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Three Things Batavia Needs

By Tiffany Barber

Since my original post generated over 80 comments, I wanted to sum up the most common issues I heard.

Many people commented on our local movie theater. Some claimed it was outdated while other's main concern was the type of movies offered. It would be interesting to hear more on this topic, ideally from the owner of the movie theater. Could more movies be shown (perhaps a kids movie during the day and a more mature movie at night). Or perhaps the movie theater is doing quite well and those of us looking for different types of movies just need to get our fix elsewhere.

The second item that was mentioned frequently was the lack of entertainment/nightlife in Batavia. Many felt that the only thing to do in Batavia at night was to go to a bar - some suggested bringing back a pool hall or having a place to see bands play. Those with younger children would like to see a community center, Chuck E. Cheese or Bounce it Out type establishment. An expanded movie theater would also likely help to fill this void.

Finally, many expressed a desire for more ethnic restaurants. Although there are many small communities without a great deal of ethnic restaurants, it might work in Batavia. The reason is that many of us travel to Buffalo and Rochester for work and are exposed to these types of restaurants and therefore would like to have one locally for dinner or to go to on the weekend. I know some with argue that if we work in Rochester we can just go out to eat in Rochester after work - but many of us have a significant other who might work locally, or perhaps I work in Rochester and my SO works in Buffalo - coming home to Batavia and being able to go out to eat in our hometown would be preferable to coming home then driving back to Buffalo or Rochester.

The goal of my original post was to encourage those out there looking for a business to start to get some feedback from residents of Batavia instead of taking a stab in the dark.

Sharon Sauers

I would love to see a bakery here that offers high end pastries. One that offered a nice presentation for those baked goods would be even better. I like to take tasty pastries to my clients that present well, and have not been able to find anyone that can do that since Judi Murray left town. Any suggestions?

Mar 16, 2010, 2:59pm Permalink
Robin Murphy

Tiffany- Your article got me thinking. What business or "hidden treasures" are there around Genesee County that I (and others) don't know about. So I went out to check out a few places I haven't been to and have been meaning to get around to checking out. One was a wonderful bulk food store in Alexander and a neat little handmade jewelry shop in Batavia. Both were wonderful and I will be back shopping there again soon. It would be great to share our favorite hometown shops with one another and maybe save somebody a trip out of town and keep the money local. Plus I know there are many other great places around the area that I am missing out on!

Mar 24, 2010, 10:11pm Permalink

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