Todd Yoggy remembers the Elmira of the eighties, when he’d come from Big Flats to hang out. “There was a lot to do here,” he says. “The whole downtown. You could walk to People’s Place”—Tommy Hilfiger’s first store—“but [the energy] went away.” And so did Todd and many others. But when Todd and his friend, Elmira native Charlie Hunter, both returned to the area a little over five years ago for family reasons, they got a happy surprise.

“Now people are coming back,” says Todd.

What changed? A man from Hazelton, Pennsylvania, who had a dream to sell his pizza dough across the globe, came to town. One day in 2006, Jim Capriotti visited the Elmira Wegmans store that stocked his product, saw the city’s Victorian architecture, and confesses, “I was smitten with it.”

Since then, Jim and his wife, Miriam, have invested and developed with an eye to revitalizing Elmira’s downtown while saving the architecture left from the Golden Age of railroad tycoons (like Jervis Langdon, Mark Twain’s father-in-law) and manufacturing giants. They’ve built Capriotti Properties into a business owning fifty-three buildings that have been or are being meticulously renovated. And they aren’t slowing down yet.

Todd, Charlie, and the Capriottis are neighbors in West Elmira and sometimes collaborate on projects. Todd, an interior designer (see the January 2026 Mountain Home) who got his start in Elmira, recently designed the Rye Bar and nearby Airbnbs that Charlie bought in the Davis Street neighborhood (see the September 2022 and May 2025 issues). Jim’s efforts were a big reason Todd and Charlie dove into the development scene. Todd says, “Seeing Jim do it and be successful at it made us feel like we could.” All three have been very involved with fundraising for the Arnot Art Museum, especially the Four Columns project (see January 2025 issue).

Though they have drinks together occasionally, Todd says he rarely catches the Capriottis at home. Jim is out the door at six in the morning. “He’s probably the hardest working guy I know.” Miriam manages incoming tenants, applicant screenings, and apartment showings for Capriotti Properties. “Miriam is just so full of life, full of energy,” says Todd. “You can see how much he adores her.”

Sebastian, their son still at home, was “a really nice kid,” says Todd. He watched as Sebastian, now studying business at Keuka College, grew up and bikes in the driveway turned into skateboards turned into motorcycles turned into cars. Their oldest son, Alex, lives in Elmira, helps with the business, and has some property of his own.

Todd remembers an evening in Charlie’s living room when he first heard Jim’s backstory. “It’s amazing,” he laughs.

Read the rest of this great article here.

I have no great love for antiques or Victorian architecture but I will be the first to admit that the interior of these apartments he converted is gorgeous. I know the dark brown woodwork is traditional but that's the one thing I don't like. Makes everything gloomy.

It seems like everything Mr. Capriotti touches turns into a complete gem. I would rent from him any time.

This was a great article.

1 hour ago, KarenK said:

I have no great love for antiques or Victorian architecture

The interiors of some of those old homes are still amazing in an old way. Must have been amazing to live in them back in the day.