SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- When work first began in the mid-1980s, there were few that expected a district of abandoned industrial buildings to become the economic engine of downtown Syracuse, but that is just what Armory Square has become.
A ribbon cutting for a new, larger shop for Joette Mancuso was another sign of an economic growth in the neighborhood which seems to be bucking talk of recession.
“People are driving down to this area to spend the evening, to walk around. Come in and out of stores. I find it very exciting in this area. It reminds me of Greenwich Village, actually,” said Joette Mancuso of Joette’s Accessories.
Kenn Kushner agrees. Three years ago he moved his silver design shop out of downtown Syracuse. Now he's leaving the Fayetteville area for Armory Square.
“The location was very difficult for me for retail. And a lot of it was more of a personal choice. I really miss the downtown milieu,” Kushner said.
In the midst of an economic downturn, leaders in Syracuse say there is a bright spot for the local economy. News 10 Now's Bill Carey says it's an area that continues to show strong signs of expansion.
The more stores and restaurants that open here, the more people come to Armory Square.
“By the force of that cluster, they're drawing other people into this. They're drawing more and more customers. They're trading off of each other. And I think that's just a great opportunity for us to try to build on that,” said David Mankiewicz, Downtown committee Executive Director.
Growth has been so consistent in the Armory Square area that a few open shop fronts don't worry city officials. They, in fact, expect that economic activity to soon spread beyond the confines of Armory Square, further up into the downtown area along South Salina Street.
The plan is to develop the 300 block of South Salina into a combination of residential and retail space, similar to that along the streets of Armory Square.
“There are commercial districts where, as long as you can keep building that traffic and they can trade off each other, they can continue to grow,” Mankiewicz said.
And for now, despite an economic slowdown, the outlook for business and growth in the area Square remains strong.
Armory Square began life as home to various hotels and warehouses servicing a nearby rail station. With the death of the railroads, the area fell into disrepair. Development began in earnest in 1984 when the area was designated a historic district.