Cats Like Us Blog — local

“Buffalo is experiencing a resurgence.” It’s been a hot topic in Western New York for the past few years. New restaurants, bars, and businesses are opening in the city and breathing new life into the area. What those in the know want you to know is that Buffalo isn’t the only area in WNY that’s experiencing a resurgence! The cities of Tonawanda in Erie County and North Tonawanda in Niagara County are also experiencing new growth. Tonawanda just unveiled its intermodal hub which will draw cyclists and other pedestrians to area. These new faces can look to the Retro Block...

On Saturday May 27, 2017 I was lucky enough to attend the 1st Annual Retro Ladies Day held by the Salt City Belles and Beaus at the Barnes Hiscock Mansion in Syracuse, NY. Only a two and a half hour drive from Buffalo, Destiny from Sweet Heart Pinup (just up the street from Cats Like Us) and I felt it was a no-brainer to attend. After all, it would give us an excuse to wear fancy vintage hats and gloves. There was even a complimentary glass of champagne, hors d’oeuvres, and a swag bag from the Salt City ladies included in...

We never really considered ourselves big beer drinkers until the fairly recent boom of micro breweries. In almost any community we visit you can find one and they're usually unique and excellent in their own way. And it's a lot more fun once you figure out the differences in types of beers and generally what you like, and don't like. Our love affair with Genesee Years ago, we decided to do a very tongue in cheek blog and taste test for "retro" inspired beers (read that here). We tried oldies but goodies, with lots of retro history and attitude. For...

  Sweetheart Pin Up Studio is located right down the street from Cats Like Us at 59 Main St. Tonwanda, NY 14150. I first came up with the idea of working with Destiny Rogowski on a blog with the idea of shedding some light on the pinup photography experience from both the model and the photographer perspective. I wanted to share some insight into what Destiny does and perhaps encourage people who may be hesitant stepping in front of the camera. Well, when Destiny suggested I be the model it sent a bit of shock my system. "I'm a stylist, I'm...

Wolfman by Monster Matt Patterson You can haunt MonsterMatt on the web: www.monstermatt.com Ha-Ha! Horror Shop Monster Matt's joke book Come on back to the Cats Like Us blog for the last Monday of every month for some more MonsterMatt madness! -Meagan Kyla

This month Monster Matt gives us Basil Rathbone as Dr. Frankenstein, in "Son of Frankenstein", done on 11x14 watercolors on paper. You can haunt Monster Matt on the web: www.monstermatt.com Ha-Ha! Horror Shop Monster Matt's joke book Come on back to the Cats Like Us blog for the last Monday of every month for some more Monster Matt madness! -Meagan Kyla

Painting: The Monster and Igo, from Son of Frankenstein   This past weekend marked the 83rd anniversary of the 1931 classic , Frankenstein. It also marks the 127th birthday of the film 's creature , Boris Karloff. I cannot express how much I love the first three Karloff Frankenstein films.   When I was a little monster, the first Franken-film I saw was Son of Frankenstein. The Monster (Karloff's version) always seems to be a top request by my friends and fans, for artwork etc. I'd like to show some of the Franken-paintings I've done and throw in some jokes too.   Painting of a vintage AHI company...

I consider fall to be the nicest time of year in Western New York (WNY), where Cats Like Us is located. As the season changes the days get cooler and the leaves turn a rainbow of autumn colors. Halloween and then Thanksgiving are not far off. Apples and pumpkins are in season and I can't seem to get my fill of apple cider.   The Great Pumpkin (Farm) This area has a few hidden gems that open seasonally, and one that is not too far out in the suburb of Clarence NY is The Great Pumpkin Farm (GPF). What has...

   We get calls weekly from people a little confused about the name of our store. (I suppose we can’t blame people too much since “cats” is in the name). And to clarify if you were wondering, we do not sell cats or kittens, nor do we board them, and please don’t surrender your cats to us. But we do LOVE cats. You could call us cat people. You may be wondering how just two people can run a successful on-line store and full brick and mortar boutique. Well the truth is that there are several helpers behind the scenes!...

Cats Like Us is always up to support a cause we believe in and this one is right in our backyard. We were involved in a fashion show a few weeks ago where the proceeds went to support the United Way of the Tonawandas and it was held at the historic Riviera Theater. Pretty swanky. If you are local and have never been to the Riviera Theater, go. It is beautiful. This is what it looks like on the inside. It was built in 1926 and patterned in an Italian Renaissance style. More information on the Riviera can be found...