District Deals: Discount shopping goes up

Except for a brief stint at UPS over the holidays, Jayvon Israel has been without a job for several months. “I’m putting in applications, but there’s nothing out there,” he said. Israel was shopping at the Dollar General on a recent weekday, snapping up low-priced juice, dish soap, and paper towels. “I do more of my shopping here now,” said Israel. He also does more shopping around than he used to, comparing prices at the grocery store, box stores, and discount stores before he makes purchases, he said.

Israel’s not alone. The current economy has a lot of people looking for ways to stretch a dollar, and many are shopping for bargains right here in the Central Avenue BID district.

According to a Datamonitor report on national shopping trends, more people are turning to discount stores for good deals on food and groceries. “The current economic downturn has contributed to consumers switching to discount stores and private label alternatives more often in 2008,” the report states.

“Business is on the rise,” said Dollar Tree Manager Ben Nisky. The dollar store in Westgate Plaza offers a range of merchandise and also boasts a wide selection of holiday and party goods and toys, and more customers are coming in looking for a good deal.

This past Friday, customer Rita Fiscarelli loaded her cart with Valentine’s Day gift bags and cute stuffed animals. “I like to get holiday stuff here because it’s inexpensive,” she said.

Business is also booming at The Dollar Shop, located across the street in Hannaford Plaza. The store expanded two months ago to keep up with its growing customer base, said Manager Pervez Butt. The new store offers more space for displays and also more shopping aisles, stacked with everything from aluminum baking pans to candles and cooking spices. The store carries over 100 different brands, he said.

More people are coming in, but they’re still buying the same things, Butt said: “Mostly candy, hair stuff, socks, party stuff.”

Over at Dollar General at 484 Central Avenue customer numbers are also up, and so is demand for grocery items. Store staff report that customers are buying a wider range of goods here than previously, including more food, household goods, and clothing. To accommodate demand, the store carries more name-brand grocery items, including soda, juices, milk and snacks, and drug store sundries like makeup, shampoo, and toothpaste, with prices as low as $1 and $2.

In a tough economy like the one we now find ourselves in, bargains like these can help families stay afloat.

Brand New Offices for Aspen Dental

Aspen Dental will continue to keep your pearly whites, pearly white, but they'll do it from a couple blocks down the street, in a brand-new beautiful building to match your brand-new beautiful smile.

Aspen Dental relocated its office at Westgate Plaza to a brand-new freestanding building in front of Home Depot. The new office opened January 26.

"The decision to relocate was made to provideAspen Dental patients a more modern, pleasant,comfortable setting," said Mark Frank, Marketing and Communications Manager, Aspen Dental in Syracuse. The new facilities boast large patient rooms, and a bigger reception and consultation area.

The offices will also use the latest technology to make patient services more efficient and convenient. "As far as technology is concerned, the new office will provide state-of-the art Kodak Dental Systems digital radiography products, which saves patients time waiting for traditional x-rays and allows Aspen Dentists to better diagnose, serve and treat patients." Aspen also offers chairside T.V. for patients to help explain x-rays, and to make the visits more enjoyable.

Aspen Dental will continue to offer full range of services including hygiene, oral surgery, fillings, whitening and crown and bridge work, and an on-site denture lab.

As part of the grand opening celebration, the office will be offering free new-patient exams and x-rays, and special pricing on dental and denture services.

Aspen Dental features extended hours, including Saturday appointments.

The new Aspen Dental is located at 979 Central Avenue. To make an appointment, call 518-591-1000 or visit http://www.aspendent.com/

Honest Weight Approves New Store Design

Honest Weight Food Co-Op members voted 185 to 10 approve design plans for the new green grocery store on Watervliet Avenue, and January netted $172,000 toward the organization's independent financing goal of $2 million.

While initially the co-op was planning to renovate the existing concrete block building at 100 Watervliet Avenue, they decided to build new store to suit their needs after doing a side-by-side cost comparison.

