Merchant takes wares downtown.(Business)

Raj Singh says he was thinking about putting his new high-end soft goods store, Antara Home, in Colonie Center. Until he saw the sign there.

It was a huge display for customers as they entered the mall, telling them about the improvements taking place.

"We expect the mall to effectively become 'downtown Albany,' " it says.

For Singh, 38, that clinched the deal. Why would he want to open a store at a place with a fake downtown when he can get a real one only a few miles away?

That's why his new store, Antara, opened two weeks ago at Broadway Arcade, with an entrance on Maiden Lane. In downtown Albany.

"I'm not trying to be …