Capital Kidzwear: Urbanite brings urbanwear to Albany

Before opening Capital Kidzwear, Suwie Waweru did her homework.

Waweru is an M.B.A., who was working in the financial services field in Manhattan. She describes herself as a "New York City girl pretty much forever," but after the events of September 11, she like so many other New Yorkers, decided to make a change.

Waweru decided to open her own business, and she approached the task with determination and energy. She began researching the Capital District, looking at census information for each city, and did surveys of the area. After learning about Albany's charter school boom, and its diversity, she decided it was the perfect location for the business she had in mind--a clothing store for children that specializes in urban wear and school uniforms. It was the kind of store that she saw all over New York and northern New Jersey, but there weren't any in the here, she said.

According to the store slogan, the store carries "clothes kids wanna wear," including stylish namebrands like Rocawear, Bank Street, and Pellepelle, as well as shoes, boots, and outerwear. They also have a range of formalwear for boys and girls, including little boys' tuxedos and christening clothing.

She and her husband, Patrick Waweru, opened the store in 2006, and business has been good since opening, she said. "It's following the economy," she said. Store sales were relatively stable until July, and then they took a sharp dive, she said. But Waweru, who regularly talks to the surrounding shopowners and other neighbors nearby, said that all small businesses are having trouble right now.

Many local businesses are not making a profit, and they haven't been since July, she said. They need some help or they're going to go out of business. "And you really don't want them to go out of business," she warned. "You really don't, because it will be harder to get that momentum going again."

Capital Kidzwear is on the block of Washington that overlooks Townsend Park, a section of the district that's been known for difficulties with vagrants and graffiti, but these days there's more security and more police support, and that's making it easier to do business here, Waweru said.

More businesses have also come to the area, and that's helping the community reclaim this part of the city. For a long time, many of the surrounding buildings had vacancies, but with the recent addition of Townsend Park Bakery and the new Trustco Bank on the corner, the area is almost fully occupied, and the large office building just down the street at 4 Central Avenue is being renovated to attract new tenants. With just a continued guidance and support, the area can be fully revitalized, she said.

Waweru is full of ideas for revitalizing the area. She believes the Townsend Park area needs better and more consistent signage. Similar signs in an area provide a sense of continuity and security, she said. Business owners could use some help with funding those signs; even $400-$500 in grants for businesses would be a big help, she said.

Waweru also wants businesses to work together to stamp out graffiti. "If you see graffiti, get rid of it," she said. Local businesses don't know that the BID and the city will help them remove graffiti, they think they have to do it themselves, she said.

She also wants more initiatives like Larkfest, to help drum up business. This year, for the first time, Larkfest included the lower part of the Central Business District. The event was "a Godsend," she said, and only wishes there were more events like it. Perhaps businesses could organize sidewalk sales, or another street festival. She also pointed to the themed events that take place in the Empire Plaza Concourse, and said it would be nice if more businesses were invited to participate in these events.

Central Avenue's diversity is valuable, and it should be seen as something positive, she concluded. "People shouldn't be afraid of people who aren't like them coming in and opening businesses. Most people are just the same as you. They're trying to make a buck and raise a family," she said. She urged the community to communicate with these businesses and to open a dialogue with them. They have ideas for initiatives, and input for new businesses, and they can provide guidance for one another, she said.

Neighborhood associations should reach out to business owners as well as residents, she said. The meetings could be a place where local businesses are promoted, and also a forum where residents can ask for goods and services that they need from surrounding businesses, she said.

"There's a lot of good smart people on Central. They're from different places, but that doesn't mean anything," she said. "They should tap them, and ask them questions. They'd be surprised."

Capital Kidzwear is located at 204 Washington Avenue in Albany, 462-2791. www.capitalkidzwear.com The store carries clothing, shoes, and accessories for boys and girls, ages ranging from infant to teen.

NABA Day--by Mayoral Proclamation: NABA Celebrates 100th Anniversary

This year, the Northeastern Association of the Blind at Albany is celebrating its diamond anniversary. The non-profit organization has offered services and programs to the blind and vision-impaired in the Capital District for the last 100 years.

