The Jenny Shop
The ladies' dress shop will focus on career-wear and will fill a shopping niche that many downtown dwellers and workers will relish. There will be no dress code at the shop... and ladies are welcome to arrive in their sneaker attire. The longtime vacant 1000 sq.' storefront has interior windows facing the building's common space. It will be located in a corner spot surrounded by Charlie the Butcher, NYS Easy Pass and Northwest Saving’s Bank. The idea is to eventually fill a few more of the empty spaces with complimentary goods and services. It's safe and secure... and it's in one of the premiere architectural wonders of the city. "Ellicott Development made the process so easy for me to get obtain and fix up the space," Jen told me. "And I worked with The Medaille College MBA program students. They helped me with my business plan. They’re always looking for new businesses to write plans for. This is so exciting… and I’m ready. If you’re a lady working or living downtown I want to know what you need. I will try my hardest to fulfill and all requests. Honestly I am here for you."
I asked Jen about the experience... and what it's like to be a retail pioneer downtown. "This was such an interesting project," she answered. "Everyone that I’ve told has been so supportive. People are so happy to hear that a new retailer is investing in downtown Buffalo. I’m putting all of my own equity into this business because it is impossible for a small business to get a start-up loan. That was the discouraging part. I want other entrepreneurs to know that it's hard to find capital. If you’re opening a retail operation it’s a risky venture because you're on your own. I’m putting my own personal investment into the business and the city."
The Jenny Shop is scheduled to open February 1st.
About the Ellicott Square Building info from Walk Buffalo:
The building is owned by Ellicott Development which is the largest private landlord in downtown Buffalo, managing over 1.5 million square feet of office space in ten commercial office and mixed use buildings in the central business district, including the world-renowned Ellicott Square Building and Louis Sullivanis Guaranty Building, a National Historic Landmark.
10 stories high with the capacity to support 10 more floors
500,000 square feet
Largest office building in the world for the sixteen years after it opened in 1896
Named after Joseph Ellicott, planner for the Village of New Amsterdam, now the City of Buffalo. It was built at a cost of $3.5 million in less than one year.
The mantra of architect Daniel Burnham was "make no little plans, they have no magic to stir men's blood; think big." Built in the Italian Renaissance style, the exterior of the Ellicott Square Building is made of granite, iron and terra cotta with a veneer of pearl gray brick. The majestic interior courtyard contains a marble mosaic floor designed by William Winthrop Kent. Imported from Italy, the 23 million pieces of marble on the mosaic depict sun symbols from civilizations around the world.
There are broad stairs on either side and a glass roof in an ornamental steel frame provides natural light. The building features ornate globe lamps, intricate columns, carefully proportioned classical features gracing doorways, marble and brass to trim iron and stone.
Ellicott Development Company - 210 Ellicott Square Building - 295 Main Street Buffalo. 716-206-8973
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Comment Options
BuffaloRox
Good luck! I hope she does well. Too bad that she and Michael Attardo of Get Dressed couldn't have figured out a way to share some of the space in the old Gamler Jewelers Building. With so little retail downtown, I would think retail clusters would work better than separate locations (especially with two clothing stores and Ellicott Development being the owner of both buildings). Maybe a collaboration with the diamond/jewelry retailers in the Ellicott Square Building will help instead.
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westsidemike
Jenss did not evolve from the Jenny Shop, but it's a nice story. Check out the book "Nine Nine Eight: The Glory Days of Buffalo Shopping" for the scoop.
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carlmalone
Queenseye: what does Tim Tielman think about the Jenny's shop? am I missing his quote her on Tielman Rising
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queenseyes
I just talked to him Carls. He says that he really likes it.
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Andrew
They don’t build them like this anymore
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WCPerspective
Is there any street-front presence, or is the only 'exposure' to the atrium?
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al-alo
jenn, jenn, jenn. see what museum studies get you?
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jen
"I’m putting all of my own equity into this business because it is impossible for a small business to get a start-up loan. That was the discouraging part. I want other entrepreneurs to know that it's hard to find capital. If you’re opening a retail operation it’s a risky venture because you're on your own. I’m putting my own personal investment into the business and the city."'
Is this true? Sad to hear.
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LivingForge
Doesn't Hodgson Russ own the Guaranty Bldg now?
Good luck Jenny!
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chris69
wouldnt it be incredible to add those extra 10 floors!
What is rather suprising is why there is only 1 Ellicott Square building in Buffalo? This open centered atrium with surrounding offices was really considered the ultimate modern concept of an office building. one would think that any Buffalo architect would be looking at the Ellicott Square and considering all sorts of modern interpretations.
Its to bad the Memorial Auditorium couldnt have been converted into an Ellicott Style office building with a central atrium
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Downtownjunkie
Its a cool thought I wonder how the additional ten floors could ever blend in with the old
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RisingDamp666
Sell the air rights to The Related Companies and see what could sprout above the old Ellicott.
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Sal
Timat buffalo
It is wonderful to see the investment back in the downtown area. i'm sure that the original stores didn't have a subsidy, it was about service and style!
I have been fortunate to have been in the Ellicott Square Building many a time and find it breath taking in its design and materials. Unfortunatly in today's poor thinking of lighting that someone has replaced the incondesent lights in the fixtures with floresent bulbs and have given the entire building a glow of crack house depression. At the holiday time with it's huge beautiful tree it would be nice to view the party guest with warmth and life! This has been an on going trend of Buffalo in many areas, such as street lighting insted of sodium vapor bulbs which give a sence of warmth the city has put it self in a 20 year contract to only purchase mercury vapor lighting which gives an illumination of grey and cold depression although putting out more foot candels they do not give the viewer depth and often find the user with more difficulty in seeing .Recently while on Main Street the other night my friend unpromted said "doesn't it look so cold here even the lights remind you of snow balls I can't wait to get back to Florida" and we turned the corner into the sodium lighting and he said "now i feel warmer". Please take note when driving down Bidwell and Lincon Parkway and then turn onto Argyle where the former mayor lives and see for yourself if you wouldn't rather live on a street that in illuminated tastefully.
Ther comes a time when comfort, style and taste should hold over economics and engineering!
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chris69
yes I agree with you on the lighting and as lighting converts to LEDs....that consume even less power than mercury vapor and florescent this problem will solve itself in due time.
How I long for another office building in Buffalo like the Ellicott Square Building...but with a more modern interpretation?
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lfh
One summer when I was in high school., I worked in The Jenny Shop which was in the Statler Hotel, located on the Delaware Avenue side. I remember that I lied about my age being 16, when I was really only 15. Did I ever feel "big"!!!!
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sally
The photo makes it look bleak and depressing - where are all the people? At the galleria I su8ppose.
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RisingDamp666
"Bleak and depressing",Sally? I would never have expected that kind of response from you! By the way, the people were all inside The Jenny Shop hiding from the photographer as they were celebrities on a discreet junket to Buffalo to load up on all things "local". In the image above, Nicole Kidman is the woman cleverly disguised as a piano.
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