Local artist talks street artwork scene

Buffalo-based artist Vincent Alejandro talks about his push to have street art become a more accepted form of expression in the local area. Members of the community have been receptive to the few murals that exist, however misunderstandings between what is street art and the traditional views of graffiti have led to a disconnect.  “As soon as you say graffiti, it gets a negative thing in people’s mind. As far as street art; street art was kind of an it was an attempt to bring graffiti into the forefront with a different label,” Alejandro said. “There are so many walls here that scream for it.” Even cities as nearby as Rochester are more accepting of street art, providing designated areas, or “free-walls,” where artists can go and create street art without fear of breaking the law. By Terra Harter and Ben Hauver

Police see big improvement on West Side

Patrol beats may be a thing of the past, but police commitment to the community is continuous. Areas like Grant Street have been subject to crime over the years, but according to Buffalo police, the neighborhood is improving. “It has gotten progressively better over the years,” said Police Chief Joseph Gramaglia, who oversees the B-district, on the West Side. While budget constraints implemented in 2003 directly impacted the decline in police beat walking, new efforts were made on behalf of the force to engage the community in more personal, effective ways, resulting in a positive impact. Captain Steve Nichols, a West Side native, is confident in the direction the community is headed. “Our focus has been to get out and engage the community. We know the only way to make it safe is to partner with the community,” Nichols said. By Chris Baggs and Neseemah Coleman

Big crowd expected for Buffalo Pride Week

         The annual Buffalo and Western New York Pride Week, the cultural event of the season,  will begin late next month with an expected attendance rate upwards of 30,000, 10  times the amount since the festival’s move to Canalside in 2011. 

Pride Week preparations are well underway with the flag raising ceremony kicking off the festivities on May 29.

Other events include the Gay 5k on May 30, the Dyke March on June 2, and concludes with the Pride Parade and Pride Festival on June 3.  The Pride Parade has over 100 organizations participating in support of their LGBTQ community. Starting at SUNY Buffalo State campus at noon, the parade stretches over two miles down Elmwood Avenue and ends on Allen Street.

            With such a large number of attendees, festival goers will have to pay a $10 fee to enter the final event taking place at Canalside.

“When you're seeing all over the country people with bombs and driving into crowds, it makes security more expensive because we have to protect the participants.,” Mordecai said.

Mordecai also warns, bags will not be permitted into the venue for security reasons.

Dating back to the early 1970s, Pride Week has been a beacon of acceptance. Damian Mordecai, executive director of the Pride Center of Western New York, attributes the growth in popularity of the week to this region.

         “Stuff that happens here doesn't happen in other cities, it really does say a lot about this area,” Mordecai said. By Tara Hark and Max Wagner

Best time to rent is around the corner

The best time of the year for renters to move into the City of Buffalo is right around the corner.

With most colleges ending during the month of May most apartments become available around June 1.

This is the perfect time of year to move into the city of Buffalo and its surrounding areas, according to Jill Greco the co-owner of Greco Rentals LLC.

 “What people don’t know is that the beginning of the summer, in the months of June and July, are the best months to move in. Lots of students are heading home for the summer which causes us to have a lot of our clients’ apartments available during the early summer months,” Greco says.

 Because there are several colleges that border on the West Side such as SUNY Buffalo State and D’Youville, Canisus and Medaille colleges, there are several apartments becoming available after the semester is over.

 Greco Rentals is a management company that helps property owners with the showing, screening and leasing of their apartments to suitable tenants. Greco clients’ properties are located across the West Side from Potomac Avenue  across from Chapin Parkway to Richmond Avenue and Summer Street.  By Zachary Huk and Terrance Young

Bidwell Market readies for its 20th year

Five Points Bakery items ready for Bidwell Market

          Elmwood Avenue will get a little more colorful as local vendors prepare their fresh fruits, vegetables and bakery items for the reopening of the Elmwood Village Farmers Market’s 20th season.

The market opens at 8 a.m., May 12 at the corner of Elmwood Avenue and Bidwell Parkway.

The market will take place every Saturday from 8.a.m. to 1.p.m. until Nov. 24., rain or shine.

            Among the approximate 40 vendors expected to be a part of the market, Five Points Bakery will be making its return after a three-year hiatus. After stepping away to renovate their new location at 44 Brayton St., owner Kevin Gardener and his family are excited to rejoin the market.

            “We missed being at the market,” Gardener said. “It’s fun, it’s like a party every weekend.”

            The market allows for attendees to choose from a variety of locally sourced produce and baked goods. In addition, it provides a chance to introduce people to a wide range of local sellers, which boosts the local economy.

            “For us, local just makes sense,” Gardener said. “I have a connection right to where the products are coming from. These are people in my community, spending the money that I’m spending back into the same community. It makes the local economy work. It makes sense.”

          The market will also feature yoga classes, art and live music. By Terra Harter and Ben Hauver

Property costs soaring on the West Side

By Chris Baggs and Neseemah Coleman

Bengal News West Reporters

The sun sets on Elmwood Avenue on an early spring day, behind the budding trees bustling sidewalks. Many can be attracted to the city’s West Side, with its 19^th century homes, vibrant neighborhoods and diverse shopping areas.

But for some like 31-year old Ryan Cox, who is looking for investment property on the West Side, buying property can be frustrating. Prices are increasing, and inventory is low.

“It’s not going well,” Cox said.

“I’ve been ushered away from the West Side. People are coming in with huge offers – big cash offers – raising the prices.”

The Elmwood Village and Allentown districts are in demand for homes right now and with the summer months fast approaching, the market will only get busier and make home buying difficult.

