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By: Brendan McDonough

Reporter for North Tonawanda

Once a place for religious worship, Ascension Church is now home to ‘The Old Chapel Antique & Artisan Market’.

Opening in December of 2017, the market now has over 100 vendors who sell everything from tables to classic paintings.

This past week the business expanded once again welcoming the ‘Orange Brick Café.’ Selling a variety of baked goods and coffee products, customers at the market will now have the ability to get a caffeine or sugar ‘pick me up’ as they shop.

“Our partnership with the Cheesecake Factory allows us to sell an abundance of different cheesecakes and desserts,” said Jacob Wankasky, Owner. “We have specialty coffees as well as seasonal things such as apple cider slushies.”

Jacob and his wife, Jenny, run the business. According to Jenny, they have always planned on opening a café and it has become a labor of love for this young couple.

“There’s just something special about finding something old and making it new again,” said Jenny, “and then enjoying the taste of sweet success along the way.”

In fact, Jacob and Jenny’s love for one another even impacted the menu.

“I couldn’t help but name one of the desserts after her,” said Jacob. “It’s called the peanut butter and Jenny bar and it is perfect; just like her.”

The “Peanut Butter & Jenny bar”

Whether it is to socialize, take a break, or fuel up for the shopping ahead, the café certainly will have something to satisfy almost everyone’s taste buds.

“I think it will become a great place for people to come and enjoy a high-quality cup of coffee,” said Jacob. “We invested in state-of-the-art coffee equipment. The coffee, from the minute you order it, is ground in front of you and then, as if by magic, fills up your cup.”

Jenny summed it up best, stating, “dessert is always our favorite meal of the day.”

The market has become somewhat of a hot spot for North Tonawanda residents in the ten months they have been open. As one resident explained, it is because the market has something for people of all ages.

“I was surprised to find out just how wide a variety of things was here,” said Sue Fisherman, North Tonawanda resident. “I thought it was going to be mainly craft-type things, but I could not have been more wrong! There is so much more than that.”

The market includes vendors selling all sorts of different items including collectables, antique furniture, paintings, photos, and more.

“We try and feature a lot of local artists and artisans,” said Jacob. “In fact, we have an art gallery that was just installed in April to feature local artists.”

According to Jacob, this is not the last big change coming to the market as they will soon begin offering a number of Amish products.

“We plan to expand the Amish market extensively,” he said, “which will be a nice extension of the North Tonawanda Farmers Market. There’s just something about authentic craftsmanship that people appreciate and clamor for.”

The ‘Old Chapel Antique & Artisan Market’ is located at 172 Robinson Street in North Tonawanda and is open daily from 10:00am – 6:00pm.