Gracens Last Day at IncDev

I donate a lot of time and energy to the Incremental Development Alliance - a non profit that teaches real estate to regular people in an effort to build communities and wealth for people instead of larger developers and corporations. This is a snap from Gracens last day! She is a founder of IncDev and helps to create and design the bootcamps and teaching events we have! She is stellar human. Passionate, dedicated and creative. I cried multiple times knowing she was leaving… but she will be working to do this on a bigger level of which I am SO happy for her.

Gracen, we will miss you at our IncDev Bootcamps and other events!! We wish you all the luck and love in the world

If you’re interested in IncDev, give it a quick google.

<3

Dreaming About This Handsome Fella

I spotted this handsome brick building in the Masten Park area (near Main / Utica) a week ago and cannot stop thinking about it. I guess I’ll have to inquire… brick buildings like this are hard to save because they often are so small but have environmental issues and the utilities are often in need of repair due to neglect or vacancy. That is why it is CRITICAL to not let them go vacant. Imagine the possibilities - it could be a workshop, garage, office… maybe even a mixed use building!

Westsiders: Your Rhode Island Christmas Tree Pop Up is HERE!

There is no secret that I LOVE pop up Christmas tree lots. They’re special - temporary in nature but so so magical. We always have one in the neighborhood on Rhode Island & 18th. What I love about this place is its no frills but happens to be around the corner from Remedy House & Five Points so if you’re craving a hot cocoa, you can walk the tree down the street and grab one on your way home or drink before you go pick your tree out!

If you’re looking for POTTED trees, Urban Roots has them this year, too! (This is what we do but it isn’t practical for everyone!)

Having Fun With Blue Tile!

We love this bathroom. We had a lot of fun making it happen - the blue tile in the shower really stands out!

Having a little bit of fun with paint and tape...

Noelle did this to the wall in a hallway to give it a little bit of something extra! It is amazing what you can do with paint and tape. If you’re looking for unique wall designs, here is a fun youtube video showing how to do it.

Proud Places: Your City Should Go And Love Itself by Jeff Siegler

“If you found yourself in a relationship with someone with low self-esteem and you weren’t willing to leave, how would you go about making them feel better about themselves? Love them, unconditionally. This doesn’t mean accept them as they are, but fight to help them change for the better.”

Thanks for the honesty, Jeff.

You can read this very important article here.

October 28th - Virtual Lecture for the Incremental Development Alliance

Do you want to learn more about how you can become a small real estate developer for a project in your neighborhood?  Are you an advocate or local leader looking to encourage better buildings in your community?

Join us for a free virtual lecture by Bernice Radle, owner and operator of Buffalove Development and Little Wheel Restoration Co.

You can sign up for the event here.

Proud Places: Attracting Business - What Scores & What Fumbles

Proud Places brings you an article about how to help your Main Street using football lingo. GO BILLS!

“The future is now, and the devastation to our Main Streets is obvious. Conservative experts believe the Covid 19 pandemic will result in a loss of at least 20 to 30 percent of small businesses, while others suggest it will be as bad as 60 percent. 

Our main streets that were barely hanging on in good times are now losing businesses at an unprecedented rate. While we all grieve the loss of our favorite dining establishment or boutique, we need to start planning for the rebuilding of America’s great main streets once again. 

So let’s apply some tried and true football metaphors to our favorite strategies to attract businesses to commercial storefronts. We’ll also consider a few problematic ones so we can win our game! “

You can read about it here.

Delicate White & Butcher Block.

We love this little cottage. Every time we have a turn over, we add a little more sweetness to it. This time we added Delicate White paint on the walls, a pop of color on the cabinets with this purple / grey color and a butcher block countertop to add some warmth. We love it! Not visible: a combo washer / dryer unit that fits right into the countertop! (Yes, European style!)

Getting the garden ready...

With the weather breaking, we are focusing our energy on getting our giant hell strip planters cleaned and filled with annuals and the community garden cleaned up and ready for planting!

We added fresh soil and compost, planted some strawberries and scallions, got some annuals (Cosmos, dusty miller, petunia) in the front beds so it will shine as the summer comes. We planted a ton of wild flowers for the front two beds and sunflower seeds. We already have lettuce, collards, kale and fresh scallions in the garden right now!

Now we have to fix the front fence piece, get the veggies in and set up the rain barrel!

P.S. Can we just take a moment to appreciate this all black wheel barrow? We picked it up at Dibble, our local hardware shop. They get me.

P.P.S. You’re probably wondering why this matters to a “developer”. We have news for you - we like to develop smiles AND homes. Flowers make people smile so we’re ok with it. Gardens bring people joy, including us!

580 Niagara: What's Next?

Right before Valentine’s day, we asked the community to make calls to save this little cottage - it was going to be demolished by the City of Buffalo because the front house was a huge health and safety issue. The front building was ultimately demolished but the City of Buffalo gave us some time to find a solution for the rear little cottage that dates back to 1870 or so. Phew!

We are currently trying to track down the owner. This is the vacancy vortex in a nutshell.

The good news is:

1. It is boarded up - thanks to Jeff and Yoav from our team who got some boards on the windows.

2. We have support from Preservation Buffalo Niagara - they helped immensely with the discussions at City Hall for us. (Thanks PBN!)

3. We also have loads of interest from people who want to buy it as well, which is a great thing.

Thank you to everyone who made calls to City Hall! We appreciate it so much. We are keeping an eye out as best as we can. (Our office is right across the street!) It will be saved - we just have to get it unstuck.

Stay tuned.