By Phil Dzikiy/dzikiyp@gnnewspaper.com
In between non-descript buildings on North Tonawanda’s Oliver Street, Coffee Crossing stands out.
Coffee Crossing, formerly the 412 Diner, is a bright blue dining car which opened recently. The restaurant serves Spot Coffee, cappuccino and lattes, owner Paul Brown said.
Brown also spent a year in search of the best desserts for his new business, which he claims he found and brought to Coffee Crossing.
“And I put on about 20 pounds in the process,” he said.
Brown, already an owner of multiple properties on Oliver Street, including The Fish Place, put in a great deal of work to get the 412 dining car up to code, he said.
“The building was put there in 1910,” Brown said. “We had to update it. It’s a railroad car. The axles are still on it.”
Business has been slow so far, but the restaurant will hold its official grand opening Sept. 22, the same day as Brown’s Oliver Street Art Show.
Brown purchased a nearby run-down building at 408 Oliver St. in May for $1,000 in an auction. The sale was approved by the North Tonawanda Common Council.
North Tonawanda Mayor Larry Soos was against the sale of that property, and though he is still unsure of Brown’s plans with 408 Oliver St., he likes what Brown has done with Coffee Crossing.
“I was in there last week,” Soos said. “Had a cup of coffee. Anything taking a vacant piece of property and getting people employed is good.”
The possibility exists for a revitalization of Oliver Street in the near future with continued development of old buildings, said Soos, who himself owns a business on the street.
“If it’s going to happen, now’s the time,” Soos said. “Most of these places, you can get for a song.”
Contact reporter Phil Dzikiy at 693-1000, ext. 114.
