Today, we snagged a delicious lunch at Paesano’s and were reminded of a rather large empty lot in the middle of the Italian Market, just south of Carpenter St., on the east side of the street.

Looks ugly

The address of this lot is 1009-11 S 9th St., and it’s been vacant for as long as we can remember. The lot is owned by Louis and Anne Esposito, owners of Esposito’s Meats just a few doors to the north. The Esposito family owns several other properties around the area, but from what we can gather, these are the only vacant lots of the group.

That's Esposito's, on the left

Does anyone know more about the history of these lots? Does anyone remember a building at those addresses or have the lots been vacant for decades? Wouldn’t it be great if a couple of nice new storefronts went up at this location?