The Five Points neighborhood has come a long way over the years. Visitors can get a pressed juice, gourmet toast, or shop at a hip garden cooperative. There’s a funky public garden with artistic benches, airbrushed artwork, a boutique wine shop, rompers for kids, and soon there will be yoga. Not to mention the close proximity to a couple of restaurants and bars.
Now Frits Abell is adding some additional entrepreneurial glue, to solidify the up and coming neighborhood. The first floor of his building, located at 429 Rhode Island, is about to get glassed. That means that he’s on his way to renting the place out. Actually, he’s already rented out the second floor to a couple who will be operating a pilates studio and an art studio. Sarah Griffin DiVincenzo will be relocating her pilates studio from Williamsville. Her husband, Mark, is a renowned world class painter who is represented by a gallery in NYC. He is currently working on restoration work at Our Lady of Victory Basilica. Mark will be painting and hosting art classes at the studio. The joint venture is being called Pilates Art Studio.
The final piece of the building’s occupiable footprint is the first floor. Currently Frits is looking to lease the 600 square foot space to someone with a unique vision. He’s hoping to find a tenant that has a creative and innovative idea – something that suits the composition of this fabulous corner building.
Envision glass frontage that essentially wraps around the building. Now envision some sort of dynamic, highly visible business on the inside. Frits is hoping to land a business that is unique to Buffalo – something that melds with the rest of the Five Points business community. He feels that there’s someone out there looking for just such an opportunity to shine.
The Rhode Island Block Club is working with Councilmember David Rivera to introduce some traffic calming measures out at the Five Points intersection. Once this intersection is addressed, the surrounding businesses will have an easier time cross promoting their products and services. Traffic calming and enhanced infrastructure will help the entire neighborhood to thrive. This is a neighborhood that is growing – Las Puertas is scheduled to open soon, and Urban Roots is expanding into the corner lot. There is no better time than now to give a power boost to this building and to this intersection.
Get connected: JM Reed at Gurney, Becker & Bourne | 716-791-7570