"For the last 20 Years, the building has had a vacancy rate of around 80%." That is how Medusa Development describes 2302 Main Street. It's the 1918 brick building on the northwest corner of Oakwood that many people still call the original Parkside Candies. Medusa bought the building this spring for $500,000, according to Buffalo Rising, and plans to fill it again.
That corner explains the shape of Parkside's fall. Most of the October calendar still happens around the Zoo and the Martin House, the way it does every year. In November, though, the neighborhood's volunteer work moves to Main Street, and the businesses most likely to change your weekly routine are all along that same road. Here's the season, ending on the side of Parkside where things are changing.
The corner that once anchored the neighborhood
Medusa calls 2302 Main a mixed-use shopping center that "was once the social hub of this Olmsted-conceived neighborhood." The main space started as a grocer. Around 1930 it was remodeled into the chrome art-deco candy shop that a lot of Buffalonians remember from childhood. It was also a filming location for the 1984 Robert Redford movie The Natural. Medusa points to the ice cream scene.
The developer's plan runs in two phases:
- Phase 1: five retail storefronts of about 700 square feet each, with basement access, a single bathroom, a small kitchenette, and a small green space behind each store with room for a few bistro tables.
- The corner café: Medusa is looking for an owner-operator to reopen the sidewalk café service window. It describes the corner as a "walkable, family, and dog-friendly 3rd space" with outdoor seating and lush street plantings.
- Phase 2: careful repair of extensive water damage on the main building's first floor. The aim is to save architectural details from both the 1918 and the 1930 eras, with a completion goal of late 2027.
Altogether, Medusa says the work includes restoring eight commercial storefronts, and its goal is full occupancy "within the next 20 Months." The project page doesn't say when that 20-month clock started. Treat late 2027 as the firmer marker for the old candy shop space itself. Medusa wants small businesses that rely on walk-in customers, including makers, artists, and vendors of all kinds.
The architect is Kisha Patterson, a preservation architect who once lived on this block. She also volunteered time and research for the Parkside Community Association's effort to set granite historic markers into the sidewalks along this stretch of Main. So the person designing the restoration has already helped mark the street's history at sidewalk level.
Two more Main Street returns, both still on the way
The Parkside Candies corner has a two-year timeline. Two other well-known Main Street businesses are closer to reopening, though neither has announced a date.
Central Park Grill, 2519 Main St.
Central Park Grill closed abruptly in July. On October 5, WNYmedia reported that it's expected to reopen under new ownership. The outlet described the pub as having a following among residents of Parkside and North Buffalo. WGRZ reports that it "will reopen later this fall" under Tim Courtney and partners, with planned renovations of $75,000 to $125,000. The new owners also plan to bring back daily live music, which has long been part of the Grill's identity. As of today, no reopening date has been published.
Famous Doughnuts, 3043 Main St.
The 85-year-old bakery closed in November 2025. Sid Sadat and Matt Ram bought it, and longtime owner Richard Roehm said he would stay on for a while to teach them his family's original recipes. On July 27, WKBW reported the shop was expected to reopen the following month, and the owners said they intend to keep things the way they were. As of Step Out Buffalo's September 25 roundup, though, Famous Doughnuts was still listed as "coming soon." Until the owners announce an opening, the August date should be read as a target the shop hasn't confirmed hitting.
October still belongs to the park side
For the next four weeks, most of the calendar sits along Jewett Parkway and Parkside Avenue. Here it is in date order:
- Thursday, October 8 through Sunday, October 11: the Buffalo Zoo's Enchanted Pumpkin Trail opens at 300 Parkside Ave. It has glowing pumpkin displays and after-dark access to Destination Dinosaur.
- Friday, October 9: last day to sign up for Spooky Porches of Parkside.
- Saturday, October 10, 2 to 5 p.m.: the Martin House and the Friends of the City of Buffalo Animal Shelter host Paws on the Prairie at 143 Jewett Parkway for National Adopt a Shelter Pet Month. The afternoon includes adoptable pets, local pet-focused vendors, food trucks, and self-guided tours of the campus. Costume contest judging starts at 4 p.m., and winners are announced at 4:30.
- Monday, October 12, 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Autumn Architecture Day at the Martin House, with mini and in-depth tours, self-guided tours, a free family art activity, cider, and doughnuts.
- Thursday, October 15, and Sunday, October 18: more Pumpkin Trail nights. Public voting for Spooky Porches also opens on the 18th.
- Saturday, October 17, and Friday and Saturday, October 23 and 24: Boo at the Zoo. The October 23 listing runs from 4 to 8 p.m.
- Thursday, October 22, and Sunday, October 25: Pumpkin Trail nights.
- Wednesday, October 28: Spooky Porches voting closes.
- Thursday, October 29 through Sunday, November 1: the Pumpkin Trail's final four nights. Spooky Porches winners are announced on Halloween.
Spooky Porches is new this year. The PCA says it borrowed the idea "from our friends over at the Allentown Association." Neighbors and businesses can enter, and every registrant goes on the association's website with a map for a self-guided tour. Because businesses are eligible, the map can cover Main Street storefronts as well as the residential blocks. Registration is through the Parkside Community Association.
The Martin House events fill a gap on the calendar. The new Market at the Martin House ran Thursday evenings from 5 to 8 p.m. on the Summit Avenue side of the campus from June 25 through September 24, and that season has now ended. The two October events are the campus's next public dates.
November moves the work to Main Street
Once the pumpkins come down, the PCA's next big community day is on the street this post started with. The 2026 Parkside Fall Tree Planting is Saturday, November 7, from 9 a.m. to noon, and it meets at 2318 Main St. That address is on the same stretch as 2302 Main, where Medusa wants lush street plantings outside the café window. You can sign up to volunteer through the PCA's event page.
The PCA's Snow Angel program for winter 2026–27 is also open now. It matches volunteers with neighbors who need snow help, and its listing runs from August 3, 2026, through February 26, 2027. You can sign up as a volunteer or request help.
The Zoo keeps going into the colder months, too. The calendar lists free-admission Third Thursdays on November 19 and December 17, with tickets reserved online. It also has a "Going Ape" conservation talk with Canisius University's Dr. Susan Margulis on November 4 and a bird-conservation talk with Dr. Kurt Volle on December 7. The Zoo hasn't listed a 2026 holiday tree lighting yet, so don't plan around one until a date appears on its events calendar.
What to watch for on the way to the tree planting
If you walk Main Street on November 7, keep an eye on three addresses. At 2302 Main, look for any sign of Phase 1 storefront work or a café operator. Medusa's leasing inquiries go to [email protected]. At 2519 Main, the Courtney group has said "later this fall," so reopening news could come any week now. At 3043 Main, Famous Doughnuts is the one where the posted timeline and the latest listing still don't match.
Old corners coming back to life are good news for everyone on these blocks, including anyone thinking about how the Main Street side of Parkside will show to future buyers. If you own near Main and Oakwood and want to talk through what the 2302 Main restoration could mean for your street, Susan Lenahan is happy to walk you through it. Request a free home valuation and neighborhood strategy, and we'll start with your block.
