Author: anthonys

I guess it was only a matter of time before Riverside pushed for a farmers’ market. It’s really another ideal location for one – far enough from the Bidwell Market, yet perfect for enticing walkers and bikers from Riverside and Black Rock. I still have a lot of people ask where Riverside is located. Many people are also unfamiliar with Black Rock. Squaw Island’s beautiful park is just starting to land on the radar screens of many Buffalonians. Other nearby destinations include, Viking Lobster Company, Emily’s Restaurant, and the Riverview Family Restaurant… all incredibly good places to eat morning, noon…

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While taking a tour of the Pierce Arrow the other day, I was introduced to Aimee Buyea, a local multi-media aficionado who told me that she is trying to establish a permanent home for her art collective. When I spoke with her earlier, she told me that the ball was already rolling and that she and her collective were focusing on ‘bringing down’ the art community to a level that was open to a younger crowd of diversified artists. When I asked Aimee what sort of plan she had in mind, she had this to say: “We started toying with…

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In just a couple of weeks downtown Buffalo will see the grand opening of The Jenny Shop. I spoke to boutique-owner, Jen Hemmingway, about the pending opening. The store is coming together,” she told me. “The shelving is in for the most part and many of the lines are coming in. I can’t wait to take the paper off the windows.” When I last spoke to Jen, she was not able to tell me about many of the lines that she would be carrying… today it was a different story. “We have something for all age-groups and styles,” she started.…

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Thanks to the Miller family of Grand Island, Urban Roots gardening cooperative will have a functioning, curved, eave-style greenhouse in the future. Actually, the plan has already been put into motion – a crew of volunteers headed out to GI in November to disassemble the glass addition. The greenhouse also comes with custom-designed tables and various operating supplies. These types of amenities can be very expensive for fledgling cooperatives to afford. At the same time, they can be very instrumental in giving the seedlings enough protection that they need to reach maturity. Miller’s Greenhouse will provide the gardening co-op with…

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With all the discussions taking place on church reuses these days, I could not pass up the chance to take a walkthrough of one of the seventeen Bryant Parish condos. This development (’92-’94) was one of the forerunners of church conversions in the city. It was also one of the few living situations that went ‘condo’ instead of ‘rental’. The 1039 sq.’ unit is currently selling for $169,000 and includes underground parking and storage, one bedroom with study, appliances, forced air and A/C, seven stained glass windows, original wooden archway elements, double arch doors, gas fireplace, 12′ ceilings, elevator, wood…

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This might be the most unusual way to celebrate the coming of spring in Buffalo. BoomDays is the awesome event that surrounds the lifting of the Niagara River ice boom. The ice boom is a 8,800-foot-long chain of steel pontoons that stretches across the mouth of the river in order to keep large pieces of ice from traveling down the river during the winter season. Once lifted, the ice is set loose and supposedly the temperature on the mainland warms up considerably. Did you know that the ice boom broke loose this year? Believe it or not, BoomDays has become…

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I know that I’ve posted a lot on the Village Beer Merchants, but every time I go in there I find something new. Today I ran in to grab a sandwich to go… but to my surprise I found that there was a set of tables in the front of the shop. So that takes care of the problem of where to eat just after you’ve been handed a specialty deli sandwich. It was really nice to sit down at a table while eating a Julienne sandwich… I also learned that coffee is being served – a perfect addition to…

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It’s good to see new festivals and events starting to come out of the woodwork… even during the winter season. Every week it seems as if there is a new announcement – some event being brought back after a long absence, or creative businesses getting together to offer fun-filled tours of their operations. They just keep coming, which means that we are kept busy. Now I know that this weekend is the very popular Shamrock Run (held in the Old First Ward), but that’s not all. Downtown’s Century Grill has just announced that it is celebrating the transition of the…

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It was around four years go when Harvey Garrett first took Mike and Tony Christiano through a burned-out old vacant eight-unit flophouse on the city’s West Side. Now, after working on the apartment building for two and a half years, the brothers are only couple of weeks away from renting the four units and 2800 sq.’, first floor commercial space. It took twenty-five dumpster loads of debris before work could even begin on the interior. The exterior had been boarded up with wood for years and years. The former owner moved to the outskirts of town and left the building…

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Although I coiuld not attend the Save Our Churches event this past Saturday, I called organizer Tim Tielman to hear his thoughts about the progress being made. It is clear that this is just the start of a much-needed effort that will take a great deal of determination, money, and people to see it through. The fact that over 100 people attended this past weekend’s brainstorming session is surely a good sign. From Tim: “Number one, we thought it was very successful as far as getting a jump on preserving the churches. Our preservation battles are fought early on… to…

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