Hope on the horizon for shopping plaza

SHARON — Two interested parties are looking at the empty Sharon Plaza space once occupied by Trotta’s market, according to Dee Dee (Donovan) Mandino, whose family owns the shopping center.

It has been almost a full year since Trotta’s market closed its doors after 25 years of business, forcing residents to shop out of town or even out of state for groceries.

Save for the few cheery Christmas trees lined up in the front window, the inside of the store is vacant, except for the shelves, refrigerators and freezers that once stored groceries. They are now empty.

The store aisles are completely dark, with the aisle signs still hanging that once signified where shoppers could find the foodstuffs that they needed.

Cash registers are silent and the vibrant hustle and bustle of a once-busy grocery store are gone.

Mandino said that it’s possible all of this might soon change.

“We are in conversations with a couple of interested parties, both with top-notch reputations in the [grocery store] industry,� Mandino said. “We are excited about the possibilities here and are offering significant incentives to the operator, who will also likely be looking for local investors to make this project work.�

Mandino would not reveal who the two interested parties were. Neither would First Selectman Bob Loucks, who said he is aware of the negotiations between Mandino and the two parties.

“I don’t want to scare anyone away, which is why I don’t want to say who they are,� Loucks said. “Everyone is leery of investing money in general because it’s a very tough time to do so. But we’re trying to convince them to invest in the space.�

If a new business takes over the vacant space, it could be a big boost for the town’s economy.

In September, the town’s Economic Study Group issued a report saying business owners in town believe that Sharon is dying.

Richard Hotaling, owner of Rick’s Wine and Spirits in the plaza, said that the sooner a new tenant occupies the vacant space, the better.

“Some months have seemed to be worse than others in terms of business,â€� Hotaling said. “This is the time of the year when hopefully locals will shop local. Maybe that will help, but other than that, we are taking things one day  at a time.â€�

John Liggio, manager of the Twin Oaks Cafe in the plaza, said business has declined since Trotta’s closed down.

“It would be nice to have another store to anchor the plaza,� Liggio said. “Maybe another grocery store would be nice. If not, maybe the space could be made into an ice skating rink.�

Mandino said there was no timetable for when a new merchant would take over the space.