Category: All Things Bernice

March comes in like a lion… and out like a… Lion? Snapchat, PB&J’s and Rust Belt Coalition

 

Ahhh! It has been a month without a post! How can that be?

March is by far the busiest month I have had in a very long time. I’m being fueled by PB&J’s and coffee… and my friends, wonderful boyfriend and family have come to my rescue many times. It has gotten so crazy that I have stripped my outfits down to one shoe / one coat style for the week and each outfit is washed, folded and ready to go for the entire week! The clothes effort is a big one – keeping things quality over quantity, sexy yet functional and stylish while maintaining a small, simple wardrobe is very hard but always something I strive for. It is hard when you go from construction to business to casual during your traditional work week… but I always like the challenge. If you’re looking for fashion / style inspiration, look no further to my newest favorite fashion icon, Garance Dore’.

I have a few things up my sleeve which I can’t explain at the moment but will announce shortly. I will say that all of it is much needed and wildly exciting. Here is a secret… check Buffalove Development on instagram hints. All of it is so much fun, crazy, stressful that at times I just turn this song on and dance for the entire thing!

A few things for all of you…  I am now on snapchat. All the cool kids are doing it! Username: berniceradle , American Rehab Buffalo is airing on DIY Network again in April , and we’re officially almost ready to kick off the first every Rust Belt Coalition of Young Preservationists event in PGH, April 8,9, 10! You should come but if you can’t, you can follow our preservation shenanigans here.

XO!

Bernice

 

A road trip from Buffalo to KCMO and back!

I had the extreme pleasure of keynoting the Historic Kansas City  Old Home Week Preservation Conference this past week!

Instead of flying, Drew and I drove my awesome new orange Subaru XV – spending six days on the road visiting all kinds of cities and friends along the way! We were fueled by random stops for biscuits, ice cream and coffee… we slept in the coolest places including a DIY style loft in downtown STL, in a tiny shotgun style brick house in Louisville, a historic inn in KCMO owned by two super sweet guys and a random airbnb with two cool cats… and we had the chance to meet up with preservationists across the rust belt including Sarah Marsom from Columbus, Michael Allen from STL and Kristine / Amanda / Julie and the rest of the KCMO crew.

About KCMO: With 20,000 people living downtown, a rich history of food and music and a brand new street car starter line rail system, KCMO is a pretty cool city! Kansas City is home to the sweet heat BBQ sauce that everyone loves. They also have shuttle cocks on the lawn of their art museum, an iconic historic plaza built by Nichols (who is also responsible for establishing red lining across America – ugh!), and a cornucopia of incredible parks and parkways laid out by Kessler – all which are extremely vast and well maintained. The KCMO architectural claim to fame may be the “shirt waist” style house that features local limestone on the porch and another 1.5 story above it (second floor and attic).

The KCMO preservation community was all up in arms about Nelle Peters, a grouping of historic tudor style apartment buildings right near the plaza. As you can guess, the owner was demolishing them without a plan. Everyone wanted them saved and I worked with the community to get a petition, heart bombs and Facebook group started… but I am extremely sad to report that I found out today that they have begun tearing them down. KCMO, I am very heartbroken for you tonight.

On a personal level, Drew and I had some great heart to heart conversations, listened to a ton of podcasts and some our favorite bands we listed to were Neon Indian, Tame Impala, Youth Lagoon, Mac Demarco and Tyco. Our trip cost less than two plane tickets, the lowest gas price we paid was $1.38 a gallon and Drew was going nuts over the mid western water towers. We want to badly go back to Louisville, too… it is like an older, slightly more hip Buffalo. I was thrilled to spend some quality time up with my Uncle Norman and Aunt Pauline in KCMO – they came to see me speak!! STL seemed to be our favorite stop – the arch was amazing and we had a delicious breakfast at the Mud House in the Cherokee Historic district! We had a ton of fun!

That wraps it all up!!

This airbnb cat… ha!!
A vacant “shirt waist” house in KCMO.
Love this mid century building in downtown KCMO with the Rocket on it!
New rail lines in downtown KCMO!!
The Nelle Peters Apartments… Very Sad.
The Gem Theatre.
BBQ! (The sweet heat is my favorite!)
Downtown STL.
Bernice speaking to the Historic Kansas City crew.
Downtown 18th & Vine
A little shotgun beauty in Louisville!
MICHAEL ALLEN, STL’s leading preservationist!
Drew drinking coffee in Louisville at “Please & Thank You”.
Incredible detail at the conference….
DIY Loft in Downtown STL!
Snapped by my Aunt Pauline.
The Inn at 425 in Kansas City, MO!
YES PLEASE. Cracked Plaster Repair Kit!!!
The Young Ohio Preservationists!
Historic KC!
Meeting with The Black Urbanist, Kristen Jeffers!
One Line Coffee in Columbus.
Smooches in St. Louis!

