Saturday, June 1, 2002
Business Is Looking Up
Down On Dexter Street
By MILTON VALENCIA Times staff reporter
CENTRAL FALLS – Gregory Raheb sees new life for business on Dexter Street, and, in his view, it will start at exactly 535 Dexter Street. Stanley’s Famous Hamburgers, a landmark in this city since 1932, is getting a facelift. Contractors are renovating the inside of the building, to give it an art deco-style with a retro flare, Raheb says. Designers have created a new, brushed aluminum neon sign with a new emblem.
Raheb recently bought a vacant lot next door, which he paved for much needed off-street parking.
There’s a new menu, with a story detailing the history of the legendary hamburger joint and how Stanley F. Kryla, a Polish immigrant from Cumberland, first opened the restaurant during the Great Depression.
The side of the building has been restored with new, painted concrete bricks. The front of the restaurant will be re-painted.
“We want more colorful and fun,” said Raheb, who bought the restaurant from Kryla’s son 15 years ago. “It will give Stanley’s that new look we’ve always wanted.”
Merrick Cook, director of the city Planning Department, hopes Raheb’s visions are contagious.Raheb has taken advantage of a city Store-Front Improvement Program, where Dexter Street business owners can apply for a grant that will match up to $10,000 the cost of revovating the front of a business.
About a mile long, Dexter Street us a mecca for merchants setting up, in many cases, their first business, ranging from burger joints to beauty salons and barber shops, along with retail shops and carpet stores.
So, Cook says, the city wants to help those businesses maintain a fresh, attractive look.
“The city of Central Falls knows how challenging it is to maintain your storefront,” reads a flier for the program. “That’s why we are pleased to offer you the opportunity to participate in the Dexter Street Storefront Improvement Program.”
“Our goal is to remove blight and improve the business district’s visual appearance. In a cooperative effort, we hope to accomplish this through the rehabilitation and restoration of building storefronts and facades by using appropriate and complementary design standards.”
Raheb says a clean, attractive business is the first step towards attracting customers. He owns most of the 500-block on Dexter Street, and his tenants, including Izulec Beauty Salon and A-Fast Tax Service, are asked to sweep in front of their stores and clean windows.
Raheb doesn’t like how many stores on the street congest their windows with signs, saying it makes the store look ugly. He calls it “visual pollution.”
“If they clutter less, people will see more,” he said.
Cook calls Raheb one of the crusaders in the Dexter Street revitalization effort.But he notes he has seen a trend.
Since the United States Postal Service built a post office on Dexter Street in 1997, surrounding businesses have attempted to look just as attractive as the state-of-the-art building, Cook said.
Cruise’s Carpets has participated in the Storefront Improvement Program, as well as Whalen Management. Accountant William Sanchez recently built a building on the street, near the post office, and La Sorpresa has moved its bakery from Broad Street to Dexter Street, into a giant, new building across from Cruise’s Carpets. “The interest is there,” Cook said.
