Buffalo Rising Online

What a terrible rookie like post. How about a current picture to show the difference ? Just terrible

Sorry James. The 2nd photo never uploaded. It should be all set now.

Give thanks to only little problems and be real happy for success.

Don't dis the leader

Stop posting stories like this. It makes my wife want to move back to Buffalo. :)

One of my favorite spots. John, wanna trade? I want to move back, but my wife won't unless she can keep a chicken as a pet.

Much better ;-)

Wow..it does look a lot different now. Great job to those who are helping in making Buffalo look and feel better.

Some blocks of Elmwood look much better as is the case between W. Ferry and Lafeyette, however, Elmwood between Bryant and W. Utica has many vacant strorefronts most likely due to some insane landlords charging rents higher than the market rate. The stretch of Bryant between Elmwood and Ashland has three vacant storefronts and the only building with Ghetto boards (Old Buffalo Rome).

pauldub,

There are lots of chickens on the west side.

All you need is a yard and understanding neighbors, and Buffalo has lots of both.

Notice I didn't say I wanted a chicken :)

We keep complaining about sprawl, we keep discussing new urbanism and everyone loves landscaping but while great progress has been made on pockets of Elmwood there doesnt seem to be a plan for the wider community. -no plan expanding businesses to the unhealthy pockets of Elmwood -no plan for Forest Avenue or Grant or Niagara for that matter.

How can anyone criticize the city when we allow strong pockets to expand onto sidestreets while leaving large swaths on main corridors in such an unhealthy state?

How long will people let the Richardson on Forest remain a fallow blight on the community?

How long will people let Buffalo State ignore Grant Street with the moonscapes of blighted treeless parking lots.

What great ideas could the new owners of the Bristol Myers Factory, the new headquarters of HealthNow and Riches do for Niagara Street?

I applaud the Elmwood Merchants but for Elmwood to truly be healthy then Forest, Delware, Grant need to get some attention, too. We have an opportunity for the entire Main-Niagara Corridor to be a healthy and thriving group of interconnected districts. Yet, to often we follow the path of the suburbs and let a strong residential or commercial pocket remain an island.

Even the local associations like Forever Elmwood, Grant-Ferry, Richmond, etc ...their islands with no talk of an Umbrella Organization like a Westside Chamber of Commerce or a Main-Niagara Association. There are local issues and their are larger issues that are shared all over the westside that all organizations could work together. Come on everyone lets band together for the entire Main-Niagara Corridor. As the next area gentrifies....it solidifies the previous.

Give it time. Real, lasting improvement comes slowly, building by building, block by block.

I'll take small expanding good pockets over a silver bullet/umbrella organization, any day.

And Paul, your chicken will be safe here, I promise. Not every wing looks best with blue cheese. Come on back.

sometimes the real improvements come from grass roots efforts rather than big overblown plans and planners

cities are made by people for people and as soon as we stopped taking responsibility for cities ourselves is when cities started declining. There has never been a top down strategy by politicians, planners or developers that has revitalized a city (plenty to ruin though).

Elmwood's rebirth was not done by a piece of legislation or political plan but by the residents and businesses getting their own hands dirty and supporting each other. Every time you shop on elmwood you are securing its future. The reverse it also true, every time you go to walgreens or target you are destroying it. Economics in the end, is a very local thing, you shop locally you support local people, you shop big box you support workers somewhere else. The price is not always the cheapest but it does effect our city and its future.

The second picture is impressive. I'm glad I'm not the only one who keeps mental notes of these changes. The transition period was interesting too. Stievator &. Associates moved from the corner opposite the laundry to downtown after rehabbing the downtown building that they moved into. Their downtown building rehab jumped right out at me when I first saw it on Pearl St back in the late 90's. I guess they were the first of the New Buffalo downtown risk takers and entrepreneurs. I remember the Red Room gallery going into that corner to replace Stievator &. Associates. It was a great starting point for them. Didn't they move to midtown? I also remember that bookstore. What a firetrap!!! And the owner-he was the last Trotskyite in Buffalo. Great story Steel.

A bit of history - yes the bars were absolutely HORRIBLE when I first rented this space - it was one of the first things I did was cut them off. That was a much needed improvement in itself! (The previous landlord REALLY wanted me to keep them on....can you believe it??)

