A local church purchased a building on the corner that previously known as Happy Liquor and Foods. Pastor John Hannah plans to breathe new life into a building he hopes will help transform a neighborhood. Neighbors say the liquor store attracted the wrong kind of business, some even taking a different bus stop to avoid it.
“We knew that there’s so much potential in this community,” Pastor Hannah said. “We knew that there are people who want to see change in this community, so we’re not going to let the negative smother the positive.”
Pastor Hannah said he views this transformation as an assignment from God.
He hopes to transform the area into a grocery store, a medical facility featuring dental and counseling services and even leave space for small businesses.
“We do a prayer down 79th Street every year,” Hannah said. “We’ve been walking past this store for 15 years, and so finally, we don’t have to walk past it. We can put a flag in the ground.”