I love Wine Bars, here in NYC , they are very popular and usally offer things such as cheeze, sushi and other light foods such as mentioned. I look forward to visiting this establishment on my next visit to B-lo. ..BTW, will this be open daily? and in the day time too?
Sorry, just read the ENTIRE story, the hours sound great! Look forward to see what else opens up in those spaces.
Years ago, I used to take the Main Street bus daily to school and I always gazed at the buildings on this block. The little grey stone gem, especially, used to mesmerize me. They were all in such decay and I thought that it would just be a matter of time before they would be razed. I'm stunned that such care has been taken to make these architectural treasures rise again and look spectacular. I think they would make a great postcard. (Most Buffalo postcards that I've seen are quite poor.) These are the little icons of Buffalo that should be celebrated and shared with the world.
A great addition for the city. Campieri's down the block will have to really step-it-up if he wants to stay in business with these guys moving in!
Sounds great!!
I assume there will be Flying Bison Beer as their whole operation is out of Buffalo.
Are they going to serve Shark energy drink, also HQ'd in Buffalo?
maybe they can serve water right out of lake erie as that is from buffalo too!
1 - Not sure why Campieri's should be worried. Two entirely different establishments.
2 - Help me out here... how in the world can they serve wine and beer and NOT have a liquor license?
3 - Let's start a pool as to which wine bar closes first: Wine Thief or Just Vino?
yay more wine bars!!!! finally cool places for young professionals to go that doesnt include high schoolers!
this is a great addition to main street.
WilliamZ- I agree Just Vino is no threat to Campieri's. As far as your question- In NYS you can purchase a liquor license to serve beer wine and liquor, or you can purchase a beer and wine license which is substantially lower than a full blown liquor license. I am starting to notice a lot more places opting for beer and wine which is popular in many other states because of strict liquor laws.
I think we should also be reminded (for those unaware) that just a few years ago, this Entire stock of buildings was completly empty and run down, on the risk of being demolished...What a far cry from just a few years.
I'll be honest.....
I was very skeptical that Granite Works was going to land a tenant. I thought maybe a tax place or sandwich shop.....not a trendy little wine bar.
I also didn't think the development on Washington (nxt to the market) was going to get any tenants either.
I just called on a house for sale by sympony circle....$500k & I think it will sell for close to that.
What the hell is happening to Buffalo. It use to be so queit around here!
I know..they should have been torn down for a wonderful shovel ready weed filled or asphalt paved shovel ready lot years ago...we'd be so much better off ;)
This is interesting. In this area of the city, a number of recent projects have been successful (mostly apartments/not as much retail). If this type of establishment is well run, and well financed, it could make it here. If it leads to a little more retail along this section of Main it fills the void between Delaware and the Medical Campus. Let's do more than hope they succeed, go and raise a glass or two.
Without some more shovel ready sites this part of the city is going to struggle. Damn preservationist obstructionists
I'm looking forward to a place that has a good selection of wines by the glass that's close to the Medical Campus.
yea, this is what I want to do, sip some wine and look at the crack heads walking up and down main st.
gaustad --
I've come to the conclusion that you're like Roddy Piper in "They Live" -- you have the ability to see the true crackhead identity of all the normal people the rest of us encounter.
I was going to say that these buildings were saved from the wrecking ball at the 11th hour - but actually, it was the 12th. Word is that Tim Tielman was in a judge's home *at midnight* getting an order signed to halt the demolition that the City planned to execute the next day. What led to that? When these buildings were vacant and fell into the City's hands, (we all know how that story too often ends) preservationists tried repeatedly to buy them from the City but to no avail. Then in 2003, after a fire in the corner building of the group - 846 where Just Vino will open - the City cried "public safety" and planned an emergency demolition (again, an all too common last rite for far too many of Buffalo's great buildings). Well, after the stop demolition order halted that madness, a closer look found that the fire hadn't done nearly as much damage as the City had claimed. In fact, it turned out the City knew that, and that their insurance coverage would pay more than what the demolition would cost!
Fortunately, other heros also stepped up to the plate to go to bat for these buildings, including Ben Obletz and his team, and the truly fine folks at Buffalo CPC who helped put the funding together.
The Granite Works project shows what good things happen when Buffalo's best lay-it-on-the-line folks come together and make common cause. I hope that everyone in that preservation/revitalization chain is invited to - and heartily toasted at - the opening of Just Vino, in the same building where a fire 5 years ago sparked (!) one of Buffalo's great preservation success stories.
I love how picky First Amherst has been with their tenent selection. They do not want want a greasy kitchen or stinky bar and they really examine the prospects business plan.
and for the comment about why a beer and wine license and not liquor, first off there is a difference in the cost of the license, like thousands of dollars and that is a biannual fee I believe. It is also common for wine bars that are not full service restaurants to skip the booze.
