefronts. 'It's a Hollywood movie; it's a Greek tragedy down here, what's happened,' he said. While the mayor says the reviving of downtown will take time, he plans to talk Wednesday about spending millions sprucing up the city's parks. 'In the next two years, we're gonna finish the American Rescue Plan dollars, where you'll see the improvements in your parks and we'll give you a preview of what some of those parks will look like in the end,' he said. 'Number one, who's gonna maintenance them? Where's the funds coming from to maintenance them? What's the long-term for that maintenance, the costs, and are they gonna fall into disrepair again?' Canzonetta asked. Canzonetta stresses there have been successes and congratulates the mayor for them, but he thinks there's a lot more that could be done, and he plans to publicize them. The State of the City Address begins at 5 p.m. Wednesday at the DeYor Performing Arts Center. The address is open to the public. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
