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Celebrate Buffalo is about hometown pride
There are plenty of reasons to love Buffalo, but the best attribute of Western New York, according to Adam Wilson, is the pride of its residents. "Buffalo is a city of spirit, and its energy is like no other," said the 1997 West Seneca East graduate. Wilson witnessed the appreciation Western New Yorkers have of their hometown firsthand while living in South Carolina for two years. Whenever he'd meet others who had moved from the Buffalo area, they would enthusiastically share stories about their beloved city. "People would always laugh and say, 'You have so much pride in your hometown,'" said Wilson, who returned to West Seneca about five years ago. Such pride is reflected in the merchandise of Celebrate Buffalo, a line that Wilson created along with co-founder Joe Garlipp. Celebrate Buffalo's merchandise features the "I Love Buffalo" trademark that Wilson and Garlipp developed in 2005 for the Artvoice Festival. The design is simply the word "I" next to a heart with a buffalo (the animal) inside it. In 2007, Wilson decided to establish Celebrate Buffalo Inc. as its own entity, so he purchased the I Love Buffalo trademark from Tour City Inc., a music merchandising business where he also works. Celebrate Buffalo's merchandise includes T-shirts, tote bags, mugs and shot glasses with the I Love Buffalo design. "We target all ages," Wilson said. "We have everything from dog tees to baby onesies." Wilson said he and his staff are constantly working on new designs and merchandise, including an I Love Buffalo spring water bottle. There is a possibility Celebrate Buffalo will design town-specific shirts in the future. White T-shirts, mugs, shot glasses and beer tap glasses were popular graduation gifts, according to the business owner. New items are added seasonally and are sold through an online store and in more than 10 retail locations throughout the area. During the Sabres' season, "I Love Buffalo Hockey" shirts were a "massive success." The line, which features a blue and gold version of the I Love Buffalo trademark, is still selling well. "We are excited about the football season and upcoming hockey season," Wilson said. Occasionally, Celebrate Buffalo will create custom items if a retailer requests it. Wilson describes Celebrate Buffalo's merchandise as high-end, speciality items, which he prefers to sell exclusively in high-end gift shops. Such retail locations include Bay 6 Clothing Company in the Southgate Plaza, Flagtastic at the Galleria and Eastern Hills malls, the Monarch Newsstand & Gift Shop at the airport and flagship store Spoiled Rotten on Elmwood Avenue. Merchandise is also available at www.celebratebuffa lo.com. "We don't want the trademark to be something you find any old place," Wilson explained. "We want to keep the reputation high and the pride for Buffalo high. People should check out Celebrate Buffalo because they are proud of their hometown and you are supporting local businesses when you purchase our items since we are a Buffalo-based company." Though Wilson enjoys the flexibility and creative control of owning his own business, he said it can be a challenge to put his dreams and hard work into something that isn't a guaranteed success. But Wilson believes in Buffalo and in his business. "Anything can be a huge success if you really push behind it," he said. Wilson said the online store has proved popular with people who have relocated from the Buffalo area. He added that his friends living out of town will sometimes call him to say they saw someone in one of his I Love Buffalo shirts. And that is reason enough to celebrate. e-mail: bhowell@beenews.com |
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