With the news of a second Sweet_ness 7 (S7) moving into the Parkside community, and other recent developments such as the Parkside House B&B, there appears to be a crucial momentum building that is palpable yet still fragile. While visiting the S7 diggs yesterday, I was surprised to see that the old Park Meadow (The PM) was occupied by an eatery called Luzvina’s Family Restaurant. That means that soon both of the Russell Street corners at Parkside will be occupied.
Luzvina’s specializes in Spanish and American food, offering traditional dishes such as arroz con pollo, chicken and pastelitos and rellenos de papa. Breakfast (served all day) is a mix of American and Spanish cuisine, featuring pancakes, breakfast burritos, etc. Lunch consists of hamburgers, paninis, tacos, clubs, fingers, wings and salads. I was glad to see the wide array of offerings and the equally wide range of hours that the items are served (8am-10pm – closed Monday). While using the WiFi, customers can check out the coffee bar and smoothie/shake selections or sample one of the various homemade desserts… there’s even a kids’ menu.
On the other side of the S7 building, which also houses Wyatt Design, is another building that is rather tragic. At the same time, it has a ton of potential. The bones of the building look to be in good shape – it’s the ragtag signage and lack of transom windows that really detract from the facade. There is a mix of businesses operating inside. One is Mustachio’s Pizza, located on the far end of the building. Another is Buff City Records. A third is Shear Purpose Cafe & Salon – a business that, according to neighbors, is a bit of a mystery on the street and may or may not be open.
The combination of S7 and Luzvina’s suggests that there is potential for a joint-effort success on the block. It will be interesting to see if the owner of the one-storey building decides to become part of the solution, or a continuation of the problem that has held this commercial strip back for so many years. It is important to note that both buildings are currently for sale (not S7) – the one-storey building is listed at $174,900 and the former Park Meadow is listed at $249,990. Both are listed with Nothnagle Realty.