Buffalo Rising Online

Denizen, we sat down with Roger for two hours last week to talk about his two empty spaces on Elmwood and one on Forest. I know that there are a lot of people who think that he sits on his properties, but Roger is convinced that what he is doing is the best thing for the street. He refers to his relationship with the owners of Mode as a great example of his willingness to work with business owners. Now they are opening in his Soda Bar location. He tells us that he refuses to rent to anyone unless they can commit to a long-term lease. And his rents are not cheap, but he says that he has the ability to find healthy businesses. He has also had two businesses sign leases that unexpectedly backed out leaving him in a pickle. Roger is a determined man to say the least and mentions his devotion to Buffalo every tome I see him. The overall goal is to get his properties filled. If I owned those properties I would handle them differently. But every property owner is different.

I have talked to Roger on numerous occasions over the last few years about properties in hopes to see them filled. There are different landlords out there who have different ideas regarding their properties. Many people have butted heads with him by confronting him. I have kept an open-mind in order to try and understand what his leasing policies are. Many people thought he drove Pier 1 out of business, but he didn't even own the property. Others felt that he forced Chic to move to Hertel. I called on Chic's behalf and Roger assured me that his temporary arrangement with Chic was just that... temporary until Chic could find a less expensive storefront.

Yes, I wish that rents on Elmwood were more reasonable. The higher rates do add a legitimacy to the businesses that can make it (if you have to find a bright side). There is no messing around these days. The guys at 'room' are a great example of how to run a professional business on Elmwood. And Ward and Maureen at Urban Threads should be commended for getting in the game early on - they eventually bought their building (great for them). Globe Market came onto the street with guns a blazin'... not they have a second location. Everything Elmwood is another example of a strong business that eventually bought their building (unfortunately Thunder Bay got the boot in the process but so is life, right?)

Roger told me that he gets a lot of interest from businesses that would compete with his existing tenants. I have to respect the fact that he won't rent in those scenarios. If we can get his three spaces filled he'll fully occupied. Plate-Oh (or however you spell it), Rice Patty, and the former Curves (?) near Potomac. I may have missed one, but those are the properties that we discussed.

Word on the street right now is that a Chicago restaurant owner has been asking around. And a Toronto guy has been on the prowl too. I don't see the rents going down any time soon. It's going to have to take some smart retailers and restaurateurs to stick it out on that street. That's who Roger says he's looking for. In the meantime this gives streets like Hertel, Grant, Main Street, Ellicott, Massachusetts, Amherst, etc. a sweet opportunity to promote themselves due to their inexpensive lease rates. As those streets start to go, then it will be interesting to see what takes place on Elmwood. I am very interested to see what happens in the New World, Mac's and Solid Grounds locations. If anyone has heard anything be sure to give a shout.

My gripe is with properties like the boozing TV repair store. Now there is a problem property. How does the owner get away with a boarded up storefront for a decade?

That's uncanny that you know our policy on smiley faces. Apparently you know what can be done. So why beat around the bush? LIke I said, I would do things differently, but as far as I know you can't force a property owner to bring down his or her rents. Am I wrong? Tell me.

Back in 2001, I, along with others from Forever Elmwood (now the Elmwood Village Association) went to City Hall and had meetings with city officials that attempted to put pressure on Roger Chainani to lease out his buildings or put them up for sale. At one point Roger got fed up with Forever Elmwood and City officials and said he was going to sell his Buffalo properties and move away (I was secretly thrilled). He, of course, did not sell his properties and move away. One must understand that the problem with Roger is that he is greedy. He wants a tenant that is willing pay his astronomical rents and take care of any problems that may occur to his building (including things Roger should take care of as a property owner). I had to make sure anyone looking at his spaces got a lawyer to read his lease contracts due to the clauses he has built into them. I, for one, would never rent from Roger.

Being Forever Elmwood's first executive director, I worked with Roger on trying to help him fill his empty storefronts. He is a very difficult man to deal with. I asked him to, at the very least, have his storefront windows cleaned and the sidewalks out front clean of debris. He would make some effort and then a month later- nothing.

Roger is not good for Elmwood or anywhere he owns a building. It would be different if he invested money in upgrading his spaces and charged a healthy but "going rate" for space along Elmwood.

Please be aware the Queenseyes has to be more diplomatic than you or I due to the fact that he wishes to get something accomplished. It is easier to get what you want with a carrot than a stick.

Pressure from the city's planning and zoning departments, as well as local leaders, needs to be placed on any building owner who lets property sit fallow.

Roger and I butted heads for the entire time I was the executive director of Forever Elmwood but I always tried to work with him- he even tried offering me a job (there was no chance in hell I would work for him). It is very easy to sit back and criticize Roger. The trick is how do you get someone like Roger to see the big picture? How do you get him to be a part of the revitalization process? I did not have much success with him even though I spent many hours of my time trying to convince the man that he needed to step up his efforts in improving his properties and offering more reasonable lease terms.

Renewed efforts must be made to work with property owners like Roger and the owner of the Boosing TV storefront. There are even façade improvement grants available from the Elmwood Village Association to help these property owners pay for improvements.

Sorry to ramble for so long- Tom Cooney (first executive director of Forever Elmwood)