Tops Friendly Markets and Tim Hortons will bring the popular doughnut and coffee shops to all Tops stores by the end of the year.
Tim Hortons will have either full-service restaurants or self-serve kiosks in all 82 Tops supermarkets and Tops Express locations.
Will the presence of Tim Hortons lure you into Tops if you don't already shop there? Will you choose a Tim Horton's doughnut over one from the Tops bakery?
-- Samantha Maziarz Christmann
Banks throughout the region are fighting back against the threat that customers are losing confidence.
Advertising campaigns have been launched and proactive communication efforts are underway to calm some customers' concerns that the banking system is weakening. High profile failures of giant banks that were wrapped up in the subprime mortgage meltdown has cast a shadow over all banks.
But banks in Western New York say they have safetly sidestepped the meltdown. They say they have money and are ready to make loans.
Banking is based on the collective confidence of all participants, from depositors to loan applicants to investors. How's your confidence?
Automakers' sales fell sharply in September, due in part to the spreading credit crisis.
Some dealers around the country say they are hurting because customers can't get loans, due to tighter restrictions from lenders. But some local dealers say the problem hasn't really affected them; they say consumers' lack of confidence in the economy is a more likely the cause of a sales slowdown.
What is your own experience? Have you been turned down for a car loan, are you holding off on buying because of the economy, or are you taking advantage of the offers and buying?
-- Matt Glynn
A survey by Sun Life Financial shows that half of the U.S. workers plan to stay on the job past the traditional retirement age of 67, not just because of financial needs, but because they like working.
Most of the 1,515 survey respondents said the want to stay working to keep mentally active. Many also said they want to earn more money to live well.
What are your retirement hopes and expectations?
In terms of newspaper headlines, the just-concluded 2008 Thursday at the Square concert series in downtown Buffalo is likely better known for incidents of rowdiness and public urination than what bands headlined the shows.
But Buffalo Place, which organizers the 22-year-old music events, is betting its bottom line next summer's shows will remain fan favorites. The non-profit agency Wednesday approved a 2009 budget which counts of $1.4 million in revenues from concert food and beverage sales, the same amount budgeted for '08.
Buffalo Place Executive Director Michael Schmand called the season a success, despite some security and sanitation hiccups. He cited increased police and security staff, and lots more port-a-potties, as the 12-week series progressed.
Schmand said most of the tens of thousands of attendees "went home happy."
Did you go home happy, or did this summer's problems cause you to take Thursday at the Square off your calendar? Do you think the veteran summer entertainment series can start with a fresh slate in '09?
-- Sharon Linstedt
Tod Martin said an interesting thing about his decision to convert the long-abandoned Wendy's on Main Street in the heart of downtown Buffalo into an office for his small ad firm.
"It's the kind of creative environment that we flourish in."
Condominium and apartment projects throughout the downtown area indicate other people have the same feeling. Being downtown has a certain creative appeal to some.
Pano's restaurant, the iconic Greek eatery on Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo, reopened today after closing briefly for a $1.3 million makeover.
What do you think of the new look?
Do you think the pricey renovations will inspire other Elmwood Avenue owners to invest in their properties? Will it attract development and more customers from outside the Elmwood Village?
-- Samantha Maziarz Christmann
The roof caved in on Wall Street this week, but thanks to the big rally on Thursday and Friday, the stock market ended up finishing the week just about where it started it.
It was a wild ride, nonetheless, sparking fear in investors, who watched the value of the 401(k) accounts and their stocks plummet early in the week as turmoil engulfed Wall Street. Share prices rebounded as the Bush administration tried to restore calm to the financial system by rescuing banks from billions of dollars in bad debt.
Along the way, investors endured a massive loss Monday, a rebound on Tuesday, another drop Wednesday, and a big rally on Thursday and Friday. The Dow moved by more than 400 points every day except Tuesday.
Has the upheaval on Wall Street shaken your confidence in the stock market? What are you doing with your investments, if anything?
-- David Robinson
An execution of sorts took place in Niagara Square on Tuesday.
Leaders of unions and contractors cut up the giant inflatable rat that has shown up at many work sites where strikes were under way or the use of nonunion workers was being protested.
Union leaders say they came to see the rat as antiquated and a negative image for labor.
Will you miss seeing the rat?
-- Matt Glynn
When Krispy Kreme first opened on Niagara Falls Boulevard eight years ago, there were days when line of cars wound all the way down Brighton Road. But getting in the parking lot only meant that you then had to get in line behind people, 60 or more on some days.
At least while you were waiting, you could smell the heavenly aroma of those original glazed delicacies.
Alas, the smell is gone and so are the doughnuts.
The boulevard store has been closed for years and over the weekend, the lone remaining Krispy Kreme on Walden Avenue fried its last.
What will you remember most about those delicious doughnuts, besides the pants you no longer fit into? Did you ever wait in one of those lines? Are you already planning a trip to Erie, Pa. to get your fix?
--- Bruce Andriatch
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