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Following acquisitions from Syracuse University and corporations, Marshall Street is experiencing changes to its usually small-business-oriented character.

Over the summer, the university acquired multiple properties along South Crouse Avenue in a $12 million deal, including Varsity Pizza and Faegan’s Pub. Liberty Restaurant Holdings, a chain restaurant franchisee which owns and operates 40 fast food locations including 29 Popeyes Louisiana Kitchens, signed a 20-year lease for the building that formerly housed Acropolis Pizza in August 2021.

Peter Mavrikidis, whose family have owned 167 Marshall St., home of Acropolis Pizza, for over 40 years, will remain the building owner following Acropolis Pizza’s closure.

Heidi Cousineau, Liberty Restaurant Holdings’ vice president of development, said the company has known it wanted to open a location on Marshall Street for a while through its agreement with Popeyes corporate to build 40 restaurants in upstate New York over the next three to four years.

When Mavrikidis put the building on the market to lease, Cousineau said it wasn’t a difficult decision to contact him right away.

“It’s a great spot and it wasn’t necessarily the easiest process,” Cousineau said. “We knew we wanted to be at Marshall Street. We would take what we could get because when you’re on Marshall Street, it’s sort of the ‘A’ real estate.”

Following closures of other small businesses on Marshall Street like Dawn Evette Reed’s Winnie’s Soul Delicious, some community members have concerns about the larger presence of corporate businesses and chain restaurants.

Erik Hicks, manager of J. Michael Shoes, said that though the corporate presence can help the area, Marshall Street doesn’t have the same local appeal as it used to.

“I’m a little conflicted because I grew up here. Having grown up here and being on the street since I was 15 years old, I do miss the mom and pop element,” Hicks said. “And it’s kind of turned corporate, in my opinion, relative to what it used to be, you know, so I missed that element.”

Despite his reservations, Hicks said corporate establishments bring business to the area and are vital in times of low traffic. Starbucks and Acropolis Pizza – on either side of J. Michael Shoes – both closed their doors in June.

“Having both spots closed over the summer was pretty bad,” Hicks said. “We’re excited for both spots to open again. Regardless of who’s there because like I said, (it) was pretty brutal not having traffic for either place.”

In January, Cousineau filed an application for a special permit to the City of Syracuse Zoning Administration. The application, which the City Planning Commission approved in late February, includes construction and design plans for the building approved by Popeyes corporate on Sept. 17, 2021.

The new Popeyes Marshall street location will be one of four ‘eclectic’ design type locations in the United States Mockup Courtesy of Liberty Restaurant Holdings

The design for the restaurant will be one of four “eclectic” design type locations in the United States, Cousineau said. She said the Marshall Street location was selected, alongside a location in New Orleans and two in New York City, to pilot the design. The number of locations with the distinct design is going to stay small, she added.

“New Orleans, where (the owners) are from, is going to be one (‘eclectic’ design location) but Syracuse University is another, so all eyes from Popeyes corporate are on this,” she said. “And this whole eclectic design is meant for urban, sort of downtown college campus appeal, but it’s the only one in the country that will be on a college campus as of now.”

Matthew Robinson, the night manager of Varsity Pizza, said the restaurant is not going anywhere.

Following SU’s acquisition, Robinson said Varsity Pizza ownership reassured staff that the change in building ownership will not affect the restaurant’s operations and only means a stronger relationship with SU. If anything, the purchase works to ensure nobody else can ever buy the building, he said.

“It’s only right that if anyone gets it, it’s (SU),” Robinson said. “The strong relationship we’ve had here, the traditions that happen in both places and stuff like that, (it) just makes sense.”

Robinson said the departure of small businesses doesn’t really affect Varsity Pizza. Cousineau said she’s aware of and appreciates community concerns that the small business culture of the area is changing.

“I mean, at the end of the day, it is a fast food chain restaurant, but what I can say is, (Liberty is a) small family-run business, and we like to have that community feel,” she said. “We’re not just, you know, a franchisee who’s opening up a bunch of stores and don’t care about where we are. We like to super integrate with the community and get involved.”

Cousineau added she thinks the new design will make the restaurant more special and less of a “cookie-cutter” franchise or “prototype.” Hopefully, she continued, that aspect of the establishment will offset some community apprehension.

Still, the 20-year lease raises concerns.

“With the way the changes have been happening the last five years or so,” Hicks said, “(20 years) is a long time.”

Published on September 8, 2022 at 2:49 am

Contact Jana: jlseal@syr.edu | @JanaLoSeal