The storefronts at Convention Towers on Court Street are looking pretty good these days. This past Friday I arrived to Taki’s for an early morning meeting and was shocked to see that a series of tastefully branded awnings had been added to all of the storefronts. The entire look of the first floor had been transformed into a uniform welcome mat for visitors. “We all signed new leases,” Taki Kyriakopoulos told me in regards to the dramatic change. “As a way of thanking us, the owner of the building put up the awnings.”
These types of beautification efforts can go a long way to increase traffic for tenants (Taki’s, First Niagara, The Copy Store and Cricket). At the same time, tenants will often times go one step further if they know that their leases are secure and the property owner is interested in these types of contributions. “I’ve finally decided to replace the front windows of the business with sliding glass doors,” Taki added. “During the summer I’m planning on selling ice cream and milkshakes to people while they sit in an indoor/outdoor atmosphere. I’ve wanted to do it for a long time, and when we add the flower boxes, the cafe tables and the patio umbrellas, it’s going to look very nice around here.”