Best unassuming grocery store: Herrema’s Market Place
This is an ode to shopping really, really local. If you’re from Rochester (or have ever lived here; or visited here; or talked to someone who once stayed here overnight) you’ve likely had a conversation about grocery stores. It’s practically in our DNA. Take one step inside Herrema’s Market Place, located on Pattonwood Drive in Stutson Bridge Plaza, and you’ll understand why it’s been successfully serving Irondequoit and Charlotte for over 60 years. Yes, it’s small and unassuming—it’s far more navigable than, say, a Baby Gap—but what it lacks in physical space, it more than makes up for in local pride and availability of product.
On a recent trip, I easily counted more than two dozen locally or regionally made items—many of which I’d never heard of or seen in any non-specialty store. A standby favorite like Finger Lakes Coffee was shelved next to Hoyser Coffee out of Buffalo. An entire endcap dedicated to making the perfect plate (if that’s what you’re into) offers at least six different local sauce options, including Jones Bones BBQ out of Webster, Bill Gray’s hot sauce and Zweigle’s relish and meat sauce. Andy’s Candies has its own shelving unit. The freezer section takes you to Lake George with Adirondack Creamery ice cream, and you can scoop up River Rat cheese from the Thousand Islands a few paces away in the dairy aisle—not far from Rollers cocktail sauce.
The find of the day was perhaps the frozen Cheesy Eddie’s cheesecakes and Amazing Grains salty bread—a true win for the west side. It can be difficult to shop local, but Herrema’s does what any great neighborhood store sets out to do: it brings the world at large (or, in this case, the best of Rochester and New York) a little bit closer to home. herremas.com —JOHANNA LESTER
Best place to wax nostalgic: Scott’s Photo
Gone are the days of walking into a Blockbuster on a Friday night to browse the three-day rentals. The lost cathedrals that stood tall are but ancient ruins leaving behind fragments of what once was. Such is also the case for the days pre-dating digital cameras and cellphones; when memories were captured first and brought to life later by photo kiosks or camera stores. Where you eagerly dropped off your finished roll of film or Kodak Funsaver that reached its final frame. What if I told you that experience still exists, even today? Located at 1755 East Ave., Scott’s Photo is a small store that still develops, scans and prints photographic film.
The local film photography community will echo how critical Scott’s has been for keeping film alive here in the Photo City — we are so fortunate to have a dedicated place where this process still exists. Going as far as to provide restoration and conversion services for those old negatives, faded prints and videos captured on long forgotten mediums such as 16mm film reels, Super 8 cartridges and VHS home movies.
I have lost track of the number of times I’m out with one of my classic film cameras and someone stops to ask if film is still made, and if so, where do I buy it — to which I respond, “yes it is” and “you can both buy and have (the film) processed locally here in Rochester.” So dust off that old film camera, or become reacquainted with the rush of nostalgia that is a disposable camera and head to Scott’s. You know what they say … Everything old becomes new again. scottsphotobyrowe.com —ROBERTO LAGARES
Best digital marketing strategy: Pizza Wizard
A giant wizard costume is summoned by a Ouija board and turns a teenage girl into a pizza. An ad featuring the Little Caesar’s mascot “dude” attacking kitchen staff. Spinning pizza graphics overlaid on (seemingly) AI-generated video footage of a cartoon cat. Add to that rambling emails with random discounts, t-shirts that almost definitely violate the “Brokeback Mountain” copyright, several photoshopped posts featuring Buffalo Bills MVP Josh Allen, an ongoing “recipe feud” with Strangebird and captions that call out Monroe County Executive Adam Bello …
Welcome to the mind of Brian Van Etten: co-owner, chef and marketing strategist (?) behind Pizza Wizard. Since it opened in October 2020 (a bold move in itself), the South Clinton spot has been dishing up square pan pizzas, “nickel-thin” rounds, wings, salads (dubbed “food to prolong life” on the menu) and more. It’s also known for some of the best vegan, gluten-free non-dairy options in town (no surprise, considering Van Etten cut his chops at The Owl House before this). The marketing may be unhinged but ultimately, it doesn’t matter. Cheese pull photos and a legitimately delicious menu will always reign supreme — and “Piz Wiz” is really, really good at both. Pizzawizard.pizza —LEAH STACY
Best Under-the-radar independent publisher: BOA Editions
BOA Editions is a sort of “if you know, you know” situation. Concealed, appropriately, inside a building adorned with a humongous mural of a young boy reading a book with red flowers bursting from an opened page, there’s a small, yellow circular sign outside. If you blink, you’d miss the independent publishing house that’s been putting together incredible poetry collections and chapbooks since 1976 when it was established by poet and translator, A. Poulin, Jr., a Brockport native.
