By Ben Antonius | Daily Republic | October 25, 2008
Construction worker Matthew Johnston, left, works on building the Canepa Delicatesson on Texas Street in downtown Fairfield Friday morning. The restaurant is expected to open in early December. Photo by Brad Zweerink
FAIRFIELD - John Costanzo has big plans for downtown Fairfield.
The developer is surging forward with his second Texas Street project, this time reviving a long-empty county office near the intersection with Jefferson Street. Stonefield Place, as Costanzo calls it, is envisioned as a counterpart to MacInnis Corner, his Starbucks-anchored building across the street.
'I am really bucking the trend because most buildings are losing tenants right now,' Costanzo said. 'My wife and I have been really aggressive in trying to draw tenants and create an overall nice atmosphere.'
The building will be anchored by Canepa Delicatessen, an old world-style Italian deli run by Gigi and Raymond Canepa, the owners of Vintage Caffe.
The delicatessen is expected to open by late November, Canepa said. She said the vision is a place that will sell sandwiches and pastas, artisan salami and cheese, and prepackaged meals.
'There's nothing like it (in the area),' Canepa said. '(It will be) more health conscious, more natural products, but I still want to make sure we stay with the old world atmosphere.'
Stonefield Place will also house a frozen yogurt shop called Main Street Yogurt and a few non-retail tenants in the seven-tenant building, Costanzo said. Across the street, Costanzo is awaiting the grand opening of Big Italian Pizzeria.
The new businesses, particularly Canepa, will be 'something different' than what already exists downtown, Costanzo insisted.
See the complete story at the Daily Republic online.
