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Article and Photo by Benjamin Joe
Pellicano's Marketplace, the specialty Italian sauce and grocery hot spot, is looking to expand, provided the Town of Wheatfield Planning Board approves such a measure.
Of a new addition and increase in hiring, Store Manager Chris Pellicano said he and his father, Paul Pellicano, have always envisioned growing what they have on Niagara Falls Boulevard.
“We’re just looking to expand everything we know how to do,” Pellicano said. “A bigger meats department, fresh seafood, larger deli, larger produce. We’re trying to do a full-service bakery. These items that we wanted to do since 2020, when we bought the property, but at the time we just weren’t able to complete them.”
The road to the expansion begins with municipal approval. Currently, a full site plan has not been completed, and there is no set date as to when it will be, or when construction will commence.
“Right now, we’re just trying to firm up some plans with the Planning Board. That’s simply the next step. Then we’ll put it out to bids,” Pellicano said. “We’ve already been in contact with a couple of builders, so we’ll just wait for them to get back.”
Earlier in the month, a public hearing for two proposed storage units on the Pellicano property was attended by about 30 residents, almost all of them from the local neighborhood.
According to Susan Agnello-Eberwein, chair of the Planning Board, most of the items brought to the public hearing had to do with Evergreen Drive and the fear it would be connected to the marketplace’s parking lot, creating a new traffic route.
Pellicano said there would be no such route for regular drivers, but there would be a gate connecting the dead end to the parking lot for emergency vehicles.
Residents also feared more traffic in front of the store, but Agnello-Eberwein said that a second driveway on Niagara Falls Boulevard would eliminate any problems in that regard.
“They were worried about the traffic,” she explained later in a brief phone interview.
Other topics included excess noise and light, but Pellicano said those would be kept to a minimum, “because they are our neighbors.”
“We really tried to think of where we’re going to put everything,” he said. “What the best options were. For safety, for flow, but also to try to keep some noise and light away from the neighbors. Because they live there; because they are our neighbors. They’re not going anywhere. We’re going to be neighbors forever, so we want to keep them happy.”
Despite the concerns, Agnello-Eberwein said the business, including the newly purchased 5 acres for expansion, is zoned properly for what is being asked for.
Altogether, Pellicano owns 10 acres at the location.
“It’s 100% within code,” Agnello-Eberwein said.
Pellicano said there are other benefits that could come from the expansion, including live music and visits from Santa and Mrs. Claus during the holidays, as well as a possible Italian festival on the property.
“We really want to be a destination,” he said. “Why does grocery shopping have to be a chore? Why can’t it be enjoyable?”
Pellicano is also looking for possible grant opportunities, which he said are rare for retail, but there might be some opportunity from Niagara County Economic Development.
“They’re very helpful; they’re trying to see if there’s anything available for us,” he said.
Hours for the store are not expected to change and will continue to be 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Pellicano said that, if there is a change, it would be an hour earlier and an hour later.
Pellicano also said while he is looking tentatively into the future for potential pitfalls, at present, he is planning to create more jobs to staff the expansion.
“We’re trying to be careful, the way that the economy is. We’re not trying to jeopardize the business or people’s jobs, because we take that seriously … (but) we’re looking to create between 30 and 80 jobs, and I’m comfortable saying that,” Pellicano said.
He noted he and his father are committed to being a part of the community, and currently sponsor four baseball/softball teams.
“Helping out the community is a passion for my father, myself. You’ve got to give back,” Pellicano said.