Sam Gurwitt Photo
You used to be able to get gas, help from an auto mechanic, and maybe a bag of chips at the Citgo station just north of Whitneyville at the corner of Whitney Avenue and Mather Street.
The auto mechanics are now gone. But the gas is still there, as is the bag of chips, and, soon enough, probably milk, eggs, and a sandwich to boot.
That’s because the Hamden Planning and Zoning Commission has approved an application by Bilal Mohammad to convert three car bays at the Citgo station into a convenience store.
Commissioners granted that approval last week via an online meeting held on the Zoom teleconferencing app.
For years, Michael Argo has run the gas station and operated a three-bay car garage at that spot.
The words “Mike’s Auto Clinic” are still displayed over the entrance to the small cashier area on the side of the garage, but Argo is no longer operating the site. He recently entered into a long-term lease with Mohammad, who took up occupancy with his brother about six months ago.
On Tuesday, the Mohammad brothers passed one of the hurdles that stands between them and the full-sized convenience store they plan to replace the car bays with.
The application proved relatively easy.
“I’m coming to you tonight live from my dining room, and I do not have a tie on as someone pointed out, but I’m glad to be here nonetheless,” said attorney Bernie Pellegrino, who represented Mohammad. “You’ve all probably driven by this site many times in your lives. It’s a triangular-shaped parcel in Whitneyville.”
Zoom
Bernie Pellegrino in green box.
The parcel, 1312 Whitney Ave, sits in the V formed by the intersection of Whitney and Mather. It’s hard to miss when you drive by, as the large red Citgo roof juts out toward both streets.
A small convenience store already exists on the site, next to the car bays. It’s barely large enough for a cashier’s desk, two shelves, and two fridges.
Mohammad plans to renovate the car bays, without adding any additional square footage, to turn it into a full-sized convenience store.
Sam Gurwitt Photo
During a visit one day last week, Bilal Mohammad was not at the store, but his brother Usman Mohammad (pictured) was.
“People come in here all the time and they want something but we can’t provide more,” he said, looking around at the cramped space. He said the expanded store will be a simple convenience store.
There will be the usual snacks and drinks, he said, as well as some food staples like milk, eggs, bread, and cheese.
And once the store is up and running, he and his brother will start selling basic prepared food like breakfast sandwiches. People stop in on their way somewhere else and want to grab a quick bite, Mohammad said.
Mohammad said he and his brother currently operate three other gas station-convenience stores in the state: one in Bristol, one in Hartford, and one in Manchester. He said that once the Hamden store is fully functioning, he’ll move to Hamden.
Once it’s up and running, the new convenience store will employ seven or eight people, Mohammad said. But there’s still a long way to go before then — more permits, and then the actual renovation work. He said he doesn’t know when he and his brother will be able to open the store, with so many factors completely out of his control.
But once he does, the corner of Whitney and Mather will get some new life. The store doesn’t yet have a name. Mohaamad said he’s open to suggestions.
It's great to see a business growing in Hamden. That said I just hope they don't sell crack smoking supplies like the Mobil station farther north on Whitney does. That attracts the kind of customers the neighborhood doesn't need.