The line at the grand opening of Bain’s Deli on Wednesday was almost as long as the list of takeout lunch orders.
Owner Russell Swanson and his staff scrambled to keep up.
That’s a good sign to Swanson and others, who say the new eatery’s arrival is the beginning of a culinary boom that will help revive the city’s struggling downtown.
“We’ve got takeout orders a mile long, and we’ve got people coming in,” Swanson said. “It’s good to see the response.”
Last year, Swanson bought the former Coffee Time building on East Landis Avenue for about $100,000. He wasn’t necessarily looking to get into the restaurant business, but was convinced adding eateries was a way to revive Landis Avenue.
Swanson is co-owner of his family’s business, Swanson Hardware on North East Avenue.
Over the past year, he lobbied the city’s Economic Development Office to recruit restaurants for Landis Avenue.
“I think they finally got tired of me saying it and said, ‘Why don’t you open your own restaurant?’
Swanson contacted several restaurant chains, but said none was interested in locating on Landis Avenue. So, he decided to buy a franchise of Bain’s, a Philadelphia-based delicatessen chain.
Using about $384,000 in Urban Enterprise Zone money, Swanson and his brother, Bruce, spent months renovating the building’s interior and exterior.
The UEZ is a state program that provides money for economic development projects in distressed areas through locally collected sales taxes.
Swanson said he’s planning a formal grand opening for the deli after Labor Day.
By TIM ZATZARINY Jr. for The Daily Journal