Today, Mayor Jerry Jennings celebrated the organization's anniversary with a proclamation, designating the day as NABA Day. The mayor and media crews were on hand to help celebrate the association's accomplishments. The festivities included a speech by the mayor, and punch and cake provided by Crisan Bakery.

Executive Director Chris Burke read congratulatory letters from President George W. Bush, NYS Governor David Paterson, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Jennings also offered his thanks and congratulations, saying Albany is fortunate to have NABA, and to celebrate the "camraderie and friendships" built there over the last 100 years. To show his appreciation, Burke presented the mayor with a safety vest sewn at NABA's manufacturing center. The vest was emblazoned with the word "Mayor."

Afterwards, a tour was taken through the center and the Harry M. Judge Vision Rehabilitation Center, which opened in 2006 to help clients with diminishing vision. Clients with visual impairments are provided with a variety of tools, including magnifying televisions, check registers, talking watches, and canes.

Begun as a program that offered craft workshops and dances, NABA has expanded to a full-scale service organization with a variety of programs and employment. The center provides employment for 95, 45 of whom are legally blind. Many work at the center's industrial sewing facility. There, these men and women manufacture and ship 70,000 safety vests a year, said Brooke Newell, Director of Development for NABA. The industrial sewing operation gives these men and women independence and satisfaction that comes with a job and earning a regular paycheck, she said. NABA currently manufactures uniforms for MTA, and NYS, and hopes to expand operations this year, she said.

The anniversary celebrations also included a gala event and silent auction at the Albany Institute of History and Art on December 4. The show featured the work of the Blind Artist's Society, a collective of 25 artists coping with vision loss. The exhibit was the group's first official show. The event was attended by about 180 guests, and judged very successful, said Newell.

NABA began on December 7, 1908, when 10 blind men and women got together to offer social and workshop activities. The organization was housed at 105 Lancaster Street. To raise money to support the organization and offer employment for the blind, the members began to manufacture goods, a practice that continues today. In 1923, the organization moved to State Street, and then in 1958, moved to their present location at 301 Washington Avenue, across the street from the YMCA.

Today, NABA offers programs that cater to every age group. They provide free vision screening for toddlers, summer training programs for grade school age-children, internship programs for teens, employment training and transition programs to help high school students move into adulthood, vocational counseling for adults, and training for seniors to help them learn to use canes, magnifying glasses and special software.

Honest Weight Solicits Help to Make Dream Store a Reality

Honest Weight Food Co-Op, a member-owned grocery and natural foods store on Central Avenue, is reaching out to the community, and asking for help to build a new store on Watervliet Avenue. The co-op is soliciting $2 million in private loans from shareholders to help make the new dream store a reality.

The co-op would like to raise as much as possible through shareholder loans, so that they can rely less on loans from financial institutions with all their attendant costs. According to the store's facilities committee, other cooperatives have had great success borrowing money from their shareholders.

According to the pamphlet sent to shareholders, loans must be in a minimum of $1,000, and interest on a loan for up to $10,000 will be 1-4% and 1-6% on loans for $10,000 or more.

Currently cramped for space at its location at 484 Central Avenue, the co-op bought a under-utilized, concrete block building at 100 Watervliet Avenue last fall (pictured above), with plans to renovate it. This fall, they announced plans to tear down the old building to build a new more environmentally sustainable Green building on the site, pushing their move-in date to 2010. The co-op hired 3t architects, and have reviewed designs for the new building. Construction is slated to begin in 2009.

As an interim solution to current space constraints, the store has transformed warehouse space into retail space. They spent the fall reorganizing floor plan to allow for more room and smoother flow of traffic. The produce section has expanded into health and beauty, and health and beauty has moved into the new warehouse space. Likewise, the bulk section and dairy have moved into the new space, to allow more space for canned and packaged goods. The new layout is much more appealing overall, and shoppers have more room to perambulate, without worrying about crashing carts with other shoppers. Their newly expanded orgainic cheese/deli department is the best for miles around.

The new store will be over 18,000 square feet, including a deli and bakery, a juice and coffee bar, and a teaching kitchen, and expanded parking facilities. This new construction project is also looking to meet high LEED standards.

Security Supply doubles facilities on Central

Security Supply, a regional heating and plumbing supply business, has doubled the size of their retail space on Central Avenue.

