Urban Roots Open for Business
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“The satisfaction of seeing nearly three years of planning begin to actually happen was a great reward. To top that off, having neighborhood kids taking an interest in watering the plants and helping out was an added bonus that proves that Urban Roots will help to bring back a sense of strong community to the West Side. Even though we weren't even in our building yet, Urban Roots members, garden enthusiasts and curious on-lookers voiced support for the garden center. I think we will be seeing familiar faces each week checking on our progress and sharing in the excitement as we grow,” a summary of the first weekend of business for Urban Roots, Buffalo’s newest cooperative business, and only full retail store devoted to gardening.
The lot next door to 426 and 428 Rhode Island Street was a bustle with fine trees and shrubs, soil amendments, and a nice variety of gardening tools and products last weekend. A workshop was offered by Dan Keefe, Architect on building a simple walkway or patio with scavenged brick. Carolyn Gullo remarked, “last weekend was really exciting, not only for the retail aspect of the store opening, but the community aspect. Our workshop on paving a walkway and the involvement of the children in the community was a great start for things to come.”
Urban Roots will be open for business on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from this point forward, until we move into the building and can offer full time hours. Keep checking our website for updates: www.urbanroots.org. Hours this weekend are 8am-4pm, Friday-Sunday. We will be evaluating the hours after the weekend, and will repost hours next week. Please offer feedback to info@urbanroots.org.
Summing it up, Harvey Garrett envisions the future, "I expect customers will wake up in the morning, walk over to the Garden Center, and fill up their little red wagons full of garden supplies," and goes on about the business’s potential, “This community garden center will be successful, not just because we want it be successful, but because everyone does."
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Comment Options
RhodeIslandBoy
I am a proud member-owner of this new venture and I look forward to purchasing my mulch and fertilizer there this weekend! Congrats to all involved in this.
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Harvey
I hope to see everyone out there Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Bring your wagon and fill it up with flowers, shrubs, trees, tools, dirt, and mulch (expect to make a few trips).
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bloomingbuffalo
I was at Urban Roots this past weekend and it was great to see that so many people stopped in. Urban Roots will be a wonderful addition to the neighborhood. Make sure you check it out.
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cgullo
Last weekend was really exciting, not only for the retail aspect of the store opening, but the community aspect. Our workshop on paving a walkway and the involvement of the children in the community was a great start for things to come...
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joshking2
Awesome to so see such a great venture trying to really make a difference in that neighborhood! Better the neighborhood and its residents at the same time. If I was staying here I'd buy all my garden stuff there.
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BryanJamesWhitley
Finally, no more long drives through Saturday morning traffic on Elmwood just to grab a few plants or supplies from Home Depot. With this along with Bargain Outlet on W Ferry we finally don't have to make the drive any longer to do a weekend project at home. Hurray!!
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Lucia
How wonderful to have the children invovled. I am going to go and check Urban Roots out
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Harvey
The neighborhood kids are there all the time. We've known them for less than a week and today when they hopped off the school bus they ran over to the garden center to show us their reports cards (and to check and see if the vegitable seeds they planted last week were growing yet).
We're putting up a swing for them tomorrow if anyone wants to help.
It's going to be a good summer.
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Kernwatch
There's a rumor that WSNHS may buy hundreds of dollars of plants this weekend to landscape their recent demolition after 6 years of blighted ownership of 933 Prospect (NE corner of School).
Hopefully they will not clean you out, but good to think that a longtime, often controversial, community housing agency might help get you off to a strong start!
R. Kern (in Mpls)
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Charger
I don't know anything about rumors, but I do know we went to Urban Roots today, bought some mulch* and topsoil we'd otherwise have had to go to Home Depot or K-Mart for and had a nice chat with people working to improve the City and their community. Kudos to the people who took this from concept to reality without looking for a lot of hand-outs and help from everybody else.
*and the mulch came from some company in the Southtowns, not from half a world away as it does at HD. Your dollars staying in the community. I would add to BryanJamesWhitley's post to say that Dibble True Value is a great store with a great staff. The West Side is the place to go for your home and garden improvement projects.
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Harvey
Mr. Kern is a little cranky.
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Kernwatch
Mr Garrett is correct.
I am angered when I see all the volunteers working so hard, as nobody monitors "poverty" agencies like WSNHS, whose last known staffing was 6 plus 2 part-timers & budget (2005) was $580,000.
What is WSNHS whose mission is to stabilize the WS, doing to stabilize the WS?
Few know that WSNHS rehabs merely two houses annually, their most recent "rehabs" being demolition of long-blighted WSNHS-owned 933 Prospect (at School St) . . and the foreclosure of 134 16th, recently rehabbed by WSNHS for $85,000, Assessed Value $32,000, just sold in foreclosure to "foreign" investors for $19,000.
WSNHS, where Mr Garrett has been a longtime bd member & past board VP, owes the WS lots of flowers!
RK
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Harvey
Considering I've volunteered 5 years of my life full time to the West Side with no pay I'm hard pressed to understand how I owe anyone anything. Mr. Kern is welcome to move back to Buffalo (assuming the DA's office allows him back in the State) and show us how it should all be done - this wold be far more useful than always telling us how it should be done.
Thanks everyone for another sucessful day at the Garden Center - we hope to see even more of you on Sunday when it will hopefully be a much sunnier day.
Harvey
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MRodgers
Sorry, Dick, but there's a tme and place for everything and I think you have stepped way beyond the borders here. Let those that have done wonders have a place for celebration of their good works. You have your blog, bitch, piss, and moan there. Nothing you have said has anything to do with the terrific project mentioned in this article. Harvey has worked very hard in his 'hood as have many others throughout the city. If they feel they cannot receive kudos for their efforts without someone coming in to cast dispursions on them with borderline complaints. How will we ever have opportunities to lift the spirits of the community while promoting good works? This is the way they get paid back. Dick, it's not right, please consider the negative effects on those who deserve a hand clap over what your fight is concentrating on, and then utilize a better forum with which to get your point across. The only way to combat the ills of the past is to celebrate the successes of the future. Anyone who has created havoc or bad will in the past will be forgotten and less able to continue on their murky road. Allow natural forces to take control here.
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Scribble
Congratulations to anyone who is willing to sacrifice their time. Harvey consistently makes himself available to the community and deserves more respect. Anyone can gripe, but it takes heart to work towards a solution. One city, all people and a renewed sense of purpose.
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