DiMino's Lewiston Tops looks to expand

New seasonal product room proposed

By Joshua Maloni

GM/Managing Editor

The Village of Lewiston has received plans for an expansion project at DiMino’s Lewiston Tops, 906 Center St.

“It is basically putting an addition on the other side of the store, the opposite side of the bottle room,” storeowner Anthony DiMino said.

“It's going to be an area where we'll be displaying all our seasonal types of items,” he added. That would include, for example, summer furniture, fall pumpkins, and winter rock salt and snow shovels.

DiMino’s proposal calls for enclosing this portion of the front entrance area with a structure matching the look and color of the existing supermarket. The new room will have three garage door bay entrances. Throughout the day, it also will be accessible via the existing left store door.

“It has garage doors, because, as you know, sadly, security is always a risk anywhere you are, regardless of where you're from,” DiMino said. “I saw that out west. That's how they display their stuff, with the garage door. And then at nighttime, they put the garage doors down and lock them up.”

He added, “The garage doors, unless it's a snowstorm, those doors will be open 90% of the time. It's part of the store.”

In creating this structure, DiMino said more space will open in the vestibule area “so it's not so congested.”

Safety amenities include an eastside fire door (loading dock side), and concrete curbing ahead of the traffic lane.

DiMino’s Lewiston Tops is set to expand, with the addition of a new seasonal product display room. (Expansion rendering by Fittante Architecture)

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DiMino received favorable comments from municipal officials.

Historic Preservation Commission member Rita Geiben said, “I think it’s going to clean that corner. … Very nice looking.”

Planning Commission Chairman Norm Machelor said, “It’s going to be a big improvement to the current situation.”

Pending final Village Board of Trustees approval, “And if everything goes right, I'm hoping to get it done before fall,” DiMino noted. He said he anticipates construction beginning in July and wrapping in September.

DiMino said he has future plans to renovate the bottle room on the opposite side of the front of the store.