The previous building owner owned a TV repair shop at one time (many years ago) and that is why the bars were put up. (anyone remember Sciandra TV repairs?)

Second - I wish the photo shown was not of our building in the middle of a paint job. I have some really beautiful photos of this building. I also have some great before and after photos from when I took over this space.

When I opened (1999) there were almost no retail spaces In this block - now there are approx 23 legitimate businesses!

All of this with no government handouts/grants/loans. These businesses were all started by residents of Buffalo with their own money and hard work!

Our first tenants (1994-1997) came back to Buffalo for a visit this past winter - and also to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary. They were astounded at all the development and activity on Elmwood. I hadn't realized the scope of the changes until I suggested meeting at Spot and Tara replied, "What's a Spot?" (I'd already forgotton that back in 1997 it was still the site of the vacated Village Green Bookstore). Anyway, they were both impressed with the progress on (this section of) Elmwood. Tara added, "The great thing is, it still feels like Elmwood."

(Granted, I wish the Utica/Bryant area would show more cohesive growth)

Elmwood wasn't all dreary storefronts in 1996.

Here's about 70 images of Elmwood Avenue, circa 1996. http://tinyurl.com/fm95e

The Elmwood of 2006 is a vast improvement, though.

(Waiting to get flamed by Steel for that post in three ... two ... one ...)

Thank you, Dan ! I have been looking for a photo of the neon dancing couple !

The photo in 1996 was take in the winter and the photo in 2006 was taken in the summer - nothing has changed

Thank you

No flames Dan. My post says exactly what you have said.

No Style...That is a funny joke. At least I hope so for your sake.

Does anyone have a picture of the Pantastic store?

The point of my post is that good things do happen from grass roots activism found in neighborhood associations, block clubs, business associations, etc BUT there are some issues that every individual and group have in common and in those cases its good for them to join together in common interests, lobby together, etc.

Think of what would happen if all the groups got together with ideas for Buffalo State to implement on Grant Street and Forest Ave.

Think of what would happen if all the groups got together with their concerns for public safety, police patrols, street paving, sewers, curb replacements, street lighting, sidewalks, trees, low interest loans for energy efficiency or storefronts, street signs, etc.

There are issues best addressed by a local group and then there are issues all groups have in common and would benefit by being united and speaking together.

Its not a silver bullet or central planning. Its just working together.

L - ever heard of Oppositional Defiant Disorder?

greentessier, ever heard of psycho-warfare....the attempt by psuedo intellectuals to diminish the humanity of the person they disagree. Its kinda similar to how Nazi's used propaganda to diminish and dehumanize those they chose to marginalize. Your comment to me is the equivalent of calling yourself a Nazi propagandist. I salute you greentessier. Zieg Heil!

Keep reading your psycho-babble but I pity the person who pays you for your psychological diagnosis.

ummm.... it was a joke.

Seems kind of dark there in your world. This is a really positive post, and you can only see what's wrong. And hey, that's amateur pop-psychology for free!!

Take care.

No doubt this is an incredible transformation no matter when the photos were taken. The signage and the awnings alone make a world of difference. I don't doubt that there were solid blocks back then however this was not one of them.

greentessier, I didnt take it as such....but if thats your humor...then lets move on to more productive contributions.

OK, so, let's look at it this way. Yours is not an atypical attitude for Buffalonians. Whatever we do well, or have, it's never enough, because there's always some bad section. What city doesn't have a bad section or 20?

Confidence is borne of acknowledged success. People can accomplish much, but if they never see it as a success, they don't feel confident to do more. If indeed we want more, and hink we deserve more, then without negating or minimizing problems we have, we must acknowledge the growth and solid achievement there is. We HAVE to celebrate what's good about our city, whether or not there is decline, in order to reverse decline.

And again I say, Buffalo has been the Eeyore of the nation. Changing a regional mindset is very worthwhile and productive. It's mindset that inspires someone to rip burglars bars down, instead of putting them up. It's mindset that says, I'll put a bench out front and put up a pretty sign. And it's mindset that inspires the growth of a retail area, and mindset that brings customers.

So complain all you want, and argue with unassailable points, and point out what's not yet done while everyone else is out there improving the city, but it's totally counterproductive. It's also not the same thing as legitimate criticism.