Kuni's Patio Livens Up Lexington

Kuni Sato is a Buffalo treasure.

We loved having the general store there--a place for milk, newspapers, and an ice cream or cup of coffee.

The city need more intimate streets. We spent so many generations feeding into the bigger is better mentality that we created fast traffic and zero interest into the street as a connective lively tissue of a neighborhood.

Elmwood years ago narrowed their street.. slowed traffic, increased foot traffic and POP... the whole neighborhood exploded. Lexington and these side street with a great mix of narrow streets and commercial \ residential will pull that energy all the way to grant one day. The one cafe at a time.

I only wish that Hertel \ Main would have followed suite. On Lexington or Elmwood a patio like this changes a street. On Hertel or main it gets lost behind parked cars and 40 mph zooms. Love the patio, the street and that whole intersection.

I think a cafe \ bakery \ store would be nice. The general store was great but in the world of Wegman's and one stop must have everything or I won't ever go back society it is very difficult to compete. Perhaps something that caters to the breakfast crowd for coffee, bagels, a doughnut, switches to a cafe during the day where you can grab lunch, ice cream or maybe a loaf of bread. These little but versatile cafes are real focal points in communities around Europe. but you would have to get people to be willing to stop in there instead of the Timmy Ho's drive thru... no easy challenge.

Neighborhood commercial districts, are such an important part of the communities that are really "alive". Chistopher Alexander, the author of the "Timeless Art of Building" and " The Pattern Language", describes in detail the positive effects these districts not only have for the businesses, and the people in those communities, but also describes how neighborhoods without them will always "feel" something missing. Like a house without a kitchen.
It is so encouraging to see more neighborhoods with great businesses like Kuni's. I hope more people choose to locate their businesses in the neighborhoods in which they live; it feels so good to live there, like being a room with lots of natural light.