Chao Li
Debbie Sidel opened the door of Half & Half Trading Co. at the age of 22. Now, even after 35 years of business, Debbie has not lost an ounce of enthusiasm for her role as owner of the little boutique.
Debbie has dressed generations of women in Buffalo. “Sometimes three different generations of women will walk in, a girl, her mother, and the grandmother, and they can all find something they like!” Debbie said. “I started out dressing college kids, then, as they grew up, the shop grew with them.” She pointed to the little baby shoes in a glass display. “Some of my customers are becoming grandmothers; and they’d come and tell me ‘Debbie, I’m going to be a grandmother!’ so I started ordering baby stuff!” Debbie enthused.
It is easy to see why Half & Half has remained so successful over the years. Debbie’s uncompromising attention to detail has a lot to do with how she runs her business. “I change the window display every Monday, no exceptions! People walkin…
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Eli George
This Friday and Saturday marks the fifth annual World on your Plate (WOYP). The event has just a few goals that it tries to spread: restoring the earth by promoting sustainability for all, advancing education and action on food issues, and to create a table where all are welcome. WOYP will try to further those goals this weekend as it brings a film, keynote speaker, and workshops to the area.
Starting on Friday, WOYP will be screening “King Corn.” The movie documents the trip corn makes from the field all the way to the food we eat. Further, it shows the impact that the vegetable has on the declining health in America. It starts at 7 PM at Daemen College’s Wick Campus Center. The film is being presented in part with the 2nd annual youth conference called Eat Up, presented by the Massachusetts Avenue Project (MAP). MAP and WOYP have joined forces this year to make the bigge…
RaChaCha
A visitation of 150 decidedly non-ghostly spirits was recorded at the Buffalo Central Terminal Sunday, perhaps mysteriously drawn by the Terminal’s recent “Ghost Hunter” notoriety. Although it hasn’t served rail passengers in several decades, the Terminal is far from dead, as this tour revealed. And although the Terminal’s epitaph was written by the Buffalo News in the 1990’s, it was thankfully rescued from the grave by the fine folks of the Central Terminal Restoration Corporation.
Starting with a tour of the exterior, Brian Angevine and Hank Olejniczak of the Central Terminal Restoration Corporation gave everyone an overview of how the group rescued the Terminal from neglect and have stabilized the structure. Although signs of that ne…
West Coast Perspective
A large chunk of Buffalo’s industrial past has a new owner. East Delevan Property LLC, a subsidiary of Ontario Specialty Contracting, purchased the empty, 1.275 million sq.ft. American Axle plant located at 1001 E. Delevan Avenue near Bailey Avenue. Buffalo-based Ontario Specialty Contracting paid $1.26 million for the property. According to City tax records, the property was assessed at slightly over $2.9 million.
monday october 6th 2008
Transparent, Easy, Awaiting Your Opinion
buffalorising
The Niagara River Greenway Commission has a site that allows citizens to voice their opinions on projects before they happen, via a comment section on their site or through land mail.
On deck until October 31st for the City of Buffalo area: Times Beach Enhancements and Buffalo-Niagara Riverkeeper's Niagara River Riparian Restoration Program. Land mail must be postmarked by the 31st to be considered.
According to Executive Director Rob Belue, all of the projects are subject to this same public review, and meetings are held monthly. All are open to the public.
Full committee mee…
Jeff Brennan
This project is both a success and a failure. Both productive and counterproductive. I like it and I hate it. And most comment posters are right regardless of their take... reason being there are lots of sides to this story. It completely depends on so many factors, some of which have no definitive proof. Therefore we must rely on speculation, judgment, experience and opinion for much of the basis of the argument for or against.
Sycamore Village (SV) is/will be a success because it proves there is a market and demand for something of this nature in the city and even in some areas of the East Side. Some people only want to buy new housing - there is no denying that. It gives hope to struggling neighborhoods and to city residents in general that all is not lost in this city - it is a place worth caring about and investing in with a hopeful future. And as we have learned i…
queenseyes
If you just can't get you're information pertaining to the Erie Canal Harbor quick enough, you may want to check out the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation's new website. There you will find all of the project details as they surface. Need to know what's happening with the demolition of The Aud? Or what the event schedule is for the Inner Harbor? Maybe you're new to Buffalo and want to research the history of the project. If the Inner Harbor is of interest to you, then bookmark this new website.
If you're a boater, then you will want to know what the site plans are for next boating season. Or if you're into development, then this is a good way to keep track of work-proposal requests, RFPs, RFQs, etc. Keep track of who the Board of Directors are, project statuses a…
queenseyes
Sunday was the first time that I ever saw a real live pet blessing ceremony. I had heard of the occasion before, but never really had the opportunity to check one out. This was also the first year that Reverend Drew Ludwig (Lafayette Church) ever hosted a pet blessing ceremony. And the ceremony went so well that attendees are already talking about how to make next year's blessing bigger and better. Drew didn't even know if animals were going to show up since this was such a last minute idea. For only having two days to prepare, the attendance was unreal.
Thirty dogs, two cats and a handful of stuffed animals came walking and strolling from every direction at 2pm sharp. There were a number of unexpected turnouts as well, includ…
West Coast Perspective
The collective cheering you hear? Downtown boosters celebrating the start of construction on the Genesee Block. Genesee Gateway LLC has begun preliminary work on its $12 million plan to convert the string of vacant 19th Century at 99-125 Genesee Street into a mix of retail and office space. CityView Properties is teaming with the Wendt Foundation to revitalize the properties. Flynn Battaglia Architects is architect.
buffalorising
Last week, Mayor Brown announced programs that assist with efforts that will benefit both youth and the elderly. One program is directed towards assisting First Student fill a desperate need for school bus drivers. The other helps keep the elderly safe by announcing their medicinal needs. Both speak to the Mayor’s continued commitment to the community – to those denizens who drive those beginning their lives and those enjoying their golden years.
First Student Bus Company has had a shortage of bus drivers that has kept many students waiting on the street for their bus to pick then up – sometimes longer than thirty minutes. With winter soon approaching and temperatures in the early morning hours dropping, it is becoming a matter of some urgency to fill those positions quickly so that students aren’t left out in the cold. To be eligible for the job, applicants must be 21 y…