And maybe that’s the way poets and writers like it: hidden away, nestled into a cozy corner where no one can interrupt what Joan Didion called the “hostile act” of creating and writing that wrenches around in someone’s mind. I first learned about BOA Editions while at graduate school for creative writing, a few hours (OK, maybe six) away from home. The name showed up on the Lucille Clifton publications I was studying; more recently, a friend from undergrad had their book released after winning the A. Poulin, Jr. Poetry Prize. Li Young Lee was published by the press and spoke at another friend’s father’s funeral, so when I visited her we read through each slim book, careful not to break the spine.
Ultimately, I was shocked that, despite growing up in and writing in and around Rochester, it took stepping outside of the city to discover BOA — despite the fact that, throughout their years in existence, they’ve published over 300 books. Their collections of American poetry, short fiction and translation win awards and push boundaries, playing with language in a way that has kept the publishing house relevant and expanding. To think of Rochester as an arts and culture city is true. But we could do more to include the literary arts in that conversation. Knowing BOA is here is one step, recognizing their importance is another. boaeditions.org —JESSICA L. PAVIA
Best go-to shop for gourmands: Lombardi’s Gourmet Imports and Specialties
To walk through the door of Lombardi’s Gourmet Imports and Specialties in Fairport is to awaken the senses.
Visitors are greeted by Old World aromas of freshly baked bread, sauces and pastas made on the premises. Those who come hungry have been known to leave stuffed from the samples. Then there are the visual delights in the shop’s vast selection of Portmeirion pottery and fine English china, crystalware, teapots and gift baskets.
When the store opened in 1985, it was about half the size it is now and was more of a deli. Today, it sells pretty much everything you need to set your table for a superb culinary experience in the European tradition.
And if there’s something you can’t find, sibling owners Mary, Anthony and John Lombardi will see that you get it. The service runs in the family. Their father, Elviro, had a shop of the same name in the Calabria region of Italy. When the family emigrated to the United States in the 1950s and settled in central New York, the eldest sons eventually opened a Lombardi’s in Syracuse in 1970 that is still around and renowned for its gift baskets.
In the Rochester area, there isn’t a better selection of Italian foods in the way of pastas, olive oils, balsamic vinegars, cheeses, cured meats and homemade sauces than at Lombardi’s in Fairport — and its prepared foods surpass the gourmet-market standard. Impress someone you love with Lombardi’s signature heart-shaped ravioli and a homemade cannoli or imported chocolate for dessert. lombardisgourmet.net —DAVID ANDREATTA
Best crafters’ oasis: Craft Bits & Pieces
The years surrounding 2024 are at the heart of a crafting renaissance. Thanks to algorithmically charged outlets such as Pinterest and TikTok, there has never been a better time to attempt to make something beautiful, even for the most “aesthetically clumsy.” Martha Stewart walked so #crafttok could run.
And while enriching your life with peaceful hobbies could hardly have a downside, the upfront cost and subsequent waste can quickly pile into a problem. Thankfully, Craft Bits & Pieces in Fairport Village Landing has been making crafting affordable, sustainable and charitable to boot since 2001.
Their inventory is a crafter’s curated fever dream, amassed entirely by donation and graciously priced so that items have their best shot at destiny. Fabrics, patterns, yarns, books, jewelry, silk flowers, decorations, candles, picture frames, pottery … the list runs as long as there are ways to repurpose a mason jar.
The operation is entirely volunteer-run and all profits from the store support the Senior Options for Independence (SOFI) and Elderbus Transportation programs. (An equally as inspiring storefront a few doors down, Tool Thrift Shop, also supports these organizations.)
So, go nuts! Make that wreath. Bedazzle that candlestick holder. Crochet that balaclava. Because nothing is standing in the way of you proudly declaring, “I made that.” fairportcraftbitsandpieces.com —KATIE EPNER
Best errand you’ll run all week: United States Post Office, Brighton Station
OK, hear me out. Allegedly, no one likes the post office, not even the postal workers — at least, that’s what pop culture will tell you. And for a lot of local post offices, that rings true. Just a few weeks ago, headlines read that Trump is considering a privatization of the USPS, and postage has been rising in costs for years.
Growing up in a small town, I used to love going to the post office with my mom. There was something about the smell of paper and tape, the slots that sent my mail away to far-off lands and the baskets full of packages, boxes and bags behind the counter that activated my little imagination. Now, I trudge to the post office to mail returns (I’m an ardent online shopper for certain locally hard-to-find items) and Poshmark orders (long live secondhand). I probably visit the Brighton Station on Winton Road at least once a week.
And if I don’t — they notice. Because let me tell you about my USPS faves David and Adam. I don’t know their last names, but these are two of the nicest postal workers I have ever met. With them, I actually believe “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds,” as the USPS slogan goes. It seems there’s always a line at this post office, and regardless of the customer attitudes or complicated requests, the staff will have a dry joke (David) and a chipper dialogue (Adam) at the ready. They never fail to make my day, even if I’m just listening to them interact with the others in line. Civil service at its finest. —LEAH STACY
This article appears in Dec 1-31, 2024.
