Local leaders gathered in the Fruit Belt Wednesday morning to discuss turning a vacant store into a new co-op grocery store.

Members of the African Heritage Co-Op advisory board and Preservation Buffalo held a public meeting in front of the store, located on Carlton Street.

The building has been vacant for almost 20 years.

Organizers say they’ve reached out to the current owner to discuss buying the property, but their offers have been turned down.

Leaders believe that the store would be a great asset to the community.

“We need to as a community, as the city of Buffalo, say preservation isn’t just about buying this building and getting top dollar to build condominiums,” Jessie Fiesher, executive director of Preservation Buffalo-Niagara said. “Preservation is about preserving this history neighborhood, preservation serves communities by building businesses that can support their neighbor the neighbors who live in this community.”

Organizers say they have collected almost 80 letters of support from people who live in the Fruit Belt who support turning the building into a grocery store.