Small businesses on North Allen are sprucing up, and giving the neighborhood a nice facelift while they're at it. McVeigh's Funeral Home, The Orlo School of Hair Design and Cosmetology, Pepper Jack's, Caffe Italia, and Bobby T's have all made improvements to their exteriors, investing well over a million dollars collectively in this mini-business district off Central Avenue.
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| McVeigh Funeral Home's brand new facade. |
This summer, McVeigh Funeral Home completed extensive renovations to their location. "We attempted to restore as much of the original design as possible, using energy efficient, green products when possible," says David Parente, Director of McVeigh Funeral Home. The renovations include a pillared porch, seating area, pergola, and extensive landscaping, as well as new signage. The family also replaced the building's roofs, windows, lighting, and outdoor security systems and fire alarms. The 150-year old business is located in a former home that has been expanded several times to accomodate the thriving family business. The business originally moved to the neighborhood in the 1930s, and since then, it has become a destination for many Albany families. "Our funeral home has expanded its reach beyond just North Allen Street, and has evolved to the status of a 'destination' funeral home. We serve many, many Albany families; but we clearly have become a place that families from all over the Capital Region seek out for trusted, thoughtful and competent funeral services," says Parente.
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| The Orlo School's brand new facade. |
The Orlo School also made facade improvements this summer, giving the building a coat of fresh white paint and adding new white stone to the landscaping. "We've got to keep up with the Joneses," joked Alice Caputo, owner of The Orlo. Caputo says she was inspired by some of the other improvements she saw taking place at neighboring businesses, especially McVeigh's. Last year, the school also installed solar panels on their roof, which has brought down energy costs significantly, she says. Like the other businesses in the neighborhood, the Orlo is a family business. Caputo and her husband Rick Caputo purchased the building in 1995. Today, they run the school with their children Angela, 28 and Andrew, 23.
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| Pepper Jack's adds patio to the front of the building. |
A few doors down from the beauty school, the ever-popular Pepper Jack's continues to make a name for itself, this time by adding outdoor seating. The restaurant completed its renovations earlier in the summer, adding a patio with seating for outdoor dining, expanding the kitchen, and refurbishing the parking lot at the rear of the building. "We are so excited," says Rebecca Goldschmidt, Manager. "I think it's going to be a great addition to the neighborhood."
Since moving to their present location in 2010, the restaurant has become a popular spot for neighborhood residents, college students, and anyone looking for good burgers, wraps, salads and sandwiches.
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| Caffe Italia adds awning to its Central Avenue restaurant. |
Caffe Italia Ristorante, located just around the corner on Central Avenue, is also trying to add outdoor seating. The restaurant just completed a large awning installation that stretches across the front of the building and hopes to add tables for their dinner service when the weather improves. Bobby T's Sports Grill has also spiffed up its exterior, adding new siding to the well-known sports tavern.
Parente says seeing other neighboring businesses make investments in their buildings only validates his family's committment to the area. "We love being located on North Allen Street, with its diversity of merchants. We have restaurants, schools, hair salons, owner occupied and rental housing stock on North Allen, and it has the feel of a 'City within a City' in so many ways," says Parente. "We also felt comfortable with our investment knowing the wonderful leadership Mayor Jennings exhibited and now Mayor Sheehan." Parente pointed to the number of wonderful things happening in the city, including the development of the water front and Kiernan Plaza, adding that all of these investments made it very easy to go forward with the project and reinvest in the City of Albany.
