The business landscape in Buffalo has been changing for the last few years. In some ways, it’s improved for the better, with new businesses popping up all over the place. However, in some areas and other ways, it’s not so great, as we’ve seen several businesses shut down since the pandemic.
Sometimes those closures are due to the government forcing them to close, or the economic conditions, while other times it’s a faithful owner who is ready to retire and move on to the next phase of life.
That is exactly what’s happening to one North Buffalo business that has graced Hertel Avenue for nearly 40 years.
It May Be Time To Say Goodbye to Terrapin Station
Since 1988, Barry Cohen has encouraged people to stop by and say hi at Terrapin Station on Hertel, perhaps one of upstate New York’s best-known head shops. People who have been on the lookout for all sorts of groovy supplies, including smoking supplies and clothes, Terrapin Station and the Virgil Avenue Tobacconist have been a go-to headquarters for decades.
However, even locally owned shops that are staples in our community aren’t immune to the economic forces that have been hitting all over the country. The growth in online shops and big box stores hasn’t made it easy to continue operating at a profit, plus, since recreational cannabis use has been made legal in New York, there seems to be a new smoke shop popping up on every corner…