BackInBuff and phenimore - If I'm not mistaken, I think I've heard it said a few times that Koessler isn't involved with Spot any more. I think for the past few years Spot is managed from Canada (it also has Toronto presence), and its ownership is a private equity firm owned partly or mostly by Mid-East investors as you said. So I don't think Spot is WNY-owned at all. That doesn't bother me, but the Buy Local people should take note and leave room for the rest of us to find seats there more easily.

Great for Elmwood! now if we could just a coffee shop on Allen...sigh

I'll still go to SPoT. I'm all for the new place for those who seek it. And no negativity here, but............wasn't there a second Thunder Bay that once opened in the Galleria?

mmj - I didn't question your hope for growth, which I also hope for if that makes any difference, and I didn't mean anything personal either.

I just questioned what looks to me one bizarre claim you made ('There are pockets that have more challenges') and the vague dismissiveness ('How can people be so negative in this town?') with which you lead to it even though there hadn't been any negative comments.

Seems a deep disagreement. Maybe you consider it negative and harmful for me to think as I do that your claim is 180 degrees twisted (pockets of health surrounded by much larger areas of deep challenges), and yes I think what you said is condescending and inconsistent with reality in by far most of Buffalo I see. Gridlock.

We have a bit of common ground in wishing Comfort Cafe all the best and agreeing the Elmwood/Delaware portion of Buffalo is stable.

Note to mmj or anyone sending private messages on BR - if you don't type in a title for the message before sending, then I don't think it's possible for a recipient to read it. Nothing to click on to open it is the problem. Might be 1000s of messages on this thing never read by anybody, unless there's some trick to opening those.

Does BR block out all comments with web links now? I tried posting their URL as a link and it won't show up.

Here, I'll try with plain text: http://www.comfortzonecafe.com

Thanks for clarifying.

(you know, there's always a seat available at the Dunkin' drive thru, and you can park out in front of SPot and wave to the Nardin groupies...)

(oh -- and you don't have to order in Fretalian...)

RDRNR - I didn't think QE this time intended 'mall' to be an insult. That wasn't how I read it anyway. For anyone keeping score it looks like their Elmwood location will be one of two non-mall locations (Hamburg the other) and there's two in malls (McKinley and Galleria),

mmjazz - Negativity vs. Positivity debates jumped the shark long ago. I'm never getting drawn into one again. Suggestion: if you have a complaint about certain comments, rebut right then instead of later in a different article. Cite words you differ with, and why. That's a lot more potentially interesting than knee-jerk generalizations.

I could just as easily generalize for example about ex-pats in the Sun Belt who get from Buffalo Rising a sense that it's only some 'pockets' of Buffalo that have 'more challenges'. But I won't. In general, generalizations {self-deleted}.

How can people be so negative in this town? ...There are pockets that have more challenges, but the good news will spread.

Right, sure, that's how it is. Growing prosperity across the city except for a few challenged pockets. Uh huh. Whatever.

Joshua...I don't think they are "buttered" until they are sheep...you perv...lol [jokin w/ ya]

Love the idea...Buffalo is so ripe for a real cafe. I hope they can be everything that Spot is not: a clean, ambient place with quiet music and some taste and character.

Zenfur. ..they have wi-fi in their Hamburg location. I go there often !

AtwaterLouse,

Does BR block out all comments with web links now? I tried posting their URL as a link and it won't show up.

I don't know how BRO is setup, but Wordpress for example (a popular blogging software package) by default flags posts with more than two links holding them for moderation before accepting the post. I just started working with the program in setting up the blog for Buffalo Homecoming ; It's an anti-spam feature.

I agree with you about David Torke's fix buffalo blogsite you mentioned, I admire his efforts towards shedding light on the plight of the "near east side" -- that's my old neighborhood.

Hot spiced cider you say? I love that stuff, you do know there is butter [lambs] in some recipies...

This is a positive story and the store and it owners / employees should be supported. Keep the good stuff, get rid of the bad, including the negative people who try to stomp on ideas before they blossom. There are plenty of truly negative people and causes that should be the focus of ridicule, this is not one of them. Give the good guys a chance first. The small business owner is Buffalo is couragous and a rare species these days. Let's try to preserve that positive spirit here, support these endeavors and cast off anyone who tries to damage honest, hard working people trying to aid the city and its people.

Dig deeper, who is the majority owner of Innomarque... A majority of shares were sold to, GASP, a middle-Eastern company...

(Don't get me wrong, the Koesslers are a GREAT family to have associated with Buffalo, but a percentage of your buck from drinking with the 'too-cool-for-school' kids at SPoT is going far, far, far away.)

If on Elmwood, go Aroma (or soon Comfort Zone), if on Hertel go to, oh, that other place, next to the rug guy...

mmj - To answer your question, my thoughts are you've made a good list of success pockets. I agree with what you wrote on balance. Notice however that your definitions of 'west' and 'middle' seem to be in context of the geography BR usually focuses on rather than the whole city. As you noted, 'some of' those.

Here's a couple maps with broader perspective and showing some trends:

http://fixbuffalo.blogspot.com/2007/10/undeliverable.html

(And you might like that guy's blog. He doesn't post all that frequently, once a week or so, but there's many interesting past posts you can browse around if you ever tire of BR. Mixes of optimism and pessimism, etc.)

That is great, but if only someone would open a cafe in the old Sweet Tooth location between Hodge and Utica, it would really help that block, especially since Daily Grind closed...

Just To Clarify: Caffe Aroma & Comfort Zone = Locally owned SPoT & Sawbucks = NOT locally owned

That's right, read your labels and consider the source people. Everyone knows Starbucks is a conglomerate, but check the fine print on your SPoT cup...

Awesome!

Being new to the area I have no idea what the butter lamb comment are all about - can someone get me up to date?

It is nice to see another expanding local business.

Sounds like some healthy competition. I think the crowds in the aforementioned coffee places indicate there's a good chance there'll be room for another if they find niches not being provided by the others. They might help fill the non-expensive sandwich gap left by closing of Elmwood Bagel and Sandwich Shop last year even though that was a few blocks away.

I agree with mepolo and magnum that there wasn't one comment the slightest bit negative when mmjazz and Buffalo Sun complained with knee jerk generalizations about negativity.

mepolo

Today, 15:35

I'm trying to figure out who was negative in this post?