If water runs through it ...
Seneca Plumbing family celebrates 75 years
by ELIZABETH TAUFA Reporter

For its 75th anniversary, Seneca Plumbing refurbished the neon sign that has been a fixture since the mid-1940s, making it the oldest neon sign in continuous operation in the city.

"If water runs through it - you're bound to find it at Seneca ..."

That's the motto that the owners of Seneca Plumbing have been using for almost all of the years they have owned the Seneca Street business.

And for anyone counting, that's 75 years.

Alan Linsky, president and owner of Seneca Plumbing, is the second generation to own the store. His father, Max, started the company in 1932 by buying such used pieces as toilets, bathtubs and sinks, and cleaning and selling them out of a rented garage down the street from 192 Seneca St.

"He did that for five years until he bought the current location," said Linsky, who lived in Amherst for more than 20 years.

Since then, Seneca Plumbing has been specializing in the needs of its customers, which include everyone from homeowners to apartment complexes to hospitals.

According to Linsky, the family owned and -operated business strives to remain up to date.

Alan Linsky, left, pictured with his wife, Linda, and Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown at the business's 75th anniversary gala, has owned Seneca Plumbing since 1975 when his father, Max, founder of the store, retired.

Featured products include tankless water heaters, which provide unlimited hot water while saving energy because they do not heat the water until the hot water tap is turned on inside the house.

Another item is back-up pump systems for basements. They rely on water pressure rather than electricity or battery power to operate.

"If you had it prior to the October storm, you had a dry basement," Linsky said.

Water softening and filtration and chlorination systems are also specialties of Seneca Plumbing.

Linsky took over the business in 1975 after his father retired. His wife, Linda, is the office manager; his older son, Louis, is the general manager; and his younger son, Eric, is the property manager for family properties in the area.

"Hopefully, it will stay in the family. After 75 years, it's always been in the family," Linsky said of the business.

According to Linsky, Seneca Plumbing gives a personal touch and commitment to customer service.

"Every customer is vitally important, so we follow through on every request and make that extra effort to give a customer what they need," Linsky said. "When it's your family and your name, it's a different relationship with the community."

In honor of their 75th year in Buffalo, the Linskys recently celebrated with a gala dinner and cocktail party at the store.

"We invited customers, vendors and people we've done business with over the years," Linsky said.

Also in attendance was Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, as well as several other city and county legislators and dignitaries, Linsky said.

The Linskys also rededicated the establishment's refurbished neon sign, which has been in use since the mid-1940s, making it the oldest, continuous-use neon sign in the area.

As for the future, Linsky is optimistic about the city.

"We're proud to be part of the downtown redevelopment," he said, noting that attractions such as Dunn Tire Park, HSBC Arena, Erie Community College's City Campus and the proposed waterfront development are signs that the city is headed for a more stable existence.

"In the '60s and '70s, people used to be uncomfortable coming down here, but now they're used to coming down for hockey and baseball games," he said.

That in mind, Linsky has no intention of moving the business to the suburbs.

"Hopefully, we'll continue to bring in new up-to-date products and give people the service and knowledge they've come to expect of us," he said.

e-mail: etaufa@beenews.com