Pizza, coffee and a suntan TO GO

remember staring across Union at Poole’s Nursery on 6th Ave, wondering what if anything could ever revive that corner. It didn’t take long before Poole’s emerged in a far more industrious form, now known as Poole’s Corner. 3 stories of commercial energy rose out of the little corner, giving life to a host of businesses. Farrelli’s Pizza, Origin 23 and Bahama Tan provide a little retail something for everybody on the ground level, while offices buzz overhead.

The center has become so busy that I am usually forced to park in the underground garage (free) because all the street-level parking spots are full. Farrelli’s pizza is quite good, and the kitchen is open late every night. This is a huge bonus if you like midnight hot wings. Origin 23 (previously Firehouse) is home to coffee, snacks, gelato, wifi, and big tables, which naturally caters to UPS students, and anyone who despises the thought of contributing to the coffers of Hanoi Howard and the rest of the clan at Starbucks. Bahama Tan rounds out the bottom floor, and provides a pre-vacation tanning solution or a prophetic glimpse into the future of skin cancer; you make the call.

The little nursery is long gone, but the Poole name lives on safely for generations to come. For this corner, the building style works. I’m just not sure how many of these mixed-use buildings we want on 6th Ave. The concept usually gets rave reviews from our local, developmentally conscious (hippy, urban, art) people, but if they continue to pop up everywhere, we are left with nothing but a multi-level strip mall. Thoughts, anyone?