All those years when it was a State Farm office, 512 Oswego Street never looked so good. The old house’s austere exterior promised a professional experience within as State Farm reps Bob Brittain, Jon Brittain and later Mark Schroeder sold insurance of all types.
Now the property fairly sparkles with flowering potted plants, forest-green shrubs and miniature wrought-iron chairs.
The new look heralds the arrival of Kashani Home Décor & Gifts which opened recently after owner Sohyla Ziaie carefully refurbished the interior. Ziaie retains the home’s traditional dark wood and stocks the rooms with a variety of themed gift items. The inventory runs the gamut from crystal vases to porcelain water pitchers to old-fashioned lamps. The displays dazzle the eye while inspiring redecoration projects with historical and multi-cultural motifs.
Ziaie, who lives in Baldwinsville, frames her gorgeous gift shop with lovely outdoor landscaping. The frontal flowerings are complemented by even greater greenery in the back at end of driveway.
Kashani is open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information about Kashani, call the shop at 457-0494, or visit facebook.com/Kashanidecor.
Iranian roots
FYI: “Kashani” is a common Persian surname meaning a person hailing from Kashan, in the province of Isfahan, in central-western Iran.
Bella Regalo closes
Last week another village gift shop — Bella Regalo — closed its doors at 305 Vine St. after doing business there for more than a year and a half. Owner Tea Avalon, who’s well known for the scarves which she knits with a unique Swiss fabric, lives in Baldwinsville with her significant other, B’ville Mayor Joe Saraceni.
“I know we have not seen the last of Tea,” hinted Liverpool Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lucretia Hudzinski.
‘Everybody’s Neighborhood’
The Z-Bones performed their uptempo rock tune, “This is Everybody’s Neighborhood” on July 18 at Johnson Park. The band may have written the song about Syracuse’s Tipperary Hill, but the quintet may well have been singing the praises of our own village of Liverpool.
BTW, bandleader Eddie Zacholl proudly plugged the Big Ed Special which is served at Liverpool’s American Diner, which co-sponsored Wednesdays’ Liverpool Is The Place concert. Restaurateur Mike Tassone named the fried bologna special after Eddie late dad, Big Ed Zacholl.
“Everybody’s Neighborhood,” indeed!
Mini-Golf tees off
The Syracuse Area Kickball Association has some company at its multi-field venue at 7192 Oswego Road (Route 57), just north of the village.
Promising putters are lining up to shoot holes-in-one at Liverpool Mini-Golf. Duffers will find the illuminated course open late into the evenings. Give L’pool Mini-Golf a buzz at 457-5425.
White Water hours
The printers’ devil burned me last week when I listed the hours of operation at the new White Water Pub, at 110 S. Willow St. The correct hours are 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily.
That’s 13 hours of fun, fuddle and food!
For pub info, call 314-7398, or visit whitewaterpubliverpool.com/.
Hungry hot-rodders
The area’s eateries and inns enjoyed the influx of vintage-vehicle fanatics during the annual Syracuse Nationals last weekend. While most of the activity took place at the State Fairgrounds, gawkers also filled lawn chairs along Seventh North Street and Electronics Parkway on Friday and Saturday nights to applaud an endless parade of souped-up hot rods.
Eventually both the drivers and the spectators got hungry.
“We counted about 20 [vintage] cars here on Saturday,” said Gardenview Diner co-owner John Ionnidis. “Then we had quite a few people from the Nationals here for breakfast on Sunday on their way out of town.”
That jingle in the cash register wasn’t the only thing the Nationals left in their wake. A discarded tire tread sat discarded next to a Ron Paul for President sign at the corner of Old Liverpool Road and Electronics Parkway.
Café expands to Camillus
The Café at 407 has expended its operation from Liverpool into Camillus. Tony Burrows is operating 407’s “Café West” inside the lobby at Medical Center West, on the second floor at 5700 West Genesee St., in Camillus.
Here at Café at 407 at Ophelia’s Place, 407 Tulip St., our favorite barista is the outgoing and upbeat Rebecca Van Cott. Just don’t call her Becky!
