DECATUR, AL -
In a time of tough economic news and some businesses closing, there is encouraging news for one city. Decatur's Bank Street is making a turnaround after two businesses closed this year. A local family is working to open several new stores. There's also good news for the space left vacant by the businesses that closed.
Pizza boxes fill the windows of a building at 701 Bank Street.
Inside, you'll see diner tables and chairs, as you feel the anticipation of a Chicago-style deep dish pizza restaurant that is scheduled to open soon.
"It's going to be kind of new to the area. People don't have a deep dish in the South anymore," said David Ralson of Ralson Property.
Ralson and his family are originally from the Chicago area.
"We like the deep dish pizza they have in Chicago," said Ralson. "Rather than keep making the trips up and down the interstate, we figured we'd start our own restaurant."
Right now, they're keeping a tight lid on the name of the restaurant in respect of their father.
"We figured he said keep it down until it's time to announce, so that nobody steals the name. That's what Dad asked me to do," said Ralson.
Recently, a couple of doors down, Wykers Toys and Bank Street Deli closed shop on Bank Street.
Ralson says he's not discouraged, though.
"We're going to hope by bringing a restaurant here plus a rock and roll bar, plus an upper-end night club upstairs, there should be enough foot traffic that'll come here for the deep dish pizza that'll dwindle it down to the other places," said Ralson.
More good news -- the vacant buildings left by Wykers and the Deli could be filled with businesses soon.
"There's a new restaurant coming in there we think. And there's someone looking at the Wyker's Toy store, not for a toy store, for something else," said John Seymoure, President of the Decatur Morgan County Chamber of Commerce.
For now, the Ralsons are working to get their building up to code. It was built in 1906, and hasn't been occupied since the early 1990s.
"This has been one of the most unutilized buildings probably in Decatur," said Ralson.
Right now, they are waiting on final plans from the architect before they can move forward with construction.
The Ralsons hope to be serving deep dish pizza in Decatur after the first of the year.
Pizza boxes fill the windows of a building at 701 Bank Street.
Inside, you'll see diner tables and chairs, as you feel the anticipation of a Chicago-style deep dish pizza restaurant that is scheduled to open soon.
"It's going to be kind of new to the area. People don't have a deep dish in the South anymore," said David Ralson of Ralson Property.
Ralson and his family are originally from the Chicago area.
"We like the deep dish pizza they have in Chicago," said Ralson. "Rather than keep making the trips up and down the interstate, we figured we'd start our own restaurant."
Right now, they're keeping a tight lid on the name of the restaurant in respect of their father.
"We figured he said keep it down until it's time to announce, so that nobody steals the name. That's what Dad asked me to do," said Ralson.
Recently, a couple of doors down, Wykers Toys and Bank Street Deli closed shop on Bank Street.
Ralson says he's not discouraged, though.
"We're going to hope by bringing a restaurant here plus a rock and roll bar, plus an upper-end night club upstairs, there should be enough foot traffic that'll come here for the deep dish pizza that'll dwindle it down to the other places," said Ralson.
More good news -- the vacant buildings left by Wykers and the Deli could be filled with businesses soon.
"There's a new restaurant coming in there we think. And there's someone looking at the Wyker's Toy store, not for a toy store, for something else," said John Seymoure, President of the Decatur Morgan County Chamber of Commerce.
For now, the Ralsons are working to get their building up to code. It was built in 1906, and hasn't been occupied since the early 1990s.
"This has been one of the most unutilized buildings probably in Decatur," said Ralson.
Right now, they are waiting on final plans from the architect before they can move forward with construction.
The Ralsons hope to be serving deep dish pizza in Decatur after the first of the year.
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