Developers Richard Rogers and Travis Gordon of Urban Vantage, Derek King and Michael Puma of Preservation Studios, and Jason Yots of Common Bond Real Estate have announced that they are nearing completion of the mixed-use The Monroe building/project*.
Formerly known as Record Theatre at 1786 Main Street and 1040 Lafayette Avenue, this integral project will be a catalyst for Main Street, and will help to draw students from the nearby Canisius University campus, while attracting people from all over Western New York to visit the “coming soon” destination.
Not only is the $8.4 million project – financed in part by The Community Preservation Corporation, in cooperation with New York Homes and Community Renewal** – considered a revival of a fabulous historic building (learn more), it also fulfills its mission to become an urban oasis along Main Street and the Metro Rail line.
The Monroe will feature 17 workforce apartments and 11,000 SF of commercial space. While two commercial spaces remain available for rent, most of the commercial square footage is already leased. Now, the development team is beginning to lease the apartments, which will be available starting June 1. According to the leasing agents, the apartments will, on average, be affordable to households earning less than 80% of the area median income.
As for the leased commercial spaces, they include:
Saffron Kitchen, a new Persian restaurant
Two international restaurants operated by graduates of the Westminster Economic Development Initiative’s West Side Bazaar
Fairy Blonde Mother, a hair and beauty salon
Record Workshop, a small shared office and co-working space
The aforementioned leased spaces will all open this summer. A detailed summary of each of the commercial tenants is listed below:
Saffron Kitchen: Set to be Buffalo’s first Persian restaurants, Saffron Kitchen aims to enrich the local culinary scene with authentic flavors. The diverse menu will feature kababs, Duners, sandwiches, Mantu, Kabuli Palau, and more, showcasing a range of enticing dishes. Dessert offerings include Ferni, ShirBerenj, Saffron Ice Cream, Faloodeh, and others. Saffron Kitchen provides a unique dining option beyond generic fast food, catering to late-night cravings and promising a welcoming atmosphere for patrons to indulge in flavorful meals throughout the day and into the early morning. The restaurant’s impending opening is met with eager anticipation, heralding a new era of culinary diversity in Buffalo’s food scene. Operating from 11 am to 3 am daily.
Westminster Economic Development Initiative: WEDI’s West Side Bazaar is a small business incubator where aspiring entrepreneurs incubate business concepts and learn the fundamentals of running a business. Located at 1432 Niagara Street on Buffalo’s West Side, 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 restaurants featuring Vietnamese, Egyptian, Congolese, Italian, Malaysian, Jamaican and Korean cuisines. There are 2 food retail booths on the first floor of The Monroe with additional booths for pop-up events. On the second floor, there are 2 professional offices (homes to a culinary book store and mental health counselors), The Gathering Space, a Learning Lab, commissary kitchen, a wellness room for nursing moms, and additional seating. WEDI’s leaders view The Monroe as an opportunity to provide to recent graduates of the Bazaar with a stepping-stone toward independent “brick-and-mortar” locations.
Fairy Blonde Mother: Founder Christiana Christiano is an accomplished professional with a passion for beauty and a wealth of experience in the hair industry. As the owner of FBM Salon and the developer behind the Fairy Blonde Mother product line, she has established herself as a trusted authority in the field. With over 13 years of expertise as a stylist both behind the chair and in the wedding industry, Christiana brings a unique perspective to her craft. At FBM Salon, clients can indulge in a range of amenities, including steam treatments, a cappuccino and latte station, facial waxing, and hot towels at every wash. At The Monroe, Christiana has finally found a permanent home for her business – a place where she can personally oversee every aspect of the design and construction process to ensure a flawless result.
Record Workshop: Record Workshop is a small shared-office and co-working space featuring a conference room, private offices, co-working desks, and shared administrative support services. It is geared towards solo entrepreneurs and small businesses that might not have the resources to dedicate to full-time, or even part-time, administrative staff, but still have administrative needs and functions to accomplish, diverting time from business growth and development. Record Workshop will have staff to assist participants in these functions, including invoicing, bookkeeping, social media management, payroll, mail and banking. Record Workshop will have various pricing options, ranging from affordable plans that just include occasional conference room use and administrative support, for businesses that are mostly remote but still have occasional in-person meeting needs, to private office suites, for more established businesses. Record Workshop intends to collaborate with, and support, Canisius University students where possible. Unlike many incubators and coworking spaces, Record Workshop does not have a preference for “high growth” start-ups and is largely focused on supporting professional service firms.
A Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting date for The Monroe project will be announced shortly.
For leasing information, contact Caitlin Coder at Schneider Real Estate Services | 716-548-0267
*Initial participants include: Rogers Zabawa PC, Urban Vantage LLC, Common Bond Real Estate, and Small Change.
**Empire State Development Corp. also will provide financing under its Better Buffalo Fund program. Chase Community Equity invested in the federal and New York historic tax credits.
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