Security Supply purchased the building next door to their location at 475 Central, which was previously owned by PHAC Products, Inc. After knocking down the PHAC building, they built a brand new showroom and office space. The showroom will offer additional space to showcase their tubs, showers and sinks, with large windows right on Central to beckon customers in. Security Supply's old showroom will become a training facility.

Security spent the fall constructing the new building, and is currently completing the interior finishing. Work is expected to be completed this summer.

Security Supply has been in business for 75 years. They have 11 locations in the region.

Mohawk Ambulance garage opens

Construction on the Mohawk Ambulance garage on Central Avenue is complete. Located near the corner of North Main Street, the brand-new facility has room for six ambulances and a training facility on the second floor for continuing education and community CPR courses.

Currently, the three-bay garage runs three ambulances by day, and two by night, and their staff ranges from 4-6 people.

Mohawk is very happy with new garage and the loves the surrounding neighborhood, said Rich Brandt, Vice President for Operations for Mohawk. Brandt said the proximity to Central and 1-90 is particularly convenient. "It's great access for us," he said.

"We've been part of Albany for 22 years, and we're pleased to be able to continue serving the community," Brandt said.  The garage is the second Mohawk facility in Albany. They also have facilities in Troy, Schenectady, and Brunswick.

Dinner is Served! Order your Thanksgiving Dinner ahead

If Thanksgiving has you wringing your hands, rather than giving thanks, think about ordering dinner from one of the many merchants on Central Avenue.

These dinners are pre-cooked and ready to eat, so you won't have to spend the day in the kitchen. They have all the fixings, so your guests will never know the difference. You can order by phone, and then simply stop in to pick yours up.

Pre-made meals eliminate the hassle of cooking, and are especially good for people who are too busy to cook, said Kristen Weckesser, Assistant Manager at Carmine's. But the meal doesn't just save you time...For those people who aren't so hot in the kitchen, this gourmet meal can save you from holiday humiliation. "We can make you look like a superstar," Weckesser said. Carmine's has been making dinners for about four years, and last year they made 100 dinners.

Each year, Hannaford makes about 20 dinners, and they always go quickly, explained a customer service rep. This year there's only about 9 left.

Here's some holiday options for you:
Hannaford, 900 Central Avenue, 438-7296

Turkey Dinner or Ham Dinner, $54.99, serves 6-8 people

10-12 lb. turkey or 7-9 lb. hickory-smoked ham

3 lb. of stuffing or 2 lb. green bean casserole

4 lb. mashed potatoes

2 lb. butternut squash

2 lb. gravy

1 lb. cranberry sauce

12 rolls

8" pie

You can also order just the turkey for $24.99, and make your own side dishes. Place your order now because the dinners are going quickly.

PriceChopper, Westgate Plaza, 911 Central Avenue, 482-0280

Turkey breast or whole turkey dinner, your choice, $69.99. Breast serves 6-7, whole turkey, 7-8 4 lb. mashed potatoes
26 oz. gravy
3-1/2 stuffing
14 oz. cranberry sauce
12 rolls
10" pie
Ham dinner available with potatoes, rolls, and pie for $39.99
Please place your order by November 22.
Carmine's, 818 Central Avenue, 458-8688
Roasted turkey with a madeira gravy
Cranberry, apple and sausage stuffing
Homemade mashed potatoes
Port wine spiced cranberry sauce
Orange glazed candied carrots
Pumpkin butter sweet potatoes
Sweet Buttered corn
Roasted mixed vegetables
Fresh rolls with butter
Fresh baked pie
Serves
4-6 people for $95.00
10-12 for $180
18-20 for $240
Place your orders by November 23 at 8pm, and pick your dinner up anytime on Wednesday November 26. The meals even include a little instruction card for easy finishing.
Now there's no reason not to be thankful.

Gingerbread Fantasies--Annual HATAS fundraiser a building success

A Spanish galleon, a winter market scene, carousels--all made out of gingerbread?

These were just some of the fantastic submissions to this year's HATAS Home Sweet Gingerbread Home event. "There were a lot of imaginative ideas," said Natasha Pernicka, Assistant Executive Director for HATAS. This annual fundraiser for Homeless and Travelers Aid Society (HATAS) brings together corporate teams, community teams and culinary professionals from across the region to construct gingerbread homes. The homes are then auctioned off, and proceeds donated to this social service agency.