According to the presentation presented at the member meeting January 25, whether they rebuild or simply renovate, construction costs are coming in between $4.5 and $5.5 million. "Best case scenario (low ball, lowest common denominator building) for renovation would only save a small percentage over build to suit," the presentation states. "For this we get a building that functions as a store but isn’t very green." The renovated building would offer very little daylight and wouldn't be expandable without rebuilding.

Designs for the new store include an open floor plan with a second floor mezzanine, offices, community space, a teaching kitchen, cafe area, and a large parking lot. The co-op will be seeking the highest LEED rating for environmental-friendly construction. The co-op is working with 3t Architects.

New vision: NABA expands holdings on Central

The Northeastern Association of the Blind at Albany began their $3 million remodeling project this week. The organization demolished two buildings on Central to expand possiblities for their other adjacent holdings, which are a source of income for NABA, defraying operating costs for the expansive service program.

NABA resides at 301 Washington, and leases out offices next door at 299. This week, buildings located at 86 and 88 Central Avenue were bulldozed to make room for parking and a small dog park. This parking area, which is adjacent to 301 Washington, will serve the surrounding offices, including the newly purchased building at 80 Central.

Bought last year, the two-story office building at 80 Central is currently under renovation, with about $2.7 million worth of improvements planned for the inside and outside. The organization will also consider restoring the building's historic facade, with its soaring columns and intricate cornices. Once completed, NABA will look for a tenant to occupy the office space, to help generate income for their programming, said Christopher Burke, NABA's Executive Director.

The new parking lot next door will help entice tenants to the building, attracting many customers who otherwise not consider the location, Burke said. The private lot will be landscaped and gated, and an appealing addition to Central, he said.

"At the end of the day, we're bringing back a 2,400 square foot building, and bringing a Class A tenant into the district," Burke said.

NABA currently leases their space at 299 to SUNY Albany, and hopes to find similar tenants for the building at 80 Central. They are looking for a long-term non-profit or commercial tenant, Burke said.

NABA has been a district neighbor since 1958, and continues to be an active force in the district. "It's rare to have a non-profit stay and invest in an area," Burke said. NABA and its clients like being part of the fabric of uptown, with its supportive community and convenient businesses. Clients can walk to banks and restaurants, and the organization has a great relationship with the city and the police department, Burke said.

Getting people in and out continues to be a challenge, because parking can be hard to find. However, with the new lot and the newly leased spaces in the nearby Lexington Avenue lot, Burke is hopeful that visitors won't have such a hard time stopping in.

"This project shows our committment to the area," Burke said.

AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH

CITY OF ALBANY “AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH” GOSPEL GALA 2009 ANNOUNCED

Albany, NY – Mayor Jerry Jennings and the City of Albany are pleased to announce the “African-American History Month” Gospel Gala 2009.

On Friday, February 6, 2009, the City of Albany will host the eighth annual celebration of African-American History through gospel music at the historic Palace Theatre. This free event will officially kick-off African-American History Month in the City and will include performances by local gospel choirs and liturgical dance groups. This will also be the first opportunity for the Capital District to celebrate the election of the 44th President of the United States, and the first African-American, President Barack Obama.

Carter G. Woodson initiated the celebration of African-American heritage in 1926 as Negro History Week. This second week in February was chosen because it marked the birthdays of two men who greatly impacted the African-American population, Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. In 1976, the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History expanded the observance and celebration throughout the month of February.

Doors open at 6:00 p.m. The program begins at 7:00 p.m. and will include the following:

o Ms. Ariel King singing the National Anthem

o Metropolitan NTM Baptist Church Horns directed by Bro. Cliff Avery

o H.I.P. H.O.P and Community Praise Dancers under the direction of Carleatha Wilson

o Mount Pleasant Baptist Church Liturgical Dancers

o Area Soloists

o Duryee AME Zion Men’s Choir

o Macedonia Baptist Church Voices of Faith

o Capital District Voices in Praise under the direction of Gospel Gala 2009 Coordinator and Minister of Music Dennis Lee Edney

o Team on Line – a self-taught gymnastics team featuring an all-male group ranging in age from 8 to 16 years old