News

November 13, 2009

Wanted – a downtown restaurant

By Jerry Lynott jlynott@timesleader.com
Business Writer
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WILKES-BARRE – A restaurant is on the top of the wish list of tenants for the University Corners project in the downtown.

The focus is on a local company rather than a national chain, said Bill Geary, president of Carlsberg Management Co. of Los Angeles, Calif., which partnered with the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry on the $31 million mixed-use project.

Geary and Bill Fraser, director of retail services for Colliers Arnold International of Orlando, Fla., which is working with Carlsberg on filling space in the project, were in town Thursday and met with chamber officials.

Geary said the restaurant would be an anchor tenant occupying 7,500 square feet of street-level space.

It would join four other tenants in the property located on East Northampton Street between South Main and South Washington streets.

The Wilkes-Barre Movies 14, a 14-screen theater, is the main anchor of the project that opened in 2006. The Blue Chip Gourmet sandwich and coffee shop, and Jannuzzi’s Pizza & Subs also have settled in. By mid-month they will be joined by Tilbury’s Knob, which features handcrafted Native American jewelry and gifts.

A Quiznos sandwich shop franchise closed earlier this year after its owner said the economic crisis hurt sales.

Carlsberg came on board last year when the chamber sold three-quarters of its retail interest in the property.

The residential component consisting of 21 loft condominiums is under construction and being developed by Susquehanna Real Estate of York.

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