Change starts at neighborhood corner store

Cookies, sandwiches, salads: Every afternoon, neighbors and visitors stop at Tony’s Market at 24th and Hampshire to buy food or pick up lunch at Pal’s Takeaway, inside the store. Only a few years ago, Kassa Mehari, the store’s owner, sold mostly liquor. But three years ago, as the street was developing, Mehari decided it was time for the store to change. He started purchasing new products and added the sandwich takeaway. In February, he let in the light, adding windows that are nearly floor-to-ceiling.

Now, “people come all day,” he said, sitting in a spot where he can clearly see all that happens on 24th Street. The area is safer than before, he said, so he felt fine opening up the closed space. But the big windows also allow people to see in from the outside, which makes the store feel less dangerous for customers. And these days, there are more of them.

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