October 26th 2023.
Western New York is celebrating a major milestone - the opening of the region's first UPS Store fully owned by a Black family. Father-son team Dr. Uzo Ihenko and Kelechi Chillis-Ihenko opened the store at 345 Broadway in Buffalo, offering the typical store services plus fingerprinting services.
Chillis-Ihenko, who graduated with an MBA, expressed his excitement at being able to fill a need in the local community. "Growing up in Buffalo, there's always a lack of essential services," he said. "Being the one to fill that need is awesome."
The store has already received a warm welcome from the community. Raquel Gibson told WKBW Buffalo, "It's an asset. We don't have to go far, it's needed. I'm glad that we have this business and it's awesome. I'm hoping that it brings more businesses like this here because they're needed."
Dr. Ihenko believes the store will help grow the business community. "People are seeing the future in their life and other business will copy and then other jobs will come," he said. "A lot of hospitals they send people here for fingerprinting so if you want to do any investigative work in terms of background information right here is where it’s done."
In addition to the store's services, the owners also plan to convert the back of the building to residential apartments. "It's going to be workforce apartments so it's affordable for people to live here," said Chillis-Ihenko. "And we're going to have office space and potentially a coworking space for other entrepreneurs to come to the building and grow their businesses."
The store is open Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It's clear that the Ihenko's store has been welcomed with open arms by the local community, and it's sure to help stimulate the area's economy.
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