Nov 27, 2024 By Paul Paterra 3 min read

The developer of the Midtown Market project in downtown Canonsburg is anticipating a spring grand opening.

The planned development at 48 W. Pike St. will provide space to multiple tenants at the site of the former McCrory’s Five and Dime Store and most recently Hidden Treasures thrift and consignment store.

“We are currently in the phase of under construction,” said Andre Andronas, whose AJA Co. is the developer of the Midtown Market. “What we are working toward in the next two to three weeks is the beginning of all of the plumbing modifications. We are growing from one tenant on the first floor to five or six.

“We have a lot of work to do there that we hope to have done by mid-January. Then, we will begin framing and building out of the individual spaces with hopes of turning those over to the tenants by the end of February with a springtime opening as the potential moving target.”

MP Coney Island, a 100-year-old hot dog business based in New Castle, is one of the tenants. The business already acquainted itself with Canonsburg, serving as a co-sponsor for the borough’s hot dog eating contest that kicked off the annual Fourth of July celebration this past summer.

“This will be the first franchise location south of Pittsburgh,” Andronas said. “They’ve done some events in town leading up to their arrival. They will be located front right from the street perspective. They’ll have a walk-up window, which will make it pretty convenient to grab and go and to be able to cater to foot traffic.”

The eatery will also have seating for 20 to 30 diners.

Andronas, a Canonsburg native and current North Strabane resident, said a couple of other businesses have made commitments, but MP Coney Island is the only tenant to be announced.

“We’re trying to make it pretty special,” he said. “We’re in the process of examining some other tenants and options. We want it to be a mix of retail shopping and eateries. We’re really trying to be selective.”

Mayor Dave Rhome welcomes the new venture to the borough.

“The market, I believe, is just a super idea that is going to allow more businesses to come to Canonsburg and allow us to continue to showcase what we’re all about in the way of people coming here and shopping local and putting more feet on the sidewalk,” Rhome said. “That makes your town more prosperous. … I am just overwhelmed by the participation of the team that has been assembled, be it local government, county government, state government. We’re just working to be very prosperous in the town.”

Launching the project in his hometown is special to Andromas, a 2005 graduate of Canon-McMillan High School. He’s already involved in the community, serving as co-chair of Canonsburg’s Old Fashioned Christmas, and is part of preservation efforts of the Robert Stone House.

“Our little town has always been great,” Andronas said. “The more I got involved in the community, the more things we did, and the more time I spent in town, I felt like we were on the brink of something special.

“As our town usually does, we all banded together, and there’s a nice little buzz going on. It’s a huge group effort, and it’s really cool to see it kind of fall into fruition.”