 

 

 

Must Attend Events – 1/28, 1/29 and 1/31

Friends!

This is a very BUSY week. Join me in celebrating and helping to make positive change!

Thursday – 1/28 : Preservation Board Meeting at 3pm – City Hall RM. 901. This is a public hearing to voice your support for Crosby, the Bachelor and North Park Library. All three of these buildings are VERY important and historic. More info can be found here.

Friday – 1/29 : Join me in celebrating my latest preservation rehab! 351 Massachusetts Ave from 5-7pm. Get a sneak peak tour and drink beer with me.

Sunday 1/31 : HEART BOMBS!!!! Join BYP at 351 Massachusetts Ave to make some serious hearts and help do a fun preservation project that is very effective!

Love, B

One Wildly Ambitious Bernice. 

Given it’s a new year, I wanted to start with something personal.

Here are the four books currently in rotation as of January 2016… all focused on life, love, style and building courage… and commercial real estate. I know they’re pretty random but each of them adds confidence and creativity to my world. If you didn’t know this, I love new years because I am extremely reflective and am always working on my personal self.

I share this photo because a year ago I told that my “wildly ambitious” attitude was my major flaw. For a moment, I really believed it! I believed I should stop making connections, reaching out, stop asking questions, stop demanding more and instead, calm down and outline realistic expectations. I questioned my entire world. I questioned myself and my actions. I promised to calm down and promised to change. But by that time, my window of opportunity was gone. The worst part of it all was that if I could have changed, I probably would have tried! However I knew that my ambition and extremely positive nature comes from deep within and cannot be bottled up. I knew I couldn’t change and therefore, I knew it wasn’t meant to be.

I struggled hard in 2015 but at the same time, I gained so much unbelievable wisdom, found so much love and practiced forgiveness. So with that mushy/ self confidence stuff said, I am closing the door on 2015 and opening 2016 with my whole “wildly ambitious” heart.

To start the year off, I’ll spare you the real estate calculations but I will quote the 10 steps on how to create your own success from Garance Doré… which can apply to everyone looking to excel in their worlds.

  1. Start where you are,
  2. get lost and find yourself,
  3. follow be signs,
  4. risk failure,
  5. use what you’ve got,
  6. fall in love,
  7. seize the moment,
  8. question your beliefs,
  9. make your own rules and…
  10. follow the energy.

2016 will be approached with a new level of sophistication and you guessed it… one wildly ambitious Bernice.

xo,

Bernice

 

American Rehab Buffalo airs on HGTV – 11/23/15 at 8am! 

Hgtv will be airing the first two episodes of American Rehab Buffalo at 8am on 11/23/15! These two episodes are fantastic – it’s the kitchen, dining and living room. Watch to see us blend preservation and modern techniques to create a really special space that you’ll love!

Many thanks to everyone who helped make this happen including Room Buffalo, Wrafterbuilt, McSmith, Ace hardware / Bejamin Moore and more! It truly takes a village.

Oh, if you don’t have cable, you can get all 6 episodes on Amazon!

XO!

– B

Ps. Here are some photos of before, during and after!

A little Bernice Wisdom & Some Buffalove. 

There’s a lot going on right now in my life (two deathly sick parents, major life changes, a new job, etc….) and I don’t have time to write it all up – but I will in due time when the dust seems to settle a bit more.

In the mean time, I’ll just leave this #buffalove photo and some “Bernice” wisdom I tell myself everyday these days to get me through…

When in doubt, always follow your heart and trust in yourself and the universe. Life is short so take full advantage of every moment and don’t EVER hold back on love.  Most importantly, even the most concrete plans can (and likely will) change but that is OK, too because something bigger is in the works that you may not even know about yet. Lastly, above all the stress and noise that wears you down, realize that the best way to get through it all is to spend your life with people who make you laugh, support you no matter what and make you feel happy on the inside… And keep those people close!!!

XO!

buffalove!

 

Important Life Update: Bernice Gets A New Gig!

Hi Everyone!

I have an important life update to fill you in on.

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I have spent four great years at Buffalo Energy doing energy efficiency projects statewide with some of the best people I have ever met. And I spent four years before that at Horizon Realty managing the largest energy efficiency retrofit project in the City. That is EIGHT YEARS doing energy efficiency work in historic multifamily buildings. EIGHT YEARS!

Well, I am shifting career gears a bit – Friday, April 24th 2015 will be my last day at Buffalo Energy and really my last day as a paid professional in the energy efficiency world.

