Local Business Stories

October 23, 2026

Vidler's 5 & 10 Is Up for Sale After 96 Years in the Family. It Started With a Spool of Thread and a Bet It Wouldn't Last Six Weeks.

Vidler's in East Aurora is up for sale after 96 years in the family, and the story of how it started is one you'll want to hear.

Grand Island

October 8, 2026

The Grand Island Family Behind Plumb-Rite Plumbing

Every town has that one family you call when the basement starts gurgling. On Grand Island, a lot of folks call Mike. Here's their story.

Janua Labs

October 7, 2026

Ask AI Who to Call in the 716. A Buffalo Company Is Writing Down the Answers.

Ever asked ChatGPT where to eat or who to call around here? A Buffalo company working out of the old Fairmont Creamery building has been counting which local businesses AI actually names, and the numbers surprised us.

September 26, 2026

Two Western New York Starbucks Are Closing, in the Region That Started the Whole Starbucks Union Movement

Two WNY Starbucks are closing Saturday, and there's a Buffalo twist to the story that a lot of people forget.

Buffalo

September 24, 2026

Famous Doughnuts Was Gone After More Than 80 Years, Then Two Young Guys Bought It and Kept Every Recipe

Famous Doughnuts closed after more than 80 years, then two young guys who never worked a bakery bought it, kept every recipe, and asked the old owner to stay and teach them.

Grand Island

August 27, 2026

The Guy on Lang Blvd Who Turned a Karate Studio Into Grand Island's Third Space

Derek Staubitz runs Hybrid Defense on Lang Blvd on Grand Island, and it has quietly become more than a self-defense studio. Free training for moms, Nerf Night, Game Night, a Third Space philosophy, and real-world safety response. Full story here.

Dana's Stylin Pets

August 22, 2026

Dana Carver Built a Grooming Salon Where Dogs Don't Have to Jump and Employees Don't Have to Hurt

Dana Carver spent 15 years learning how to build a grooming salon that doesn't hurt the dogs or the people who care for them.

Southern Junction

August 16, 2026

Born in India, Raised in Texas, Built in Buffalo: The Story Behind Southern Junction

Ryan Fernandez was born in Kerala, India, raised in Texas, and built something in Buffalo that doesn't exist anywhere else on earth. Southern Junction on Connecticut Street blends Texas BBQ with South Indian flavors in a way that earned James Beard nominations and a spot inside the new Highmark Stadium. Full story here.

Careteam Solutions

August 11, 2026

The Bills and the Sabres Were Run Out of a Butter Warehouse on Scott Street. Look Who's There Now.

Did you know the Bills and Sabres front office used to run out of that big brick building on Scott Street off the 190? It was a butter warehouse in 1920, sat empty for almost twenty years, and there's a whole other story in there now. Wrote the whole thing up.

Lockport

August 8, 2026

The Backyard BBQ Idea That Turned Into Lockport's First Brewery in 100 Years

Ever wonder how NYBP in Lockport actually got started? It began with a couple, a cookout in Cooperstown, and a whole lot of people telling them it wouldn't work in Lockport.

Rapid Clean Laundromat

August 8, 2026

Grand Island Went Without a Laundromat. Carmen Scordo Just Fixed That.

After The Laundry Lounge closed, doing laundry on the Island meant crossing a bridge. Not anymore, and the parking lot tells you somebody thought hard about this place.

Duquin Family Chiropractic

June 22, 2026

Four Car Wrecks and a Way Home: The Story Behind Duquin Family Chiropractic

Did you know Duquin Family Chiropractic in Amherst basically exists because of four car accidents? Christian Duquin's mom went through a brutal stretch when he was a kid, and chiropractic was the only thing that helped her. He never forgot it. Great little WNY story, had to share.

Brad Bowman, WNY Metro Roberts Realty

May 26, 2026

Brad Bowman: The Guy WNY Families Call When It's Time to Move

If you've bought or sold a house in the Tonawandas, you might already know this guy 👇

Hearts Thrift Store

April 17, 2026

A $6.99 Teapot and 35 Years of Feeding Western New York: The Hearts for the Homeless Story

Did you know the founder of Hearts for the Homeless once lived out of the back of a Ryder truck? That experience turned into 35 years of feeding and clothing Western New York, and now they just opened their first ever Niagara County thrift store right in the Niagara Falls Wegmans plaza.

CasXteriors Inc

April 3, 2026

Brian Castillo Has Been Fixing Up Grand Island Homes for Over 14 Years

Brian Castillo has been running CasXteriors on Grand Island for over 14 years. Here's a look at the exterior contractor who's been part of the 14072 since 2010.

Pickleball Island

April 3, 2026

Grand Island Has the Biggest Indoor Pickleball Facility in All of New York State

Grand Island is home to the largest dedicated indoor pickleball facility in all of New York State. Here's the story behind Pickleball Island on Lang Boulevard.

