DATE: Thursday, September 25, 1997          TAG: 9709250305

SECTION: BUSINESS                PAGE: D1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY LINDA McNATT, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: SUFFOLK                           LENGTH:   38 lines

SUFFOLK'S OLDEST SHOPPING CENTER GETTING A NEW LOOK

The city's oldest shopping center is getting a facelift.

Suffolk Plaza Shopping Center, built in 1969 with W.T. Grant's as its cornerstone, is experiencing a business rebirth since a number of major businesses have moved in on North Main Street, said Ron Rowe, vice president of S.L. Nusbaum Realty Co.

``We see the city proper really beginning to take off,'' Rowe said. ``And Suffolk Plaza is in the middle of it. We feel very positive about this shopping center.''

Rowe said that the 180,000-square-foot center has been reroofed. The face of the retail shops and offices is being painted peach with purple trim.

``We call this architecturally graphic design,'' he said. ``And we're told that this paint combination has great curb appeal.''

In addition, the parking lot will be repaved, and new lighting will be installed, Rowe said. He added that the real estate company will spend ``hundreds of thousands of dollars'' on the new look.

Several tenants have moved into the old center in the past several months, including the second-largest Goodwill store in Hampton Roads, an Electrolux Corp. office, an All Tune and Lube facility and Smart Buy Furniture.

The Bank of Suffolk occupies a free-standing building near the front of the center. Part of another free-standing building, a restaurant, was recently occupied by Papa John's Pizza.

Nearly 30 years after the shopping center was built, a Big Lots store is today's cornerstone business.

Rowe said the space vacated by the Super Fresh grocery store several months ago soon will be occupied by another chain grocery, which he declined to identify. ILLUSTRATION: JOHN H. SHEALLY II/The Virginian-Pilot

Alvie Graham of Portsmouth had 20-month-old grandson Daniel...

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu