Business owners tap into Grant St. culture

By Sean Dwyer and Youleidy Vega
Bengal News Reporters

          Grant Street is home to a community rich with cultural diversity. Because of this, several business owners in the area have used their appreciation for the arts as a foothold toward creating a sense of shared culture in their neighborhood.

            Many new business owners see Grant Street and its surrounding neighborhood as a blank canvas and a unique opportunity to forge a new path in an area without the hindrances of working around preexisting retail space.  

Jeanenne Petri, on opening a bookstore on Grant Street:


            Jeanenne Petri and her husband Joe are the owners of Westside Stories Used Books on 205 Grant St.  Offering a wide variety of books, the two believe strongly in the importance of introducing arts and literature to an area with one of the lowest literacy rates in the state.

            According to Petri, she is fully aware that her current location is not the most profitable location to open a bookstore.  But her decision to open on Grant Street two years ago was “very intentional.”  

            “People ask, ‘why would you put a used bookstore here on Grant Street,’ ” Petri said.  “But the reality is a lot of people do read here, so we try to carry books that attract a wide variety of readers.” 

            Petri believes that reading is for everyone, regardless of their cultural background.  She feels that everyone should have access to a bookstore and according to her, the response from the neighborhood has been extremely positive. 

            In addition to an enthusiastic community, Petri praised the collaborative nature of all the other business owners in the neighborhood.  She cites each owner’s willingness to help each other as a reason why businesses celebrating the arts have been so successful.  

            “Here everybody cares,” said Petri.  “So when we talk to customers, we are always trying to push people toward other businesses on the block.  I don’t think that’s something you get when you open a strip mall in Cheektowaga.”

            Right up the street from Westside Stories sits Sweetness_7 Café, owned by Prish Moran. Before opening in 2007, Moran worked in clothing design in New York City.  Before moving back to Buffalo, Moran decorated restaurants for many years before finally deciding to open one of her own.

Grant Street area business owners Prish Moran and Peter Sowiski

            Graduating with a design degree from the SUNY Buffalo State, Moran brings her appreciation for the arts, applying it to Sweetness_7 to give it a feeling of “renaissance meets urban life.”   Located at 220 Grant St., Moran's café is a forum for the community to come together in one tiny spot.

            “The community support on the West Side is unbelievable,” said Moran, who is getting ready to celebrate her fifth year as being a business owner on Grant Street.  “Everything in my café is made from scratch – even our own bread – and I think that authenticity is something this community values.”  

            The success of these shops on Grant Street has created a ripple effect, generating foot traffic for business owners neighboring areas.  One owner who has benefited from this change is Peter Sowiski, who operates Abaca Press on 9 Lafayette Ave. 

            “We just saw that there was a little more vitality happening,” said Sowiski. “We’ve noticed a lot more families with children.  And when you see more residents who are new to the area walking around, you begin to see signs of life and the creation visual culture.” 

Popular restaurant to move to West Side

By Lauren Coppola and Samantha Wulff 

Bengal News Reporters

Chefs Steve and Ellen Gedra have done this dance many times. Preparing food in a small kitchen together for four years has taught them where to stand and how to move without disrupting the other. But the routine is getting stale, and a new venue may be the remedy. 

Steve and Ellen Gedra

Their restaurant, the popular Elmwood Avenue restaurant Bistro Europa, is moving to 376 Connecticut St.  most likely in August 2014. They wanted a place that they could own and be completely in charge of. 

“We’re buying a property instead of renting from a landlord and that was always the goal,” Steve Gedra said. “For 20 years that’s been the goal. Be our own boss completely.” 

 The first step in the moving process was gaining approval of the move and reconstruction of their new space, the former Golden Key Tavern, from the city planning board.

 Steve Gedra, on moving to larger space:


        With that out of the way, construction of the former pub is now in progress. An extended addition will allow for a commercial kitchen and more seating space. Rather than the 28 seats they have in their current location, they will be able to seat 50 and add on a bar.

“It’s getting gutted,” Gedra said. “Some parts are getting knocked down and put back up. It’s in rough shape so it’s going to take a while.”

Gedra says they are not going to change much when it comes to how the establishment runs. They have a unique style that they will not alter, only revamp.

On Bistro Europa’s website, http://europabuffalo.com/, customers are given daily updates of what is available for them to order. The chefs prepare almost everything from scratch. They try to use the freshest local ingredients to prepare simple dishes for each guest personally, adding to the intimate feel of the place.

When Bistro Europa moves, it will be leaving business neighbors it has had for several years.  Carly Battin, executive director of the Elmwood Village Association, said  that it is a shame the restaurant is leaving the village. She said the move to a different place just shows that they have outgrown their space.

“It's a little bit sad to see them moving away, but I think everybody's happy for them that they're expanding,” Battin said. “I think the West Side, Connecticut Street to Grant Street, is expanding. I think it's better for the city overall.”

Along with a new location comes new competition from already-established area restaurants.

The Left Bank is a restaurant on Rhode Island Street that has been around for 20 years. Manager Mailien Chichester believes Bistro Europa’s move is a positive for the West Side and that the area needs some good business.

“It's a brave move,” Chichester said. “I hope it makes them better.”

         Since Left Bank has been established in that area for so long, Chichester does not see it being impacted by Bistro Europa’s relocation.

“I don't think it'll affect us,” she said. “We already have our clientele.”

According to Gedra, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Everyone seems excited for the move to Connecticut Street.

“It’s always a gamble but I think it’s kind of calculated,” Gedra said. “I feel pretty good about what we do, and people definitely believe in us, and they’ll come.”