Mesmer's Dairy

April 3, 2026

Mesmer's Dairy on Love Road and the Generation That Built Grand Island While Fighting a World War

Before most people knew Grand Island had a Love Road, the Mesmer brothers were building a dairy there. The milk in half the fridges in Tonawanda and Kenmore came from that plant, and the Orange Zing they sold was the drink every kid in the 716 remembers.

Gene McCarthy's

March 19, 2026

Ronnie's Chair: The 90-Year Story of Gene McCarthy's and the Heart of the Old First Ward

There's a chair at 73 Hamburg Street in Buffalo's Old First Ward that nobody sits in anymore. It has a Yankees license plate that says Ronnie on the front. The man who sat in it for more than 50 years passed away in May 2024. This is the 90-year story of the bar he loved.

Grand Island

March 17, 2026

There's a 9-Foot Alien Made of 1,200 Recycled Metal Parts Standing Inside a Plant Shop on Grand Island Boulevard

There's a 9-foot alien made of over 1,200 recycled metal parts standing inside a plant and artisan shop on Grand Island Blvd. Leaf, Stone and Steel opened in 2024 and it's unlike anything else on the island.

Cross Controls

March 13, 2026

He Started With a Van and a Plan. Thirty Years Later, His Sons Are Running the Routes.

Don Benoit started Cross Controls Electric out of his family van on Grand Island in 1996. This year they turn 30, his sons are running the business, and their vans are still all over WNY.

Adam's Detailing and Coatings

March 10, 2026

Someone Brought a Range Rover to Grand Island Blvd and Left With a Mirror.

Someone brought a Range Rover to Grand Island Blvd in 2020 and left with what they described as a mirror. The story behind Adam's Detailing is a good one. 👇

GK Property Maintenance LLC

March 10, 2026

The Name on the Door Is GK Property Maintenance. The Person Answering the Phone Is Gary.

Gary West lives on the Island and runs GK Property Maintenance out of the same community he has been part of his whole life.

Alpha Junk Removal and Services

March 10, 2026

A Grand Island Kid Built a Business Around the Jobs Nobody Wants to Do Alone

A Grand Island High School grad built a whole business around the jobs the rest of us keep putting off. 👇

Martinsville Soapworks

March 7, 2026

She Grew Up in Martinsville. Now She Makes Soap There. And the Story Goes Back 180 Years.

She grew up in a neighborhood older than North Tonawanda itself, and named her soap business after it — this story goes back to 1842 👇

Aerial Insight LLC

March 6, 2026

Aerial Insight LLC — Grand Island's Eye in the Sky

Tannon Montea has been flying drones out of Grand Island since 2017, building Aerial Insight LLC into a trusted local name for real estate, construction, and inspection work across the 716.

Tonawanda

March 4, 2026

When the Whale Goes Back on the Roof, Summer Has Officially Started in Tonawanda

When a giant blue whale named Wanda goes back on the roof in Tonawanda, WNY knows summer is here — and the story behind her is a good one 👇

The Island Shoppe

March 1, 2026

From Fire Trucks to Ice Cream Cones: How Josephine Ciffa Built Grand Island's Favorite Little Shop

Josephine Ciffa went from volunteer firefighter and Fire Company president to opening Grand Island's go-to shop for Perry's Ice Cream, Red Osier roast beef, and locally made gifts.

Kelly's Country Store

February 27, 2026

Kelly's Country Store: Four Generations on Grand Island Boulevard

In 1962, Walter and Grace Kelly traded their Buffalo home and one dollar for a tiny building on Grand Island Boulevard. Four generations later, the family is still there.

North Tonawanda

February 25, 2026

What the Soup Lady Meant to North Tonawanda

After eleven years in a tiny train car diner on Oliver Street, Barbara Gauchat is serving her last bowls of soup this Thursday — and North Tonawanda is feeling the loss.

Chef's

February 23, 2026

Chef's: The 12-Year-Old Dishwasher Who Bought the Restaurant and Built a Buffalo Legend

A 12-year-old dishwasher borrowed $8,000 from his dad and bought the restaurant on Seneca Street. Over 100 years later, the Billittier family is still there.

Caputi's

February 22, 2026

The Caputi Family: 80 Years on the Same Mission, from a Veteran's Loan to a Tonawanda Legacy

The Caputi family has been part of the Buffalo and Tonawanda community since 1946, when Vincent Caputi came home from WWII and opened a liquor store with a Veterans loan.

Novellino Climate Solutions

February 19, 2026

The Grand Island HVAC Guy Your Neighbors Keep Recommending

Eric Novellino launched his family HVAC business right on Grand Island, and with Winter coming to an end and AC season around the corner, his neighbors are glad he did.