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

New Toolcat Roars Through District

The Central Business Improvement District has a new pair of hands shoveling snow and cleaning curb cuts. The CBID is currently leasing a 5600 Toolcat vehicle to assist with district clean-up.

The lease is on a trial basis. “We want to try it out, see if we like it,and see if it can handle the work load,” said Anthony Capece, Executive Director for the BID. The vehicle is equivalent to a 1-ton truck, with hauling capacity, and offers 40 different attachments to work with, including a sweeper and mini-bulldozer.

Before getting the Toolcat, the 16 miles of sidewalk clean-up was done by hand, with brooms and shovels, and, during the winter months, it took days for the five-person staff to complete. “It was tough,” said Stephen McBride, Supervisor of the BID Maintenance Crew.

“We couldn’t keep up with the weather, and I was wearing out the crew,” Capece added. Especially in a heavy winter like the one we’re having now, when there’s been no real thaw, and snow banks have built up along the sidewalk. “Everything’s hard as a rock,” Capece said.

But the Toolcat, emblazoned with the CBID logo, makes short work of the mountainous cliffs of snow. In seconds, Maintenance Crew member P.J. Stone scoops up a load of snow and carts it away. The vehicle is also great for punching out "cuts" in the snow banks and for spreading salt on crosswalks, to ensure safer pedestrian crossing. The new machine makes snow removal a pleasure (almost). The CBID helps the City and the property owners in keeping the crosswalks open in bad weather. It's just another way we try to make the BID area safer and cleaner.

“With the Toolcat the guys don’t mind the snow so much anymore,” said Capece, with a smile.

'Spare' Time: Bowling is affordable fun

Looking for a fun, affordable way to spend an evening with friends or family? Consider bowling! But whatever you do, don’t call the bowling center, a bowling alley. Bowlers don’t like that. After all, alleys call to mind unseemliness and subterfuge—and what’s more above-board than bowling?

“Calling it a bowling alley is a no-no,” said Bowler Hal Bieber. “It’s a bowling center.”

Bieber, 77, and his pal, Norman Greenfeld, 83, are both volunteers with the Albany Bowling Association, a district resident since 1974. The bowling association is a not-for-profit organization, with just over 6,000 members, and as a member of United States Bowling Congress, the association is responsible for organizing bowling leagues and competitions in the Capital Region. The organization is also the interceptor for national bowling tournaments and athletes, Bieber said.

Bieber, Association Manager, has been bowling since 1953, and began to work for the association after he retired from AT&T in 1986. At that time, the association had just over 24,000 members, spread across three groups, the American Bowling Congress, the Women’s International Bowling Congress, and the Young American Bowling Association, but in 2006, the association merged these groups to trim expenses. Today membership is dwindling because there are so many different leisure activities competing for people’s free time, said Bieber. “It’s just too many things going on, and people can only participate in so many things,” he said.

The association offices are chock full of reminders from bowling’s heyday. The walls are decorated with murals of bowlers in mid-swing, as well as the giant aluminum bowling pins that decorated Sunset Lanes on Central before its recent remodel. There’s also a hooked rug of President Richard Nixon bowling, allegedly taken from the White House Lane. The offices also contain a case full of trophies and memorabilia—photographs from the Moscow Musical Theater Troupe in 1988 (what else?) bowling—and certificates and plaques commemorating historic accomplishments. Against one wall is the association’s Hall of Fame, showcasing the names of meritorious achievers, in two categories: good deeds and good bowlers, Bieber explains.

What does it take to be a good bowler?

“Depends what you mean by a good bowler,” Bieber says immediately.

“There’s guys who throw the ball all kinds of ways and get strikes, but I wouldn’t define them as good bowlers,” adds Greenfeld. Greenfeld, a retired University at Albany psychology professor writes a column for the association’s newsletter, titled ‘Why Bowling?’ and has devoted a lot of time to meditating on what it takes to be a good bowler.

According to this savvy bowler, good bowlers need know-how and good technique, and they have to be consistent. Good bowlers are also mindful of the surfaces they’re working with, including the surface of the ball and the lane, Greenfeld said. The weight of the ball can affect how it rolls, and the relative slipperiness of the lane can also be a factor in getting that strike.

“You need physical coordination, mental stick-to-itiveness, and consistency,” said Greenfeld. “It’s mechanical and psychological.”

Recently, Greenfeld was diagnosed with tendonitis in his shoulder and has had to take a break from bowling. He was asked to join a Wii Bowling League, a video game version of the sport, but he declined. For him, bowling is largely social, and he doesn’t see the sport in sitting around video-gaming. “You can find sport now in twiddling your thumbs,” he joked.

When asked about the future of the sport, these two bowlers are thoughtful. “It’s not going to get any bigger,” Bieber allows. However, as long as people are looking for an affordable team sport that is inclusive and promotes camaraderie, bowling will be there, he said.

