Yesterday I posted on Mint Cocktails & Kitchen, which will be opening at 1225 Niagara Street (corner of Breckenridge) this spring. The restaurant will be opening up in one of Bill Breeser’s buildings. Breeser has an extensive portfolio of properties on the street, which are all playing an important role in the Niagara Street renaissance.
I sat down with Breeser recently to discuss his properties, and the wide range of tenants that are occupying spaces within them. I was astounded at how many of the businesses were in the process of expanding. What makes many of Breeser’s buildings so enticing to tenants is the ability to expand as they outgrow their initial footprint.
“Local Honey the hair salon is expanding and doubling her space, and will be incorporating a series of suites with masseuses, waxing, etc.” said Breeser, who has been busy dressing up the properties in order to attract the businesses. “Wildroot the floristry is expanding and more than doubling their space. Daddy‘s Plants is also expanding and roughly doubling their space. Company B continues to do well and I have been talking to them about the possibility of some additional space. We’ve added a few new tenants on the second floor up near Love in Motion Yoga – we now have a massage therapist, a psychologist, and soon to be an acupuncturist.
“Additionally, Buffalo String Works moved in to proximately 6500 square feet of the second floor space at the north end of 1270 Niagara Street. Then there’s the art gallery, The Raft, which took over the second floor above the West Side Pet Clinic at 1255 Niagara Street. What’s Pop-In continues to grow in the space at 1239 Niagara Street.”
During the pandemic, Bootleg Bucha moved its Niagara Street operation to 160 James E. Casey Drive in Buffalo, but they still retain a presence via tap selections at Company B. At the same time, Breeser says that he has some other projects in the works, including the arrival of The Seltzery & Social (by Twin Petrels Seltzer Co.). The business will occupy 12,000 square feet that was once Resurgence Brewery (plus some additional space). There will be a full blown kitchen as part of that arrangement. The name is a nod to the history of the building and the Sterling Petrel Engine that was built there. The seltzery is anticipated to open up sometime around June.
“The businesses in the neighborhood are experiencing great successes,” said Breeser. “Since first opening, the West Side Pet Clinic went from 1000 square feet (space shared with Pawprints by Penny at 1245 Niagara Street) to 2000 square feet of dedicated space at 1255 Niagara Street. Pawprints by Penny grew from 2000 square feet to 3000 square feet. Daddy’s Plants and Wildroot have been with us for three going on four years now… they split up their combined space and have signed up for their own respective spaces – Wildroot will move behind that original shared retail space into a 3200 square foot space, while Daddy’s Plants will take over the full freed up 2000 square feet in front.
Keeping up with all of Breeser’s moves has been fun. It’s been a lot like musical chairs. A gallery lost, a gallery gained. A beverage company out, a beverage company in. The pandemic definitely kept him guessing. One significant development project (not to be named) slipped through the cracks, which is unfortunate. Breeser hopes that that creative studio might one day rekindle its interest in a 3000 square foot space. Resurgence Brewing Company opted to maintain a sole presence in the Old First Ward, freeing up space on Niagara for The Seltzery & Social. And we lost Sugar City, which is heartbreaking. But Breeser is convinced that all-in-all the good far outweighed the bad. I would have to agree.
With an additional 75,000 square feet of available space to play around with, we’re in store for a number of new projects on the horizon, especially now that Breeser has managed to create a viable habitat for these businesses to call home.