42 North has officially opened its new taproom – 42 North @ The Flats – at 674 Main Street, bringing with it a new day for craft beer lovers in Downtown Buffalo. The new beer destination is located in the historic Wurlitzer Flats Building, in the heart of the Theatre District. The taproom joins a host of other nearby destinations, including Shea’s Performing Arts Center, Town Ballroom, and newly opened Electric City concert venue.

It was quite the undertaking to restore the historic building, according to 42 North’s founder, John Cimperman. Along with the 3000 square foot taproom, there are condominiums above – each of the four upper levels contains one large residential unit.

“If it were not for this great circa 1895 building in this great district, we would not have ventured into a second location,” said Cimperman. “We are proud to become part of the continued growth and vibrancy of the Theatre District.  Our goal with this location is to collaborate with our neighbors and attract new visitors to the Theatre District and introduce more craft beer fans to 42 North.” 

Ciminelli Real Estate Corporation has announced that Marble & Rye and Fresh Catch will be jointly opening a new restaurant concept called Prova @ The Plaza, at 40- 50 Fountain Plaza. What was formerly Flint Kitchen & Bar will now be a completely new revamped restaurant that will feature an enticing Italian coffee house concept and an updated, contemporary interior, according to building owner Ciminelli Real Estate Corporation.

Michael Tobin of Fresh Catch and Michael Dimmer of Marble and Rye are hatching the Prova @ The Plaza plan that will include a coffee program similar to Flint, along with pastries from Butter Block and other breakfast options. For lunch, the offerings will range from handcrafted dough/Sicilian slices, to healthy grain bowls and fresh seafood.

Tobin and Dimmer have already proven that they are able to serve up winning menus and dining concepts. Now, along with local branding by Mr. Smith agency, with an interior aesthetic makeover, the team believes that they have what it takes to create a real downtown restaurant destination. Together, they plan on concentrating on the aspects of “convenience, efficiency, and atmosphere,” to ensure that they attract and retain customers. As for conveniences, Prova @ The Plaza will have grab-and-go options and a self-checkout station.

Next year, a new event space and concert venue is opening in Buffalo.

Electric City will have a capacity of at least 750 people, and the first concert is scheduled for the end of February.

“The Tralf is historic in Buffalo, and, you know, it’s been out of business since I believe 2019, so the idea obviously was to recreate it, bring new, kind of renovations into it, and new kind of artists into it that maybe haven’t played here before,” said Michele Riggi, Marketing Manager for Electric City.

Riggi says music fans can expect to find the lobby of Electric City on the first floor along with the box office, a bar, and a merch station with stairs and an elevator leading to the second floor.

“You walk in, and there’s a bar to your right, a bar to your left, and the stage is all the way at the other end of the venue of the space. It previously was on the back wall, now the windows to Main will be on the right hand side of the stage,” Riggi said.

Riggi says there will also be a VIP area and the space can be converted to host comedy events, weddings, and parties. The first show is set for February.

“We have James Kennedy coming February 23. That’s our first show that we’re launching. Beyond that, we have Echo and the Bunnymen, which is very close to selling out already just from the pre-sale, so we’re really excited to have them in town. We have Hippie Sabatoge. We have Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes. Living Colour is going to be a great show, so really kind of hitting all of these different genres,” Riggi said.

Buffalo’s mayor is also looking forward to music returning to 433 Pearl Street.

“We’re pleased that downtown is growing and businesses like Electric City are choosing to locate in downtown Buffalo,” Mayor Byron Brown said.

“We’re right next to Shea’s. We have a bunch of other really amazing venues in the area and being just part of the Theater District and being on such an iconic street is, you know, a dream,” Riggi said.

WEDI’s Downtown Bazaar is a small business incubator where aspiring entrepreneurs test retail concepts and learn the fundamentals of running a business. It is also a community gathering space where people of all races, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds share a love of delicious food and unique products.

The Bazaar has food kiosks featuring Ethiopian, South Sudanese, Mexican, Filipino, Burmese and Thai cuisines plus a bar that serves beer and wine; and retail kiosks selling items from Africa, and Sri Lanka. It is located on Main Street in the heart of Buffalo’s theater district.

To learn more about incubating a business at the Downtown Bazaar and get on our waiting list, please fill out this form.  A WEDI staff member will contact you to schedule an introductory call.

 If you’ve had the pleasure of spending time in the Chippewa District in the last several weeks you may have noticed that once again the Chippewa Alliance has had the opportunity to brighten the sideways with summer plantings.

The Chippewa Alliance would like to thank the Garden Walk Buffalo for their generous contribution to the project. The Alliance was chosen to receive a Marvin Lunenfeld Beautification Grant for the second year in a row.

The Garden Walk Buffalo hosted a gathering for all grant recipients at the West Side Community Center. We were all asked to share a bit about their organization and the specific project the funds would be used for.