Every once in a while we run into a couple of business owners who do things a little bit differently. Take, for example, Sarah Gugino and Bob Testa, owners of Barking Spitfires on Elmwood. It’s one of the more unusual store names that I have come across that is for sure. But maybe it’s because this couple has decided that the premise behind their new ‘business’ is to have fun and they want to share their journey with the friends (both new and old). I first met Sarah and Bob when they were hosting one of their evening ‘socials’. I asked them what exactly it was that they were doing with the former Gallery 51 storefront and their answer was, in essence, “Whatever we want.”
It was not long ago that Bob bought the building located at 569 Elmwood Avenue. It was not long afterward that the only tenant closed up. It was then that they decided that the storefront would be the best place possible to immerse themselves into the urban neighborhood where they might one day live – a place that they had been missing for a long time. The first thing they did was to fix the place up to their liking. They uncovered parts of the original floor, built shelving, added lighting and opened it up (temporarily) to the artists in the neighborhood. “We have met a lot of artists since we bought the building,” Bob told me. “There’s even a poet who lives upstairs. I’ve been collecting books and repairing furniture (on the side when he’s not at his day job), so I figured that I could decorate the place so that people are comfortable when they walk in. We’re just happy to be a part of the neighborhood and we’re having fun meeting all sorts of people.”
I asked the couple where the unusual name came from and they told me that it was a combination – part canine and part airplane. That was the ‘you figure it out’ answer… of course this couple defines the term ‘spitfire’ just by refusing to settle down and acting like ‘typical’ adults. And just like a couple barking dogs in the neighborhood, they are calling out to artists all over the city to come play at their new ‘diggs’. I’ll be stopping by periodically to see what these ‘barking spitfires’ are up to next – in the meantime, if you see their door open, don’t hesitate to stop in and take a look around.
Barking Spitfires is located at 569 Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo.
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