“What we’re finding right now is a lot of people want to be in the Elmwood Village. It’s an appealing area right now for buyers,” said William Abels, HUNT licensed real estate salesman.

Abels has been handling real estate with the West Side for five years now.

“There’s a lack of inventory and high demand. Prices are increasing on the West Side of Buffalo and people are starting to look for the next closest options. It’s like a train stop – Elmwood – Black Rock – Riverside,” Abels said.

The main problem for the West Side’s low home ownership, seems to be those lack of homes opening up on the market. According to the Census Bureau's Housing Vacancies and Homeownership report , the Buffalo-Niagara region’s homeownership rate fell to its second-lowest total in 25 years in 2017.

As a result, prices are increasing for potential homeowners. The West Side is experiencing this as well, said Mark DiGiampaola, MJ Peterson licensed real estate agent.

“Prices are escalating into areas we never thought we would see.  It’s making it tough on first time buyers over there,” DiGiampaola said.

DiGiampaola, on homeownership:

https://soundcloud.com/user-653723727/bengal-news-west-mark-digiampaola-on-home-ownership

 

Buffalo had a 39.6 percent decrease of overall home inventory since February of last year, according to Business InSider, which detailed the fall of home ownership rates elsewhere across the country.

With the city witnessing a growth in retail and restaurants, the West Side is more attractive to live. However, to live in the city’s West Side, will come at a cost to a potential homeowner’s pockets.

The high demand for property in the area is taking its toll on those people looking for places to rent, too.

Khalid Ahmed looking for an apartment

“Yes, honestly the places I’ve been looking at on the West Side aren’t worth the price,” said Khalid Ahmed, a potential renter, who has been living on the city’s West Side for over seven years. “I don’t think renters have a chance. It’s not just home buyers. Current tenants are smart and will extend their lease if it’s a decent home. Finding a place is difficult for renters too,” Ahmed said.

Even though price has been a stumbling block, there might be other factors deterring home owners away from the West Side. One of them is the fear of crime. Cox agrees.

“It’s a real thing. There’s gang activity. For me, I never truly felt unsafe. I maybe have been lucky never to have experienced the crime myself but I’m sure it’s happening to others,” Cox said.

The popular local Facebook page, “I am a Product of the West Side of Buffalo,” routinely has people voicing frustration over pricing for West Side homes and fear of crime.

Both Abels and DiGiampaola say that the current prices will likely be the norm from now on and that prices will be going up as long as the inventory remains low.

For potential home buyers, price and lack of available property is a real concern with the West Side.

Tattoos find more acceptance on West Side

Sweet_Ness 7 barista Julianna Turtone wears her art on her sleeve.

By Terra Harter and Ben Hauver
Bengal News West Reporters

Located on the corner of Lafayette Avenue and Grant Street, Sweet_Ness 7 Cafe’s vibrant exterior welcomes everyone with painted swirls and stars of yellow and white, giving a taste of what to expect while walking in for your fresh cup of joe.

The first thing you might notice is the chatter of people mixed with the intoxicating scent of freshly ground coffee beans filling the room. Hardwood floors and a variety of old and new décor create a cozy, one-of-a-kind atmosphere. 

While choosing a drink from the extensive chalkboard-written menu, the vibrancy of the interior extended to the arms of the barista who proudly displays two full sleeves of tattoos.

Julianna Tutorne is one of the Barista’s at the Sweet_Ness 7 Café.

“I’ve had tattoos for 12 years,” Tutorne said. “I’d say the popularity of tattoos and them becoming more acceptable in the workplace has been more towards the past five years.”  

Tutorne, on the popularity of tatoos:

According to a 2015 study in the International Journal of Innovative Research and Development, 86 percent of young professionals don’t believe that tattoos or piercings reduce the likelihood of getting a job.

The divide in the opinions of tattoos is generational.  

Dr. Howard Stanger is a professor in the Department of Management at Canisius College. 
“Tattoos are one of the ways that younger people try to find themselves and project themselves outwards,” he said. “But those things can change over time.” 

More than merely having tattoos, the placement of them can have a significant impact.

“I don’t think it’s a big deal if you have them covered up, nobody can see them,” Tutorne said. “I’ve been denied jobs because of having my hands tattooed.”

Gary Grundtisch and Dan Erickson, owners of Ink Assassins Tattoos on Grant Street, have over 20 years of combined experience as professional tattoo artists in the Buffalo area. They also agree that the location of the tattoo on the body is the most important factor on how it will be regarded in a professional setting.

“If you walk into a job interview with a tattoo on your face, they’re probably not going to hire you,” Erickson said.

"If you're 20-years-old, and you get a tattoo on your face you don't know how many interviews you're going to have to go through in the next 10, 20 years," Grundtisch said. "You're not thinking about that most times."

"Face tattoos, we don't do them here," Erickson added. "It's not ethical to do."

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, grooming practices were a stronger influence on the evaluation of candidates than tattoos or piercings.

“For the most part, it’s a non-issue,” said Dr. Stanger. “If I were to get a tattoo today, I probably wouldn’t be as careful as I was when I was younger.”

As of 2016, there were over 21,000 tattoo parlors in the U.S.

“The tattoo industry is getting bigger all the time,” said Grundtisch. “More shops are popping up and more people want to get into this field. I don’t see it slowing down anytime soon.”

According to Grundtisch and Erickson, Buffalo is a place that embraces the self-expression that comes with tattoos.

“People are pretty open here,” Grundtisch said.

“It’s the city of good neighbors,” Erickson said. “We’ve gotten a lot of love here.”