Regardless of your opinion of the Scientologists across the street from this new wine bar, they've helped clean up the area. At different hours of the day, like bees back to the nest, well groomed young people come in and out the front door, just a few feet from the granite works. Yes, five years ago I would not have stood on that corner after dark. Now it's a different story.
I agree, I used to hate walking down this section of town when it was all neglected and run down. What an improvement indeed.
RaChaCha, Thanks for the history. Tim gets a lot of crap on this blog. All of it undeserved. This is a much better city with him than without him. How many folks can that be said of ! I applaud his focus & energy ! Great save to all involved.
@ Colin - gaustad has come to Buffalo to point out everything that is wrong and chew bubble gum, and he is all out of bubble gum! Actually one of the most entertaining fight scenes in that movie, too.
Gaustad I around the corner from this place for three years and walked by this place every day twice a day and have yet to see a crack head. (Scientologists don't count ;) )Do you feel the need to say such things because you are afraid that parts of Buffalo might actually be a nice place to live. What's with the negative vendetta. Sorry if you feel left out but instead of making these claims from who knows where how about you come on down to Campieri's or the new Falafel Bar when it opens. Sure there are still many poor that live in the area but that doesn't make it somehow unsafe or a war zone. 95% of these people are just trying to get by and make a living like the rest of us.
My uncle lives in the fruit belt, when I have more time I would bike over to visit him. Never once feeling threatened. Especially since i have been going to visit them since I was born. The area is a much nicer place that my childhood and while have legs more to go it is a far cry from some crack head infested hood like you seem to think all of Buffalo is. you sound like the rich snobs (i went to school with) from the exurbs who look down on everything that is blue blood. Get out a little, there is more to life than fear and crack heads.
Steel, you probably would have backed those idiots who made the decision to demolish Frank Lloyd Wright's Larkin building in Buffalo to make a parking lot. Just think what we would have had if those "Damn preservationist obstructionists" had been around then to fight to save good architecture. I am looking forward to a hip little hangout with some good character. You just can't build that from scratch these days-at least not with most budgets. It is so great to see these buildings brought back to life-Cheers to Jeff and Ken!
Willie, I'd agree that Tim gets a lot of crap on this board, but I disagree that it's "all undeserved".
His occasional forays from preservationist to obstructionist deserve criticism, but on many occasions he does a great job preserving buildings that should be preserved, and this is one of them.
I'm glad to see this corner coming back to life. The Scientologists did a fantastic job with their renovation, even if I do feel the need to cross the street to avoid the constant invitations for an audit ;). It' nice to see the rest of this area coming back to life.
At the very least, I can commend the Scientologists for setting up in the city. As opposed to the catholics that seem bent on retreating from it.
I live in the city and don't see all these so called "crackheads" running about. Lay off the hippie lettuce Gaustad...
Well, I really touched a nerve with the crack head jokes with all of you. Allow me to clarify, I am not afraid nor fear crack heads nor panhandlers, but that is the majority walking up and down our streets.
Its a fact. There are not white collar workers mixed in with a few crack heads and pan handlers. On the contrary, it is 90% crack head and they harass everyone. There are way too many loitering around.
Get a clue people. My sarchasm is about security! Provide security and a safe environment and you will have all those rich folks from Amherst and Clarence move back to the city that you keep talking about.
And they will be sippin on wine at this new wine bar.
Terrible business sense on this web site.
Sounds great. Just spent the day on our monthly jaunt to Niagara on the Lake to tour some wineries. Can't wait to enjoy some good wine here-looks great so far.
CRACK heads!!! hhaha,,, lets all chip in and give a crack head a buck! haha. no one is moving in from amherst and clarence you can forget about it. Crack heads are everywhere... Buffalo does not have the monopoly on inner city crime or rapes or crack heads. i was in Toronto not too long ago and got hit up 3 or 4 times in one day by crack heads and panhandlers. So i guess Toronto sucks too? yeah right. Buffalo went from 8th largest american city to about number 60, so thats why we have so many empty buildings. Bad politics, high taxes, racism, etc. did it. People who live in Woodbridge ON, hate inner city Toronto, because of the crime, only difference, is NYC, Toronto, Boston, etc. have more businesses, hence more people walking around. Urban areas in inner city America is all about mixed race, eclectic, artsy people, thats prejudice in America, the 50's are over, your best hope is to bring in more business, but your not going to bring back old people, they are too jaded and long for the days when minorities were huddled in small ghettos and the city was all white bread. I had some clients from Boston ask about a wine bar in Buffalo and i didn't know where to take them. I think i said Allen street hardware. This place can't open fast enough, i am stopping in after work downtown. and Dan Campieri is my friend, stop in, the pizza is awesome.... :0)
Jeff and Ken are great guys! I look forward to their place opening. I want (need) more businesses on this section of Main street. I wish someone else got 878 Main, I like the Zepto crew but putting their offices in next door isn't going to bring positive foot traffic to the area. I actually hope that Spot coffee goes in the Red Jacket building on the corner of Allen & Main.
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