BUFFALO, N.Y. — It was a dream come true for one Buffalo family 2 On Your Side first introduced you to last year.
A father and son duo opened a new UPS store in East Buffalo on Broadway on Monday.
Many in the community say this store is a game changer. The duo could've gone anywhere around Western New York and beyond, but they wanted to stay on Buffalo's East Side to mark the beginning of a new era for the neighborhood.
Doctor Uzo Ihenko, and his son, Kelechi, wanted to make an impact in their community. A community they say has been under served for far too long. Before, East Side residents, many who do not have cars, used to travel quite a distance to access these services like shipping, printing and packaging.
So with the help of their network, the duo are finally opening their doors. Doctor Uzo said this journey has been a special one, because he gets to do it beside his son. And also show that it is possible to follow your dreams regardless of where you come from.
"Our vision for the store is just making this a centerpiece for the community. You know...there's not a lot of places like this around here so people have to travel way out there, way out of the community so we want to bring people back," said Kelechi Chillis-Ihenko.
"I wanted to be able to show the community the hard work and effort of what we've been doing. And in order to do that you got to show some practical improvements. You know they say an elephant, big elephant, you cannot eat them all at one time. It's a gradual consumption," said Dr. Uzo Ihenko.
Both say that they take pride in being part of the East Side community.
The new business owners said the UPS store will offer space for local vendors to come and set up shop and sell their own products.
There will also be office space that can be rented.