A Gannon University-owned residential building in downtown Erie is being demolished
On Thursday, August 1, demolition continued on an 86-year-old apartment building at 632 Sassafras St. The property is owned by Gannon University.
This article is part of a recurring series that updates the status of interesting properties in the Erie area. Do you have a suggestion? Email [email protected]
As an Edinboro resident, Andy Olson appreciated the convenience of having a full-service Giant Eagle so close to his home.
But when the Pittsburgh-based grocery chain closed its Edinboro-area store in late 2022, Olson, owner of Hobbs Lumber & Hardware Inc., finally saw an opportunity.
According to district court records, a company called Andash Real Estate, which is affiliated with Hobbs Lumber, paid $1 million to buy the building, known as Sunset Plaza. Built in 1978, the 5,100-square-foot building sits on a 1.8-acre lot.
According to court documents, Andash obtained a $1.79 million mortgage from Marquette Savings Bank.
The former Giant Eagle is located at 606 Erie Street, north of Edinboro in Washington Township.
Purchase gives Hobbs room to expand
Hobbs Hardware has been in business since 1946. Olson said he purchased the company, which has about 7,000 square feet of retail space, in 2016.
While part of the former grocery store is leased to other tenants, Olson said his hardware store will occupy 1,500 square feet of retail space and a 2,000-square-foot warehouse.
Such an expansion was not possible at the store’s existing location, south of Pennwest Edinboro at 13080 Cambridge Springs Road.
“We are close to the road, there is a stream behind us and we are at an intersection,” he said. “There is no room to go anywhere.”
Olson hopes to complete renovations and move into the new building early next year. Olson, who expects to continue renting to the building’s current tenants, said his business will benefit from a significantly larger parking lot.
Uncertain plans for the old shop building
Olson said he is not yet sure what will happen to the existing hardware building.
“We are willing to both lease and retain the property or sell it outright,” he said.
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Customers can expect some changes at the new location, he said.
“We will have a much larger product offering with products we don’t have yet,” he said. “The store layout will be much more modern and inviting, and the warehouse and all of our materials will be covered.”
Olson said he was sad that the Giant Eagle had to close its doors.
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“It worked out to our advantage,” he said. “We loved having a grocery store there, but it was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up.”
Contact Jim Martin at [email protected].
