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Thinking about opening a vintage clothing store in Buffalo, NY. I would like to get opinions on the matter! General ideas are vegan shoes, vintage clothes, hand made handbags, new vintage style clothes.. thinking Elmwood ave area. Currently live in NYC area, but from Buffalo. Want to bring big city style to small city!
A vintage store is a great idea, but Elmwood is overdone, the traffic and parking are crazy, and the regulatory committee for the businesses on the street have been compared to *****. Try Hertel Ave instead, its really coming along with bistros, cafes, antique stores, boutiques and of course the old North Park theatre. The streetscape was just redone to increase pedestrian friendly design, and there are still some small vacant storefronts that are much more affordable than Elmwood.
Aside from having been born there, I can't claim much immediate familiarity with Buffalo except for a visit every few years. My instinct would be that Buffalo might not be an ideal vintage clothing market...
Maybe East Aurora, though. Bizarrely foresighted zoning and city planning have preserved the character of this Buffalo suburb, but you may not get the 'foot traffic' of a bigger place.
I happen to stumble across your inquiry about wanting to open a store in the Elmwood area in Buffalo. I grew up in Buffalo (now I teach around Albany), but I think the idea could work. First, it would have to be on Elmwood and I think the NYC influence is a good niche. However, my experience as a small business owner at one time is that Buffalo is very fragile. To be successful you are going to need a lot of money to feed off of through the hard times. Retail fashions is as difficult as the restaurant business. Be willing to change and be flexable. You'll also need a website to expand your store front. Also, a good suggestion would be increasing your public exposure at fairs, street events, and the like. You have a lot of courage to attempt a venture like this. You should really think about your goals and what you want the store to do for you, not what you can do for your store. Good luck, and let me know how's it going.
Jason
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Try Hertel Ave instead
