Published: April 19, 2008 12:31 am            

PEOPLE PROFILE: April Serianni opens Middleport coffee shop

MIDDLEPORT — If a person saw the inside of the old Jones Hardware building at 17 Main St. in Middleport before Alternative Grounds moved in, they would not believe what it looks like now.

“I just fell in love with it,” said owner April Serianni. “But it’s been a long year and a half.”

Serianni has been working on the building for about that length of time. Now after all that work, 17 Main St. has turned into a coffee shop complete with baked goods and a wireless Internet connection.

The building has come a long way.

The building was devastated by fire, and the mayor, at the time, wanted it demolished. Residents who wanted to keep and restore the building came together to form Grassroots Middleport Inc. The group took control of the building and began fixing things such as the floors and roof.

“It was a group of residents who approached me and asked how they could save the building,” said Middleport Mayor Julia Maedl, who was deputy mayor at the time. “They wanted to make the building safe and restore it. It took quite a lot of money and effort.”

Once the outside was finished, there was still a long way to go. “It was a shell, totally empty. They had water, gas and electricity and that was about it,” Maedl said.

Enter Serianni, who bought the building and went to town on the inside.

“It was a lot of work and money,” Maedl said of Serianni’s efforts.

The results were worth it, she said, adding that the building, with Alternative Grounds there looked “so uptown” and “absolutely gorgeous.”

A Niagara Falls native, Serianni has lived in Middleport for about 16 years. She graduated from Niagara Falls High School, and from Niagara University with a degree in criminal justice before going to work for the state. After 22 years of work, she is about two years away from retirement, which is part of the reason she is opening Alternative Grounds.

“I needed something to do,” she said.

With no previous background in business, Serianni said part of the reason she opened the shop was so people could have someplace nice to dine.

“There’s really no good place to eat. It fills a niche,” she said. “It’s something different.”

Middleport residents are eagerly awaiting the shop’s opening. Serianni said there have been people peeking in the windows, which are covered right now.

Maedl agreed that the community is excited about Alternative Grounds.

“It is a great addition, they’re on the right track,” Maedl said. “It should be well-received, with bikers on the canal and the boaters. I can’t imagine they won’t stop there.”

The shop will have a “soft opening” May 3, which coincides with the community-wide yard sale in Middleport.

Serianni said the second floor of Alternative Grounds would be used for parties, receptions and showers. It accommodates about 50 people. When asked if the work had been worth the year and a half of work, Serianni agreed. Business should be good she said.

“We’re expecting to get hammered,” she said.

The grand opening for the coffee shop will be May 17.

        

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