For those of you looking to try the sport, here’s some tips from our pros:

*Your arm should swing like a pendulum. A lot of people try to force the ball, instead just let it roll off.
*Your body should be bent forward at a 6 degree angle as you walk up to the line, and as you reach the line, you want to put a slight slide and bend in your knee to act as a shock absorber.
*Keep your eye on the target, and keep your head still.
*Whatever you do, don’t call it a bowling alley. It’s a bowling center.
*Likewise, don’t call them gutters, they’re called channels. By that token, a gutter ball shouldn’t be called a gutter ball, then? “Right,” said Bieber. However, after a moment’s pause, he sighs, and concedes, “It shouldn’t be, but it is.”

The Albany Bowling Association is located at 253 Central Avenue. For more information about the sport or about joining a league, call (518) 465-4878.

Everett Road puts best face forward for city visitors

The massive multi-million dollar road construction project on Central Avenue continues, and the latest piece heralds a new era for the city. Illuminated banner poles have been erected on both sides of Everett Road, to mark a grand new entrance to the city of Albany's main commerical corridor, Central Avenue.

Everett Road has been long recognized as one of the city's highest volume access points, with traffic from the east and west coming in from 1-90. The banner pole treatment will serve as a big entrance to the city, and will welcome thousands of visitors every year.

The banner poles are just the latest facelift for Everett. The busy road was also repaved this year, and to make pedestrian navigation easier, sidewalks, curbs, and medians were added. Look for world class flower plantings and a grand gateway sign.

Banners will most likely be mounted in the spring.

Salsa Latina Delivers Authentic Latin American Cuisine

On a recent snowy night, I braved a wintry storm to get a little heat at Salsa Latina. The new Latin American and Mexican grill on Central had come highly recommended--and not just by the locals, but by other Mexican food enthusiasts. These are people like me, who came from the southwest, and now find themselves stranded in a land of ice storms and ketchup parading as salsa. This little group of expats is always on the lookout for a spicy fix, and they said they found it at Salsa Latina, so my expectations were high when I went in that night--and I wasn't disappointed.

We started with chips, salsa, and queso. The queso wasn't any of that cheez whiz goop that you find other places--this was homemade, a thick white sauce in the true Mexican tradition. And the salsa was...well, fresh homemade salsa, and that's a high compliment.

We ordered Carne Asada, which came with two big steaks, pounded thin and seasoned just right. They had that fresh-off-the-grill flavor, and were served with avocado, pico de gallo, beans and rice and warm tortillas, so I could eat them with a knife and fork, or roll 'em up. We also ordered the combination platter with beef enchilada and tamale. The enchilada was smothered with the cheese the way it's supposed to be, and the tamale had a nice crumbly masa shell with a flavorful filling. The service was great with plenty of soda refills, and a couple of trips back to the kitchen for more salsa. Our bill for dinner two came to about $28.

Owner Luis Uzhca caters to a range of tastes here, with authentic dishes from Central America as well as Mexico, including Bistec Salteado and Pollo al Limon. This isn't your average Tex-Mex experience, and fresh-baked breads and import sodas only reinforce that fact. The interior is warm and inviting--lots of dark wood booths, Spanish tile, and rounded arcades. They offer dine-in and delivery, and a Sunday breakfast, which now tops my to-do list. If their huevos rancheros or breakfast burritos are anything like their dinner entrees, I may have found a new home.

Salsa Latina is located at 315 Central Avenue. Call 426-7050 for more information, or visit their website at www.misalsalatina.com

Auto dealerships shovel out this winter

Winter clean up isn't easy, and yet the car dealerships on Central Avenue are sparkling. From Armory Auto to Orange Motors to Lia Hyundai and Advantage Suzuki, Central Avenue is home to some of the biggest auto dealerships in the area. How do they manage to get all of winter's mess of those brand new hoods every day?

"It's a job, I'll tell you," said Armory Auto Salesperson Alan Alpart. With the spate of snow and ice storms we've had lately, the dealerships have to scrape the cars down almost weekly, and then drive them around the lot in a carefully choreographed series of moves, to allow for the snow plows to come through.

At Lia Hyundai, the staff cleans the 300 cars off by hand, using long snow brooms with foam pads, said Larry Burwell, Sales Manager at Lia. Once cleaned, they move them to one side of the lot so they can plow, then move them to the other side so that side can be plowed. "We move them around the lot all day," Burwell said. Usually, the whole staff teams up to make quick work of the clean-up project, he said. "You just get out there and do it."

At Armory, the sales staff runs the cars through the car wash they have on premises, and then hires an outside company to do the plowing and salting. With 800 cars on the lot, clean-up has to be strategic, Alpart said. They keep some cars inside, and try to clean the cars in front first, and then move back through the lines, depending on the time and weather, he said. Freezing rain is the worst, because the cars can't be banged up or scratched, so the ice has to be melted off.

"We hope that we don't have too much weather, but this year we've had some," Alpart said.

We wish you a short, dry winter, guys!