Ellicottville NY relocation ?? (Hamburg, Clarence, Aurora: ski resorts, condo, houses)

[rittmanfamily]

My wife and I both love the Ellicottville area and are considering moving there in the near future. Both of us are fairly young (35-40) with college degrees. I am leaving my current position as the Director of Operations at a $200 million/yr transportation company due to a equity/option buyout offer that is just too good to refuse. My wife works in the accounts payable dept of a large company, where her Spanish and cooking degrees are under-utilized to say the least. The buy-out offer leaves us in a position where we can afford the high cost of living in Ellicottville with moderate incomes. I have not been able to find much regarding employment in the area. Does anyone have any ideas how a couple like us might fair in regards to finding employment in E-ville? Does the Ellicottville Brewing Company hire cooks/waitstaff, or is it a family run operation? Are there year-round positions at Holiday Valley or Holimont? What else do people do for a living in E-ville? Also, my wife thinks a small bakery might do well in town....if you live there, what do you think about that idea? Any insight that you might have would be helpful to us both.
Chances are, we'll buy a house 1st and worry about finding work 2nd. But if we felt secure that at least one of us would be able to find a decent job, it would make the move a lot easier.

Thanks, and see you on the slopes in a few months!

[BuffaloTransplant]

If you are looking to find less expensive housing, look up route 242 to Arcade, Lime Lake, Elton, Machias, Farmersville, Freedom Franklinville. Wonderful area, nice people and cheaper homes. It isn't a really long drive, it is just a bit tough in the winter. Or look up "the 219"; it is the Exwy; about 20 miles to Ellicottville to Springville, It leads up to the towns in Erie County which ooze money: Boston, West Falls, Concord, Hamburg. East Aurora is where you get pricey.There are gorgeous homes in the hills -- places with lots of land. Hamburg has developments and a gorgeous town.

Ellicottvile is a touristy town. You might have luck with a bakery, the restaurants are outrageous in price. I have no idea what you are looking for in trucking; my husband's distant cousin drives a truck from the Lime Lake area to northern Erie County, so there are truck firms there. I think they do it for lumber and gravel,lots of old farms there are going to gravel pits . One bakery by Ellicottville has the place basically sewn up for fancy stuff; a place called Butterwood. I don't know what the deal is there. Since the winter people have the homes for skiing, they come for summer parties as well.... how about catering? You need to go and stay in Ellicottville a day or tow in town and ask around what is booming and what is going bust. Try the Chamber of Commerce as well. Good luck.

[BuffaloTransplant]

There is a bakery called Butterwoods there that has the well-off clients stocked. I don't know of any in town. I think catering would be a good business. There is logging and gravel being trucked out. The ski resorts are seasonal, except for management. Resturants are popular and so are B&Bs -- don't know how they do. You get winter skiers and thier people are then summer people who come to the houses they live in all winter. Lots of cheaper homes up toward either "the 219"(expy) towards Boston, Colden, West Falls ( really pretty)-- many estates back into the hills) and into Hamburg ( village is nice, lots of shops -- the shops are basically now out at the mall. Land is plentiful and fairly cheap over the 242 to Farmersville, Franklinville, Elton, Freedom, Lime Lake. (My husband's family farmed the area for 125 years) Lots of gravel and logging done there. Lime Lake is a summer location ( large cottages). Try the Ellicottville Chamber of Commerce to find out what they need/want. It is busy year round, but I don't know what they "need in business".

[CAugust]

Many many of my friends have homes in the burbs and then a condo or second home in ellicotville that they use all seasons. They enjoy the schooling for their children in Williamsville, Clarence area and yet are just less than an hour away from Ellicotville. The jobs are much more prevelant outside of Ellicotville, but your in a different position than many folks currently living there.