Author: Giovanni Centurione

Giovanni Centurione is the owner of Trend Up, clothing and accessories shop at 95 Allen Street. He has been a long-time, fervent supporter of the district, and continues to beat the Allen Street drum as loud as humanly possible.

It’s getting pretty exciting on Allen Street lately, with the new streetscape, a number of new businesses popping up and on the way, and now we have a home store! Roaring Spring Home has softly opened at 19 Allen Street right next door to Petal Pusher and across the street from the recently opened ’26’ (formerly Cathode Ray). Store owner, Lydia Beebe Safulko, had been collecting vintage furniture and home decor for years and enjoyed it so much that she eventually decided to make a living out of it. Safulko initially established herself in a formal business setting at Hiraeth…

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L-R: Jordan Massimi (Backroom Vintage) & Rebecca Kulik (Timeless Babez) It’s a great time to experience one of Buffalo’s coolest – and ever-changing – neighborhoods: Allentown. Springtime is here, and two new businesses have just opened up around the corner from one another – Timeless Babez and Backroom Vintage. First up, let’s take a look at Timeless Babez at 87 Allen Street – where punk meets vintage. This shop is a fun mix of punk rock t-shirts, vintage pieces, oddities, books, punk rock and rock records, cd’s…. and I can’t forget the Buffalo Football Candles who makes custom denim jackets and flannel…

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What started out as a small, grassroots idea of simply having a few models posing as living mannequins to advertise this season’s Queen City Pop Up Shop, turned into a gallivanting wine party on the 600 Block of Main Street. As word got out that businesses along the block were opening their doors into the evening hours, the organic event grew into a festive block party. Just about every retailer on the block volunteered to stay open till 8pm, some with tables set up outside their buildings. The group even had talented dancers come out to entertain the crowds outside…

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Author: Giovanni Centurione A wonderful new boutique officially opened its doors last week in the Theatre District. Called ScentCerely Yours!, the business specializes in handmade, uniquely scented soy candles. Creator and owner, Sharon Snell, started making and selling her soy candles three years ago online and recently decided to open a storefront due to the high demand. What better area to set up shop than along the newly reconstructed 600 block of Main Street? The reconstruction of Main Street happens to be one of the main reasons that she chose this exact location. Inside the store, you will find an assortment…

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A new retail store has opened for business downtown inside the Brisbane Building at Lafayette Square. ‘Boutique in the Square’, it’s called, opened its doors this past Monday with plenty of fanfare – a surprise considering that there was no signal that it was on its way, including no ‘coming soon’ signs. But, on opening day it was packed with happy shoppers (myself included, who purchased a necklace for someone special). ‘Boutique’ is one of the last retail spaces available at the Brisbane Building to be leased. The new store occupies 800 square feet on the first floor with an…

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Now on display in the Buffalo Niagara Visitor Center Gallery is photographer Andy Olenick’s exhibition titled, “Buffalo, The Best Planned City in the World: A Heritage of Distinguished Parks and Architecture.” The exhibit includes photos from Buffalo’s Olmsted Park System, as well as along Delaware Avenue and in the Parkside neighborhood that Frederick Law Olmsted helped to design. Also on display are incredible shots of Buffalo’s grand architecture. For those unfamiliar with Andy’s work, the photos have appeared in ‘Classic Buffalo’ and ‘Buffalo on Foot’. Now through April 30th, you’ll have the chance to see his work up close and…

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One local designer to watch out for is, Nneka Gigi the creator of GG’s Closet of Wearable Art. This line carries a variety of fun, creative, one of a kind outfits and accessories of art. These unique styles are available for guys and girls in the teenage to 30-something age range. This 20-ish year old designer started creating pieces, mostly for herself, at an early age because she realized that she could put together a look that would reflect who she was. She began rocking out in outfits and jewelry nobody had ever seen before (definitely her own style), but…

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As if out of the blue, one of the city’s most beloved and longstanding bakeries has opened a second location in Downtown Buffalo. The South Park bakery has been serving Buffalonians since 1933 and under new ownership (see here), the rolling pins are turning and the dough is rising. Yes, the sweet smell of pastry goods and coffee has finally arrived inside the lobby of the Market Arcade Building! A great assortment of donuts, éclairs, cookies, and a selection of self- service coffee is available to choose from, and soon, fresh baked bread and even more goodies will be brought…

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Black History Month is upon us and several local artists have decided to reflect on our local African-American history by venturing around the region, learning the history, and taking photos of historic sites to create a wonderful exhibition for the public titled, ‘Celebrating Black History’. Assembled by Floyd Baker, Tamora Lee and Michael Mietlicki, the exhibit attempts to raise awareness of the contributions to the American experience by people of color. According to Tamora Floyd, “The sole purpose of this project is to go back to these historical places to inspire people of all ethnic groups to greater achievements so…

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The wait is over, Perk’s Café and Market has officially opened its doors on the 500 Block of Main Street – a block/district that is seeing a lot of exciting projects happen lately. Located at 523 Main Street in a three-storey building owned and renovated by Roger Trettel (see more). This is Perk’s Café’s second downtown location, their original location being at 36 Broadway (see here). The Main Street location is smaller in scale with quick eats and catering service offered, a few tables inside, but also perfect if you’re on the go. I was in and out in only a…

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