‘It’s Going to Be Gorgeous’

Developers Arthur Seidenfeld and Fereshteh Aghilabady at the gateway to their food haven.

Paradise on its way

Story and photos by Sharon Bass

Everything about the upcoming Paradise Village Center says international -- the workers, the building components and the purpose of the $4 million-plus project at 1717 Dixwell Ave.: food. Plans are to draw at least 40 vendors and restaurants that offer up edibles from around the globe.

American chains are discouraged. There are more than enough of them along Hamden’s Dixwell Avenue.

Early Sunday afternoon, about a dozen Italian and Albanian laborers were busy renovating the inside and outside of the 42,000-square-foot building and the abutting 3,000-square-foot structure. “We work every day,” one worker said in broken English.

A little while later, the three New York developers behind the project arrived: Arthur Seidenfeld of Queens, Fereshteh Aghilabady of Manhattan (also Seidenfeld’s personal partner and the project designer) and Morris Zarifpour of Long Island (pronounced “Lawn Guy Land” by the natives). They began hatching their Quincy Market-esque idea for the old decrepit Rite Aid building nearly three years ago. They bought it for $750,000 in November 2004 and figured it would cost under a million to turn it into their gastronomical paradise. The final price tag will be at least five times that.

The front door is on Mather Street, in the heart of the Highwood neighborhood, which Economic Development Director Dale Kroop has targeted for revitalization. Paradise Village is expected to be an integral part of that renewal. It's been approved by the land-use commissions and Seidenfeld said it needs just one more permit.

On the naked ground in front of the building, which will eventually be paved for parking, were boxes and boxes of unpacked marble fountains and columns imported from China. Seidenfeld said they will be installed around the exterior of the building within two weeks.

The front steps have been redone with exquisite, colorful Mexican and Italian tiles. The entrance is a $20,000 wrought iron door from Mexico.

Seidenfeld and Aghilabady on their imported-tiled front steps.

“I love old buildings, the high ceilings,” said Aghilabady, who speaks with a thick, charming Persian accent. “We were thinking of fixing it and selling it but I became attached to the building. It’s my baby. It’s going to be gorgeous.”

Paradise will be ideally 70 percent food and 30 percent “other,” such as a gift shop, arts and crafts booth and possibly a book store, said Seidenfeld. “I don’t anticipate any chain stores,” he said.

The developers said they plan to have a nightclub with live music in the basement and outdoor concerts with seating. There will be an elevator.

And, reportedly, they’re getting bites.

“We have interest from several local restaurants,” said Seidenfeld. “We have several deposits already and we have numerous leases in the works. And I get about three e-mails a day from local residents asking when we’re going to open.”

That should be early 2008, he said.