Having seen customer traffic slide, a hotdog restaurant at the FairOaks Mall which employs individuals with special needs will move to a downtown location — if it can garner enough financial support from the public.
Special Dogs & More, which opened in October, hopes to relocate to the former Eagles Club at 217 Washington St., across from the Bartholomew County Courthouse.
A crowdfunding campaign will be launched Saturday with a goal of raising $50,000 by July 31, said Randy Lapidus, who co-owns the restaurant with his wife, Robin.
Lapidus said the couple opened the business — which serves gourmet hot dogs, ribbon fries, chicken sandwiches and other items — with plans to stay at the mall for two or three years. However, customer traffic has plummeted since the late-April closing of Carson’s department store, leaving Dunham’s Sports — which replaced Kmart in 2015 — as the only remaining mall anchor store.
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Fourteen businesses are currently operating at FairOaks Mall, said Kim Showalter, general manager of the mall. However, one of them — Nite Life Boutique — is slated to close its doors by the end of the month, said owner Cheryl Stuck.
Stuck indicated that Carson’s closing wasn’t a factor in her store’s pending change. Instead, it was her commute from Louisville, she said.
Showalter said the mall continues to have talks with prospective tenants about filling vacancies, but declined to comment further.
The 415,000-square-foot retail center, which opened in 1990 on 25th Street near Central Avenue, was home to more than 40 stores or restaurants in its early days — department stores, specialty shops and restaurants.
“We’ve seen traffic decrease drastically over the last three months especially,” Lapidus said, which coincides with the Carson’s announcement. “It’s been a consistent downslide.”
The Columbus couple was inspired to open the restaurant after their daughter, Rachel, went into cardiac arrest and underwent treatment at a rehabilitation center in Indianapolis, requiring her to learn again how to read, write, count and comprehend the concept of time.
Lapidus said the couple’s mission has been helping individuals with emotional and intellectual disabilities develop social and communication skills, along with self-confidence, that can be used at other jobs elsewhere.
Individuals who work at Special Dogs & More are hired through Developmental Services Inc., LifeDesigns and Stone Belt, which serve individuals with disabilities.
The business, which signed a one-year lease at the mall, has also partnered with the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. to offer an internship program to students at Columbus North and Columbus East high schools.
“It’s about what we’re doing for the local community,” Lapidus said. “We started this for others.”
The $50,000 raised through the all-or-nothing crowdfunding campaign will help cover costs tied to renovations and the purchase of equipment for the downtown building. If the goal isn’t met, the couple will not keep any of the money contributed toward the campaign.
Donors do not earn a stake in the business by participating in the fundraising effort.
The 1,400-square-foot downtown location is expected to generate more foot traffic for the restaurant, said Lapidus, who hopes to add two to four more employees and a full-time manager. The restaurant is also exploring the possibility of hiring disabled veterans, he said.
As part of minor changes that would be made to the existing menu, Special Dogs would add salads and vegetarian options if the business relocates, he said.
The couple hopes to relocate Special Dogs & More in October, in time for its one-year anniversary.
The buildout for the downtown location would cost $100,000. With half of the needed funds raised, Lapidus is working to cover the remaining costs in 45 days.
Randy Lapidus thanked the community for its support during the restaurant’s first year, and said he is hopeful the $50,000 crowdfunding goal will be met.
“If we didn’t believe in the community, we wouldn’t be here,” Lapidus said. “We want to be able to make this move.”
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A link to a crowdfunding page will be posted on the Facebook page for Special Dogs & More on Saturday. The crowdfunding campaign will run through July 31.
More information: www.facebook.com/SpecialDogsAndMore/
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