New Retail Development on Memorial Avenue
by Scott A. Sumner
www.thunderbaybusiness.ca
Local entrepreneurs Tony, Rocco and Vito Minnella of Minnella Enterprise Ltd. are changing the face of Memorial Ave with an attractive new retail building. The former night club is becoming a retail or service development of about 8000 square feet with 4 spaces available for lease.Their company also owns the pizza restaurant building adjacent to the development which will allow for a further 13,000 square feet of rentable space. Once the first stage leases up the pizza building will be demolished to create the additional space.
Unique on the project according to Gerry Harms, Project Director for Northwestern Ontario at Dominion Construction was the attention to the environment with the recylcing of old steel and lumber that was recyled instead of sent to the garbage. “ It really is a LEED’s project or
environmentally friendly. We have created a new facade or new look for the building which is very attractive and highly noticable on the busy Memorial Avenue,” said Gerry Harms. “ As the project develops we will add an entirely new building to the site and expand the overall
devlopment. This will require tearing down an older building currently adjacent to the south.”
“ We have some tenants close to coming to the new development. Memorial is perhaps the busiest street in Thunder Bay as far as traffic goes. The new building development has an attractive stucco and masonry, architectural stone look with lots of parking space. A tenant
could be a retail store, restaurant or professional office such as a dental practice.” said Tony Minnella.
Right across the street the brothers own about 3 1/2 acres of land on Waterford with some frontage on Memorial Ave. which can be developed. The company also owns Algoma Square, some properties on Tungsten Street and the corner of Archibald and Donald Streets, the former March of Dimes building .
It took the family quite a while to acquire the real estate starting in 1978. Tony came from Italia at age 16 beginning his career as a barber in Marathon and then moving to Thunder Bay where the brothers operate several hair salon businesses. Tony is also the owner of the
only hair design school from Winnipeg to at least Sault Ste Marie.“ I like Thunder Bay, all my family are here. One son owns Salon Centre, a distributor of hair products in NW Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The other sons work in the hair care business. Thunder
Bay is a nice city. We have a lot of family and friends here. I like the weather, fishing and hunting and we are in the right spot here in Thunder Bay. I am a supporter of Thunder Bay.” smiles Tony Minnella.
