Today we’re in suburban Doylestown, Pennsylvania, and our building is this Italian delicatessen and market. I’ve been here before, and it’s a great store—it’s existed in some form for over 50 years—but unfortunately I don’t have any photos of it. This is Google Street View, as the building looks now.

Here it is from the side:

If that structure doesn’t exactly scream “Italian deli,” well, that’s because it didn’t begin life that way. (Or as anything related to food.)

Any guesses?

Take a look at where it is on the map, and what’s around it.

If you don’t know yet, here’s the building in its previous incarnation:

That’s right—a used car dealership! Before that, it was probably a name-brand dealership. it’s right in the middle of one of those strips where all the dealerships are concentrated one after the other. It’s a genius location, because it’s one of few very close places for all the people working in these dealerships to grab a quick lunch. I don’t know whether that required a rezoning or not. It’s common for gas stations to get reused as small restaurants and such, but it’s pretty uncommon for a fully intact car dealership building to transition to a totally different use.

And as you can see, the Italian deli refinished the exterior, but it’s the same exact shape. The windows and support pillars haven’t changed, just the materials. It doesn’t take that much to disguise a car showroom!

Related Reading:

Drop Off Your Car for Coffee

A Small Virginia Market

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