Kayla Zemsky and Michael Myers were perfectly content with the lives they were building in New York City in 2017.
Kayla had been there nearly a decade, most recently working at the Whitney Museum of American Art then completing her MBA at Columbia Business School. Michael, meanwhile, was a project manager for internationally known British sculptor Andy Goldsworthy.
But as their September wedding day approached, they arrived at the decision together that the best place to establish roots would be back home.
“It was a mixture of feeling like Buffalo would be a nice place to start a family, as well as finding more meaning in my work here,” Kayla says. “I felt like joining the family business was going to give me the ability to have a bigger impact than I could ever have in a place like New York City.”
The newlyweds were no different than the thousands of other expats throughout the 2000s who left Buffalo to go to school or find greater career opportunities. But unlike the many who decided to settle elsewhere, Kayla and Michael were drawn back by the city’s resurgent energy and, more specifically, the revitalization of The Hydraulic District.
Kayla’s father, Howard Zemsky, sold his family’s Russer Foods in 1999, which initially funded the purchase of the Exchange building in 2002. In the 23 years since, Larkin Development Group has bought about 60 buildings or parcels of neighborhood land and has turned a once forgotten-about factory district into a premier commercial, residential and entertainment destination known as Larkinville.
“You’ve got amazing historical characters associated with this district,” Howard says. “Darwin Martin, Elbert Hubbard, Frank Lloyd Wright, John D. Larkin himself, they all trace their roots back to the Larkin Soap Company. It was a very innovative, vibrant district that went through a long period of decline, but today there are more people working in the district than during the peak of Larkin Soap Company.”
Now at almost 25 years of revival, the Zemskys – including Howard’s wife Leslie, son Harry, daughter-in law Catherine and family dog Martha – are excited about how far this project has come. But they’re always looking ahead to what’s next.
As CEO and president/COO of Larkin Development Group, Kayla and Michael will have a hands-on approach to shaping its future. When they think about what that may look like, they draw on their own experiences and passions as 30-somethings with two young kids.
“What makes our life in Buffalo enjoyable outside of the people and our family here is what makes our city feel like a vibrant place,” Kayla says. “We love to go to the new AKG Town Square. I like being able to walk my kids to a zoo and a playground and a coffee shop.”
And those interests that are important to them often influence what happens in Larkinville – from the restaurants, retailers and programming to the living spaces and working amenities.
“When we look at the businesses we bring to our community, it’s also for the experience of our customers,” Michael says. “It’s exciting to talk to our tenants who have made this serious decision to choose Larkin as the place they want to work or live – or sometimes both.”
Howard sees his family’s investment in Larkinville as a model of what has
to happen throughout Western New York to retain and attract the future of
the region.
“How do you create great places and neighborhoods that attract young people so that you can fill jobs, have people who are tech savvy, growing families and investing in new homes?” Howard says. “These are all things that help make an economy. If you don’t attract young people, you have nothing.”
Kayla and Michael felt that attraction – something they may not have said 15 or 25 years ago. While it’s a sign that the outlook on Buffalo as an attractive place to work, live and play is shifting for the better, they know that one neighborhood is just a piece to building a viable and sustainable Western New York.
“It’s a grassroots initiative in a very cool, historic district with buildings that have great stories and people associated with them,” Kayla says. “We’re mindful of how much we’ve done and how much we have to do. As we go forward, we’re going to be deliberate and continue to find ways to add to the vibrancy of the neighborhood and city as a whole.”
