WILSON, N.Y. (WKBW) — A $2.2M rehabilitation of the Wilson Lakeside Market has begun and hopes to reopen the business next year. The village’s main source of groceries has been closed since a January 2025 fire.
The first step of the process is a partial demolition of the building, which has taken down the two-story storage unit behind the market that the fire had destroyed. That work has left just the walk-in cooler behind the commercial space.
I received a document filed with the town of Wilson that said the demolition work is the first step in a multi-month rehabilitation of the building.
The document outlines owner Tajinder Singh’s plans for the Wilson Lakeside Market.
It states that Singh will return the property to its appropriate use by reopening the grocery store, and that the work needed to bring the property back to that original use shall be complete by or before April 30, 2027.
That document makes no mention of Joe Faris, the man who told me he had a deal in place to buy this building and reopen a market of his own
“Joe and the owner had a deal that the village was not involved in. To my knowledge, that deal is now over,” Mayor Greg Martin said.
WATCH: ‘Very excited’: $2.2M rehabilitation in motion to reopen Wilson Lakeside Market
Faris has not responded to any of my messages since July.
Q: “Only having Dollar General [in the village] for that almost two-year period, how has that changed life for the people here?”
Martin: “We loved our bakery, meat section and the fresh produce [at the market]. To be without that, I think that’s something the village and community really wants back.”
Martin said that he is cautiously optimistic about the new plans coming to reality, but it’s a good sign to finally see some work in progress.
The building owners never responded to my multiple requests for comment.
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