New retail center coming to Manlius

MANLIUS - Construction is set to start in the next two weeks on a new, 17,000square-foot retail shopping center at the comer of Enders Road and Route 92.

The center, called Manlius Marketplace Shopping Center, is being developed by Manlius 92 LLC, which is owned by Rivo Alto Development of Florida. Rivo Alto owns and develops retail and residential projects throughout the Northeast and South, says Gary Eidelstein, a managing partner in Rivo Alto.

Eidelstein is a Rochester native and graduate of the Syracuse University College of Law.

"We think the community is dynamic," he says. "We're happy to be in the community. It's some new construction for Manlius, so that's a good thing."

The center will be located between a Nice n Easy Grocery Shoppe and an Alliance Bank branch, both of which receive a lot of customer traffic.

"We think that's a good indicator for us," Eidelstein says.

He did not have an estimate on the cost of the center. His company also owns a shopping center in Watertown, is exploring development of a retail project in Webster, and is currently working on a residential project in Lake Placid.

He declined to comment on his company's annual revenues. Rivo Alto Development employs about 10 people.

When finished, Manlius Marketplace Shopping Center will probably be home to about 12 businesses, says Gaetano Javarone of Universal Realty. Javarone and Wayne Ginter of Universal are leasing the center's space.

So far, several tenants have been lined up including Cazenovia Jewelry, Kimberly's Ice Cream Factory, a restaurant, a wireless telephone store, and a Supercuts salon.

Manlius Marketplace will be the second location for Kimberly's Ice Cream, which is based in Cazenovia.

Javarone declined to name the restaurant or wireless store going into the center. He says lease rates are negotiated with tenants and the space can be custom designed and built to their needs.

Syracuse-based J.S. Hagan Architect P.C. is the architect and general contractor on the job.

Cazenovia Jewelry will increase the size of its Manlius location from 680 square feet to 1,260 square feet when it moves into Manlius Marketplace, says Ralph Monforte, who owns the business with his wife. The company's Manlius store is currently located at 8195 Cazenovia Road in a building designed more for professional and office use.

The move to a more retail-oriented environment should increase the store's sales, Monforte says, although he declined to provide specific numbers. In addition to Manlius, Cazenovia Jewelry has locations in Cazenovia and Hamilton.

The company has been in business 21 years. Its Manlius store has been open six years and the Hamilton location has been open three years.

Cazenovia Jewelry employs 12, including four in Manlius. Monforte says he will probably add three more people at the new Manlius store, because he plans to extend its hours once in the new location. The store will be open nightly until 8 p.m. instead of the current 6 p.m. and he is planning to add hours on Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.

"The business has grown steadily to where the square footage we have now is inadequate," Monforte says. "We're going to be surrounded by a lot of other exciting retailers, so we think that will add to our traffic."