Albany pizza shop owner says violence may force him to close
[anvplayer video=”5139429″ station=”998132″]
An Albany businessman says he’s fed up with the street violence he sees every day in front of his landmark pizza shop on Ontario Street. He tells NewsChannel 13 there might be a “for sale” on the business before long.
Frank Scavio has built an empire in the Capital Region with Paesan’s Pizza.
If he had to shut down the flagship store, he says it would break his heart. However, because of the unruliness and violence in this neighborhood lately, he says it’s a real possibility.
Video from August in the Pine Hills neighborhood shows gunshots, chaos and people running for their lives.
Right in the middle of it all is the pizza shop, one building up from Madison Avenue.
An Albany businessman says he's fed up with the street violence he sees every day in front of his landmark pizza shop on Ontario Street. He tells NewsChannel 13 there might be a "for sale" on the business before long.
Because of the violence, he says he can only open his shop 50 hours less per week, sales are off 30%, and he’s not only losing hundreds of thousands of dollars, he’s also losing his patience.
Scavio says employees don’t want to come to work. Customers who live near the Albany shop are driving all the way to Guilderland, because they don’t feel safe.
WATCH: Surveillance video of August Albany shooting
[anvplayer video=”5139437″ station=”998132″]
He says he’d like to get together with Mayor Kathy Sheehan and Police Chief Eric Hawkins to begin a dialogue and then eventually come up with a solution to a crime problem that threatens his very existence in the city.
Hear Scavio discuss how he would feel if he had to shut down his flagship store by watching the video of Dan Levy’s story.