Troy

Downtown Troy has a disappointing recent history with grocery stores. Two opened — and both failed.

Maybe the third attempt will be charmed?

That's what Vic Christopher and Heather LaVine are hoping. The married couple behind the Charles F. Lucas Confectionery & Wine Bar are preparing to open The Grocery in a long-vacant storefront on Broadway, near Monument Square. The store, expected to open later this year, will be their first retail effort in a 1876 building that, until recently, was primed for the wrecking ball.

Seriously, the old Clark House building was in disastrous shape when Christopher and LaVine purchased it earlier this year for $80,000. And even today, its future would seem dicey to the unknowing eye, what with the missing windows and gaps in the floors.

Yet Christopher, 37, and his crew of workers have stabilized the structure and are otherwise making rapid progress, leading them to hope that The Grocery might even open by midsummer. An existing retail tenant in the building, Broadway News, will remain, and Christopher and LaVine envision turning a third retail space into a casual cafe.

OK, sounds good. But why a grocery?

"We listen to people, and everybody wants a market," Christopher said. "That's what we hear."

Yes, those working and living in downtown Troy have long lamented the grocery dearth. Prior stores still failed.

Chef Larry Schepici opened Le Marche Vert in 2007. And the store (which was ludicrously expensive) ultimately closed two years later, along with other Schepici-run eateries around Monument Square, when its owner fell behind on tax bills.

The Pioneer Market, meanwhile, opened as a food co-op in 2010 after years of planning. But the market closed just a year later, and its shutdown was a blow to the psyche of downtown — a suggestion its supposed renaissance was perhaps just a mirage.

But Christopher rightly rejects any suggestion that Pioneer Market failed because it didn't attract enough shoppers. In fact, revenue was strong, but the market was doomed by high expenses and crushing debt.

The small store opened with 40 — yes, 40 — workers, and closed owing about $1.8 million to creditors.

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By contrast, Christopher and LaVine will open their store on a shoestring budget to minimize debt payments. At 700 square feet, the store will be smaller than Pioneer Market, but its product mix will be much the same — fresh produce and meats, along with everyday-need products and higher-end items like artisanal cheese.

Renderings of the project, which needs to receive city approval, show a simple white storefront, with produce facing toward Broadway. The back side of the grocery will lead to open plaza with seating for the wine bar.

"Two things make a city for me," Christopher said. "Outdoor dining and produce on the street. That's vitality."

Obviously, there's much to love about what Christopher and LaVine are doing in Troy. The wine bar is already a significant attraction, and their rescue of the Clark House is nearly heroic. I mean, most assumed the old building would eventually make way for a parking lot.

But one fact, in my opinion, makes the couple's efforts particularly worthy of praise: They haven't received any government grants or tax breaks.

That may not seem like a big deal. But it's rare in the Capital Region for a developer to tackle a project like the Clark House revitalization without first asking for municipal handouts. That seems especially true with downtown projects.

Consider that Norstar Development, the company that wants to build apartments on Broadway in Albany, is asking for $16.1 million in tax breaks — to name just one prominent example. And how much of downtown Schenectady's revitalization would have happened without Metroplex, the taxpayer-funded authority?

Christopher and LaVine, by contrast, represent a grass-roots approach. They're betting on Troy — and using private money.

Now, Christopher and LaVine may receive a $100,000 low-interest loan from the Troy Local Development Corp. to help with the Clark House effort. But a loan isn't a tax break, and the couple say the building's full rehab will occur even if they don't get the help.

It'll just take longer, they say.

Christopher, formerly the energetic assistant general manager of the ValleyCats and, more recently, Troy's economic development director, is from Brooklyn, as anyone who's heard him speak well knows.

He watched the borough's transformation over recent decades, as waves of newcomers made its very name a synonym for cool.

He's convinced Troy is on the same path — naysayers be damned — and is thrilled that he and LaVine are contributing to the change.

"I feel so lucky to be doing what we're doing," Christopher said. "Troy just has a heartbeat that appeals to me."

cchurchill@timesunion.com • 518-454-5700 • @chris_churchill