January 29 - February 4, 2018 TOMPKINS WEEKLY Locally Owned & Operated TompkinsWeekly.com Vol. 12, No. 49 THE CHALLENGE CONTINUES Photo by Jamie Swinnerton Executive director Joe Sammons (left) and Kim Pugliese (right), Director of Development & Marketing, pose with the inflatable doughnut the organization uses to promote its annual Krispy Kreme Doughnut fundraiser. By Jamie Swinnerton executive director of the organization the organization is doing for the has set a goal of selling 50,000 Tompkins Weekly Joe Sammons. anniversary is by reaching out to the doughnuts. Their pre-sales last “Fifty years ago, we did that community. through Feb. 2 for the fundraiser. lot can happen in 50 years, by creating safe, sheltered, supportive “All throughout the year “It’s a great way for people just ask Challenge Workforce environments,” Sammons said. there will be 40 different times to kind of connect Challenge to Solutions, the county-wide “Today, we do that very differently. that Challenge will be out in the the community in a really fun way,” not for profit corporation that helps Ninety-two percent of the people we community,” Sammons said. “If you Sammons said. A serve get the opportunity to grow and name a community event, we’ll be Last year the annual luncheon people with barriers to employment find the support and skills they show their skills in the community.” there. IthacaFest, Women Swimmin’, was moved to the Hangar Theater, a need for meaningful work. It was Today, Challenge serves I can’t even list all the events.” slightly less formal setting than a sit- half a century ago this year that around 1,000 individuals a year and All throughout the year, down lunch, but was better suited to the organization was formed and works with hundreds of businesses Sammons said, Challenge will be the event and its purpose. incorporated, opening their doors and other organizations to find there with their participants, board “We brought it to the Hangar within Therm Inc. to 38 individuals employment opportunities for those members, and volunteers, telling the so that we can feature the stories in November of 1968. individuals. Around 54 percent of story of Challenge. and make them come alive in a way When Robert “Bob” Sprole Sr. what Challenge does is provide But some of the celebrating that you can’t really do in a sit-down founded Challenge 50 years ago he some of the necessary training for will be the same. Currently, the dinner at Emerson Suites,” Sammons wanted to create a place where people employees in industries including organization is in the thick of their said. “We have program participants with disabilities and barriers could food service and retail, offering annual Krispy Kreme Doughnut actually participating in the event. So, find an opportunity to grow and support that an employer might not Fundraiser to raise money for their working with caterers. Some people show off their skills, said the current be able to give. annual Recognition Luncheon. In Continued on page 4 Part of the celebrating that honor of 50 years, the organization ALSO IN THIS ISSUE Jason Molino to take helm as County Administrator..............page 3 On the Discovery Trail: TCPL.................................................page 8 Street Beat, the community voice..................................................page 5 Upcoming community read to help babies grow....................page 9 Republican View: Think Globally, Act Locally...............................page 6 Sposito preps for big finale with Ithaca Lacrosse...................page 16 2 TOMPKINS WEEKLY January 29 - February 4, 2018 Sponsored by BUSINESS One for the road: The Shop closes its doors for good By Jamie Swinnerton new studio. The process of selling off know,” said Aceto. “This transitional enthusiasm. Before the coffee shop Tompkins Weekly the equipment has only just begun. time was a good time for me to just was opened the space was filled with Now that she no longer has to branch off.” No Radio Records. When the record thaca’s one-stop-shop for coffee split her time between the business But that wasn’t the only store said goodbye Aceto said they, and tattoos has closed its doors and her art she can focus singularly relationship Aceto found in The she and Spiers, considered filling the for good. When The Shop on on the art. For now, she is her Shop. Her business partner Jon space with the tattoo shop. But, the East Seneca street opened in 2009 it business, and it’s unlikely that her Proton is no longer involved in the small space they had taken over in I future will include another business business, but no less important to the back was more than what they filled a niche that is hard to describe but somehow struck a chord in the like The Shop. Aceto and The Shop. needed already. community. Sadly, the niche will once “I’m excited for this studio,” “Jon is a very dear friend that “The tattoo shop had just moved again be looking for a coffee shop to she