This year, the homes, 15 in all, were displayed at Crossgates Mall on November 8, and then sold by silent auction at the Winter Gingerland Evening at the Fort Orange Club on November 13. The Gingerland Evening event, held for the first time this year, was very successful, said Pernicka. Last year, the gingerbread house auction raised $11,000, and this year, HATAS believes the fundraiser made nearly twice that, she said.

HATAS is a mission-based organization dedicated to providing assistance for the homeless and low-income individuals and families. HATAS serves as a central intake point for the Albany County emergency shelter system. HATAS offers emergency services as well as mental health programming, housing, and employment programming, for a truly comprehensive approach to the crisis of homelessness. The funds raised through Home Sweet Gingerbread Home are dedicated to furthering this mission, and raising awareness about homelessness in our community.

Thanksgiving Feat: Equinox feeds thousands at annual feast

Stressed out about planning the upcoming Thanksgiving dinner? Imagine feeding 8,500...

Every year Equinox, Inc. serves dinner to thousands of needy, homeless, and homebound in the Capital Region, a sprawling effort that begins months before the actual meal. The Annual Thanksgiving Day Community Dinner started in 1969 when a group of University at Albany students couldn't travel home for the holidays. The students went to the First Presbyterian Church in Center Square, and cooked up a meal. They has such a good time, they decided to do it again the following year, and Equinox joined in the effort. Today the Thanksgiving meal is an annual tradition, feeding 500 at the church, and delivering an estimated 8,000 meals to shut-ins across the region.

This feat couldn't be accomplished without help from the thousands of people who donate their time, money, and supplies, said Patti Tullgren, Adult Services Coordinator for Equinox.

Just the amount of food Equinox has to pull together is staggering: 8,000 pounds of turkey, 2,000 pounds of ham, 2,800 pounds of yams, 940 pies, 19,500 pieces of fruit. That's just the beginning of the shopping list. Joan Harrington is so excited she hits the red button on her desk. Music blares out, and she and Tullgren do a little cheering. It's been a good day, Harrington explains. With today's donations from a farmer in Schoharie--800 pounds of potatoes and 500 pounds of carrots--Harrington has successfully reached her goal for potatoes and carrots, she says.

Harrington has been volunteering for the event for eight years, soliciting donations from organizations and individuals. The event never ceases to amaze her. "It's such a real picture of this community, and who gets involved and who helps," she said.

It takes a lot of materials to get this dinner off the ground. "It's little things you never even think of," said Tullgren. Volunteers like Harrington coordinate the donations of all the food--from turkeys to cherries--and all the supplies, including hair nets, refrigerated trucks, and to-go containers. Tullgren shows me the basement. It was packed with donated supplies just this morning, she said, before donated moving vans came to truck the boxes over to the plaza this afternoon. Here and there, boxes of pumpkins and gourds wait for the next trip. They'll probably use them to decorate the tables, she explains. Against the wall, there's a box of reusuable grocery bags from a local insurance agency--there was a misprint on the bags, and rather than throw them away, they donated them to the event, she said. These will be used to carry the meals into the home. Here, it seems, everything is put to good use, and nothing is wasted. "You read about all of this doom and gloom in the paper, and some people can't afford to help out this year, but for everyone that drops off, you have someone right behind them willing to lend a hand. It's amazing," said Tullgren.

Once all the food and supplies are in place, the cooking begins. In the week leading up to the dinner, thousands of volunteers swarm the Empire State Plaza after-hours and take over all the kitchens in the Concourse area. Every evening until the wee hours, they show up in shifts to peel potatoes, cook turkeys, and prepare fruit cups. All the cooked meals--some 8,000--are packed and stored in the refrigeration units there--also donated. Meanwhile, preparation is also going on at the church, where volunteers are getting ready to serve a sit-down dinner to another 500. Volunteers set up long tables with linen tableclothes and handmade decorations. "We make sure everyone really feels like they're having a nice sit-down dinner," said Tullgren.

On Thanksgiving Day, hundreds more volunteers show up at the church to serve dinner to the waiting crowds, and thousands more volunteers line up at the plaza to ferry the prepared meals out to shut-ins across the region, taking time out of their holidays to deliver a homecooked meal to the less fortunate.

