2016 was a year of changes. Settling in from our move home to Buffalo from Florida, remodeling our house, job changes and we got married! And the most exciting part was planning and executing the opening of our new business, Spoke & Dagger Co.

We launched Spoke & Dagger Co. a few weeks before thanksgiving and opened the doors on Black Friday. The feedback was amazing. We couldn't have asked for a better response. Prior to opening, customers were literally trying to shop while we were still in the construction phase, opening the door and letting themselves in, we didn't even have a sign on the building!!

The first weekend open, we were tossed right into Small Business Saturday. As you know, it encourages people to get out into the local establishments and give back to the community instead of the larger corporate companies and chains. That Saturday was humbling. Constant traffic in the store from curious neighbors to social media followers and some that stumbled upon us. Time Warner Cable also popped in for a surprise interview on what it's like to be a local business with our first Small Business Saturday and how we've enjoyed being on Hertel Avenue. Window shopping had a whole new meaning this holiday season. We found the men drooling at our window display. A custom bike, built by Christian Newman (@ctnewman) it's definitely an eye catcher! The big event we were preparing for though was the Hertel Ave Holiday Walk established by the Hertel Business Association on the first weekend in December, one weekend after our opening/Small Shop Saturday.

We were warned by fellow shop owners of what to expect and we are beyond thankful they prepared us.  Masses of people were out that night. The entire strip of shops cater to the customer with sales, hors d'oeuvres and a plethora of booze! Think block party but with shopping for the holidays thrown in. Mr. and Mrs. Clause even made an appearance! Nothing like drunk shoppers having a riot over and selling us out of our fun, vulgar stocking stuffer items like "Where are my fucking keys" keychains or "Do Epic Shit" desk name plates.  

We gathered friends and family to help with the event. We served homemade cookies, trail mix, and red & white sangrias. Thousands of people flooded the  area (seemingly all at once) and it was a party for three solid hours. We are so grateful to be so welcomed to the neighborhood, our neighboring shops and even the residents of the area all greeted us with open arms and showed excitement for the future of our block!  So THANK YOU Buffalo! You're an amazing city and we are proud to call you home. Keep an eye on us for new inventory, it will be growing (as we sold out of many hot items through the holidays). Event plans are in the works so sign up for our mailing list or follow us on social media to stay in the loop. Get your projects done! 2017 is gonna be one hell of a year! LETS RIDE!