One of my favorite places in Lancaster is a place called Building Character on the 300 block of North Queen Street. The store itself is just plain cool. On the surface it is an architectural salvage place. They get things out of old buildings and sell them. Things like old windows, fixtures, pictures, and all sorts of odds and ends. My wife and I have gotten lost in there on a number of occasions. But store owners Tony Niese and Marty Hulse have created an environment that is much more than a store. They are currently in the process of expanding to include performance and gallery space to help nurture the local arts and music community.
Part of this is the relatively new Singer/Songwriter series. From time to time they host performances from local musicians. Tonight from 7 - 9 pm you can go and hear the music of Jason Mundok and Jordan Rast. Then this Sunday, and every Sunday, the parking lot/courtyard area is converted into the Sunday Market from 11 am to 3 pm. The market features local crafters, fresh local food and produce, as well as music and all sorts of other things.Building Character also plays a big part in the monthly First Friday and Music Friday (3rd Friday of the month) activities in downtown Lancaster. Much of this is due to the vision of owners of the store, who realize the importance of creating new and exciting opportunities for the local community. I've been down there a number of times, and as these activities grow, you can expect much more from these guys. They've even created a weekly Downtown Lancaster events guide email that you can subscribe to from their site.
The store itself is great, but the experience is so much more. And if you go, tell Tony I sent ya!
And for a fun Saturday night, head on over to Quips Pub in Lancaster to an incredibly lively and acrobatic show from Slimfit. These guys put on an amazingly fun show. Again, tell 'em I sent ya.
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3 comments:
Thanks for the great post about Lancaster. My wife and I were thinking about coming down there this weekend from Harrisburg to check it out and now you've expanded our trip. Building Character looks like a great place... Any suggestions on a cool place to eat on say a Saturday afternoon/evening?
Lots of great places to eat. Wow. Depends what you want. I would ask the folks at Building Character for favorites. Lancaster Dispensing Company is good. And there is a great coffeeshop scene going on in the area. Ad Lib Cafe is nice as is Prince Street Cafe. Near Building Character you can also get some great food at Rachel's Creperie....cool sandwiches on crepes! love them!
Thanks!
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