Royal Blue Grocery on Congress Ave. between Sixth and Seventh Sts. has transformed the two parking spaces in front of it into a patio where customers can eat and drink their purchases, reports KVUE-TV news. The experiment by Royal Blue, the City and the Downtown Austin Alliance follows similar "retail patio" programs in San Francisco and Portland. The grocery has paid for the space for the next year as its practicality is assessed. Owner George Scariano sees it as a way to possibly "increase and improve the pedestrian experience on Congress Avenue."
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