said. “That’s my business. It’s made The Shop possible,” she said. in when the record store was finally fill it since owner Phoebe saying goodbye,” Aceto Aceto said the store hit said. “It was just James some slow months that it and I back there so it was couldn’t crawl out of. – at that time – too much “It just slowed down space.” too much this winter,” She missed Aceto said at the only table working in coffee and she still left in The Shop. “We wanted something that just didn’t make it through. would help bring people You just got to call it into the tattoo shop to see sometimes.” the art they were creating. The ongoing Putting both ideas construction on Buffalo together, she opened The Street slowed down a lot Shop. of the drive-up traffic the “So many people who store once had, Aceto said. would never walk into a “To not have that tattoo shop would come was pretty crucial in the here and maybe peek in November and December and see the artwork and months when the students realize that this is not are not here a lot,” she said. scary and we’re really “Usually we just kind of nice and we just like to crawl through and stick it draw stuff,” Aceto said. out.” “It’s been really amazing. After eight and a half I think it changed a lot years of “crawling through,” of people’s perception on she said she is ready to call tattoo art in general.” it. The quitting point came She said she’s going when Aceto said she was to miss the fancy espresso struggling to make payroll. machine, of course. But She gave her employees as Photo by Jamie Swinnerton she’s really going to miss much advance notice as she the people. In her new could, and told the public Phoebe Aceto, owner of The Shop, stands behind the bar of the now closed coffee shop. studio, she won’t have any a week before officially employees. She’ll mostly closing. be by herself. “I know it seemed pretty sudden,” just me. I’ve worked in hospitality, “To have a friend believe in you and “I am a very social person so a she said. “But it just got to the point customer service, for a lot of years. your vision to the level Jon did is good amount of social energy in a when I was like ‘Yep, this is when I I moved into Ithaca in I think 1999 truly remarkable, and will never be day just came from here,” she said. close. We get a week to say goodbye.’” and right away got a job at a café, forgotten by me.” “I’d cruise right to the back to start She has been checking in on and then I was at another one. I’ve What will happen in trying to work on drawings or look her employees as they look for new kind of always been in coffee shops. I the space The Shop once filled is at emails or something and I couldn’t jobs and putting out the word to love them, and I’ve loved working in uncertain. The lease for the building make it to the back without stopping other places where there might be them.” isn’t up until 2020 so Aceto is now to say good morning to somebody. openings. Model Citizen, the tattoo shop looking for a new tenant. She said That was really nice to have that little For herself, Aceto will be housed at the back of The Shop will that once the hotel is built across the community scene in here.” opening her own tattoo parlor and still be downtown in a new studio. street and the parking lot within a To those lamenting the loss of art studio called Here’s To You Aceto started as an apprentice in the short walking distance is fixed up it The Shop Aceto said thank you. She’s Tattoo where she can focus solely on shop 10 years ago under tattoo artist could be a great opportunity for the still proud of the good thing that she her own art. She will likely be taking James Spiers, who opened Model right vendor. and everyone who made The Shop a the handmade wooden counters that Citizen in 2005. The Shop, Aceto said, reality created. her brother made for The Shop to the “He’s taught me everything I popped up out of necessity and TOMPKINS WEEKLY Jamie Swinnerton,Keeping Managing You Editor, Connected [email protected] Michael Alderson, Production ________________________________________________________________________Will LeBlond, Sports, [email protected] Kevin English, Account Manager, [email protected] Winter is the Worst Ashley Haffey, Account Manager, [email protected] Rachel Bogardus, Marketing Manager, [email protected] Janice Streb, Project Manager, [email protected] Time to Break down ________________________________________________________________________Todd Mallinson, Advertising Director, [email protected] ________________________________________________________________________Todd Mallinson, Publisher, [email protected] Contributors: Eric_______________________________________________________________________ Banford, Charley Githler, Cosmo Genova, Sue Henninger , Mariah Mottley ________________________________________________________________________Calendar Listing: [email protected] Letters and Commentary Policy Tompkins Weekly welcomes letters to the editor.