Whoa. That is pretty scary to say out loud… All my work and speaking gigs with NESEA, WNYSEA, Solar Tour, etc… I love and am loved by the energy efficiency industry. We do great work that helps the environment and our community. Why would I leave it? Well, I love what I do but honestly – I am ready to make a big change. My goals have been thrown out the window due to circumstances beyond my control which has left me with an empty slate and has given me the opportunity to redefine myself. Dream big.. then get ready, aim and fire!

It isn’t the change that is scary, it is how you deal with it that matters the most, right??!!

So what’s next?!?!

Most people would assume I would go into real estate development however, I have something even more exciting in the works!

I have accepted the “Regional Director” position 423088_10151328478746320_1343596390_nwith City Dining Cards and will be working to sell unique customer loyalty solutions for local businesses in cities across the rust belt including Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Detroit and many others. If you don’t know about CDC, check them out – they (or should I say “WE”?!) are a group of great people doing very innovative “pro local” work across the US! This means I get to meet and help support local business owners across the rust belt!

This new endeavor is the perfect segue into my ever expanding love for cities, planning and community! It helps me to connect the dots in unique ways, meet great local business owners, talk up Buffalo across the rust belt and to learn what other cities are doing to build communities.

Given my natural love for buildings and preservation, I will never leave buildings entirely!!!

I will still be busy with doing house rehabs for my company Buffalove Development and preservation initiatives with Buffalo’s Young Preservationists… and American Rehab Buffalo is set to air sometime soon on DIY Network – hopefully in May!  All three things will keep me PLENTY busy in the preservation / buffalo buildings world… I will just have a different day job, I suppose!

CONTACT INFO:

Email: berniceradle@gmail.com

Instagrams:berniceradle / buffalovedevelopment / citydiningcards

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/berniceheartsyou

Website: www.berniceradle.com

Lastly but most importantly, I wouldn’t be able to do this nor would I even be here without the support, love, time, energy and money from literally hundreds of people. It really does take a village and I am so grateful for being surrounded by so many incredible people who continue to believe in me. I won’t name names but y’all know who you are. ❤

Onward!!

With Buffalove,

Bernice

Here is a slideshow of some of my energy efficiency photos throughout the years…  XOXO!

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American Rehab Buffalo: That’s A Wrap!!

That’s a WRAP!!! Yesterday was the official wrap day for filming our upcoming HGTV show American Rehab Buffalo !! It is six episodes and set to air in October 2014. I can’t show you many photos… you’ll just have to wait and see the finished product on TV! (I will put a post up shortly with photos from the entire experience… stay tuned!)

Personal Note: Renovating a vacant house for HGTV was by far one of the most challenging things I have ever done in my life. This experience pushed my limits in almost every way humanly possible. There were days of anger, frustration, laughter, sweat, excitement, tears and smiles… sometimes all within one day. Everyday was a learning experience. Trying to balance life, a wedding, a renovation, my energy efficiency work, our personal relationship… TV is not forgiving and some days seemed impossible to handle… But we got through it!

Was it worth it? Hell yes!! The house was demolition ready… and now it is a true gem, restored in a historic and energy efficient way! The house is beautiful, the neighborhood is in love with it and we have one more house back on the tax rolls instead of in a landfill. Buffalo is going to shine on National Television! No snow or wings, just a couple of cool kids doing a historic renovation and great shots of Buffalo’s best architectural gems!

Most importantly, we could have NEVER done any of this without the following people: Michael Poczkalski and his ROOM Design team, Magnetic Productions, Chris Ziolkowski and his Zees worker bees, our landscaping crew, David Scott Myers and  Buffalo Treehouse LLC, our carpenters, McSmith Furniture Design, Rob Baird and Sean Wrafter, our local artists, Mickey Harmon and Max Collins and the million other vendors, friends, family and others who stepped forward to provide an excellent product or lend a helping hand to make this house truly one of a kind. We also had a great experience working with the Mayor’s team and the Buffalo Police Dept, especially the B District team.

And last but not least, I want to say thank you and I love you to Jason Wilson. We have spend 3 months together non stop to make this house work and despite all the craziness and stress, I now know we can get through anything. I am so thankful to spend the rest of my life with you, Jason!!

And now it is time to focus on one more life changing thing… the wedding!!!

Our final photo for American Rehab Buffalo!
Our final photo for American Rehab Buffalo!

Wedding Update!! #abuffalovewedding

Jason and I are getting hitched in less than 2 months!! Holy smokes is it an insane time right now. Planning a wedding is fun but very hard when you are the first wedding ever in a space. There are a lot of details to think about! I think we are both excited to really begin the next phase of our lives… everyday we love each other a little bit more. ❤

You can follow our wedding planning on our wedding website – http://www.abuffalovewedding.com

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