A former Fountain Hill gas station and auto repair business is undergoing a transformation, that once complete will have turned it into a convenience store.
Friedman’s Service Center was a staple establishment along Broadway in the borough for decades until it closed in February 2023.
The property was sold later in the year, with plans by its new owners–identified in zoning department permits as VADA4 LLC of Fountain Hill–to focus on the retail trade.
According to an October 2023 zoning permit affixed to a window at the site, the conversion will result in an enlarged and improved parking area on the property, which is in the shape of a triangle.
The former garage bays that were part of the building have been enclosed, but the fuel pumps and canopy will remain in place “as is,” according to the permit.
The document also states that there are no plans to provide on-site seating for food consumption, and that the convenience store’s hours of operation are expected to be 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
It is expected to employ four people when it opens.
Work is progressing on a project to transform the former Friedman’s Service Center into a convenience store. The property is located at 1002 Broadway in Fountain Hill.
The renovations to the gas station property aren’t the only commercial upgrades taking place along the Broadway corridor in Fountain Hill, either.
Next door, in the 900 block, a shopping center that was previously slated for demolition is also being transformed.
Plans to build an apartment building on the site of the six-unit strip mall were approved by borough officials last year, but before the work could take place, the owner of the property sold it to another developer who decided to renovate rather than tear down the existing structure.
The businesses that are located in the shopping center are open while the facade and other work is taking place. They include a Colombian restaurant, a market, a laundromat and a notary service.
The shopping center in the 900 block of Broadway in Fountain Hill is also being renovated by a new owner. Several businesses that call it home remain open while construction is taking place.
