A Church Street institution is plastered with sale signs. After 176 years, Fremeau’s Jewelers is closing up shop. “I decided to close the store down and retire,” said owner Kent Wood who added that he has “very mixed emotions.” Wood’s parents bought the store from the Fremeau family in the 1950s. But with no one to keep the business going, they’re selling everything and moving south. Fremeau’s closure comes right before the city is about to vote on a massive downtown-redevelopment project, one the mayor thinks could be a game changer. “People don’t really want to shop in these interior, private malls today the way they used to,” Mayor Miro Weinberger said. The mayor has spent much of the last few weeks pushing for four ballot issues in November, two of which would affect zoning and tax-increment financing for the project. “They’re being asked whether or not to move forward with this plan for transforming the three blocks of the downtown that are currently dominated by this 1970s suburban, declining mall,” Weinberger said. But not everyone’s a fan. “We’re asking people to say yes to a livable city by voting no on the downtown-zoning ordinance and no on the use of TIF money,” opponent Genese Grill told NBC5 in early October. One person rooting for the project? Kent Wood. While the long-time marketplace tenant won’t be around to see the project come to fruition, he hopes the downtown makeover will bring new life to the Queen City. “Church Street is a fun place to come to and it’s been a fun place and we want to keep it that way,” Wood said.

A Church Street institution is plastered with sale signs. After 176 years, Fremeau’s Jewelers is closing up shop.

“I decided to close the store down and retire,” said owner Kent Wood who added that he has “very mixed emotions.”

Wood’s parents bought the store from the Fremeau family in the 1950s. But with no one to keep the business going, they’re selling everything and moving south.

Fremeau’s closure comes right before the city is about to vote on a massive downtown-redevelopment project, one the mayor thinks could be a game changer.

“People don’t really want to shop in these interior, private malls today the way they used to,” Mayor Miro Weinberger said.

The mayor has spent much of the last few weeks pushing for four ballot issues in November, two of which would affect zoning and tax-increment financing for the project.

“They’re being asked whether or not to move forward with this plan for transforming the three blocks of the downtown that are currently dominated by this 1970s suburban, declining mall,” Weinberger said.

But not everyone’s a fan.

“We’re asking people to say yes to a livable city by voting no on the downtown-zoning ordinance and no on the use of TIF money,” opponent Genese Grill told NBC5 in early October.

One person rooting for the project? Kent Wood.

While the long-time marketplace tenant won’t be around to see the project come to fruition, he hopes the downtown makeover will bring new life to the Queen City.

“Church Street is a fun place to come to and it’s been a fun place and we want to keep it that way,” Wood said.