"It's an amazing outpouring of community," said Tullgren.

Lea Bosquez also mans the phones at Equinox, recruiting volunteers and signing up people to receive meals. On Thanksgiving Day you will find her right here, still manning the phones, just to making sure everyone that signed up gets their meals. Bosquez has been volunteering with Equinox for four years, and says she keeps coming back because it is so rewarding. "People are really thankful," she said. "It comes through in their voices on the phone, and they say, 'Oh, thank you.' or 'God bless you, honey.' You can tell it really means a lot to them."

Dinner will be served at First Presbyterian Church on the corner of State Street and Willett Street in Albany from 1-4pm on Thanksgiving Day, first come, first serve. If you would like to make a donation or volunteer your time, or sign up for a meal, please contact Equinox at 434-0131. Donations can also be dropped off at The Corporate Offices of Equinox @ 95 Central Avenue in Albany. Equinox still needs a number of turkeys and hams to make their meal complete.

SUNY Showcase: Central Avenue comes to the students

Last week, the downtown SUNY Albany campus hosted the second annual SUNY Showcase, welcoming businesses from up and down Central to the Avenue to show their wares.

"The students all need restaurants, laundromats, drycleaning, etc. and they may not know it's available right on Central," said Jerry Parker, Assistant Provost for the University at Albany.

This year marks the second annual showcase, and the atmosphere was fun and festive. Local restaurants offered ice cream and other nibbles, while other businesses offered coupons and discounts. The balloon man provided giant balloon columns, and a cariacature artist sketched excited students, adding to the fair-like feeling.

As an added bonus, the Central BID offered zip drives packed with Central Avenue menus, and links to the BID website, said BID Executive Director Anthony Capece. The drives are a quick, inexpensive way to provide the students with greater access to the Avenue, he said.

The growing alliance between the BID and the SUNY campus is win-win. The students are an untapped market for many local businesses, and the students benefit because the close proximity of so many shops, restaurants, autos an services means they don't have to travel far to get what they need.

SUNY will continue to hold the event, and is even considering making it part of Orientation next year to ramp up attendance, Parker said. "We want to have a greater presence in the surrounding neighborhood and community," Parker said.

Have the Avenue Delivered to your Door--at the click of a button

Ordering lunch for the office? Or maybe you’re planning to place an order for family dinner? Or snacks for the dorm? Wouldn't it be nice if you could just place a food order online? Now you can.

The Central Business Improvement District has partnered with Delivery.com. The new website lets customers order food just like they shop—online. The initiative is part of the ongoing efforts to promote restaurants and other businesses within the district, explained BID Executive Director Anthony Capece at a recent presentation to real Commercial estate brokers. We are trying to be innovators in bringing the internet to main street.

The BID coordinated the involvement of a number of restaurants on Central, and provided a link to the website on this newsletter. Now, customers can "have the avenue delivered" right to their door.

The network of vendors on Delivery.com is still growing, but the website includes access to a number of different restaurants, including Ichiban, Salsa Latina, Gandhi Restaurant, and Aashiana. The website provides a full menu at each restaurant, and customers simply click the dishes they want added to their order. At the end, they pay with a a credit card via a secure server, just as they would online.

It's easy and fast, said Capece. And for those customers who tend to order the same things over again, Delivery.com saves your order, so you just press a button, and the restaurant brings you your usual, he said. Restaurants who are participating say they hope Delivery.com will help them reach out to more people.

Salsa Latina owner Luis Uzhca heard about the website through the BID, and liked the idea. He said he currently gets 2-3 orders a day through Delivery.com, and believes it will pick up, “if we could just advertise it a little more.” He suggests letting promoting the website through local hotels like the Clarion and Motel 6, so that hotel guests can order in.

Aashiana owner Saleem Khan said he hopes the website will raise his profile in the community. Currently, he’s had only two orders placed through Delivery.com. Not everyone knows that his Middle Eastern and Mediterranean restaurant makes deliveries, and he’s hoping the website will help build his delivery business, he said.

The website also provides access to other categories besides food, including flowers and gifts, and household goods. The BID would eventually like to populate these categories with Central businesses as well, Capece said. If businesses want in they should call us, we make it happen...