Greeks & Sneaks is not only a place for UB students to purchase or rent textbooks (at prices much more reasonable than the on-campus bookstore and sometimes even cheaper than Amazon), but it also doubles as a one-stop shop for all manner of college-themed clothing and gear. Dedicated UB football and basketball fans can find a full range of t-shirts, sweats, hoodies, and other items emblazoned with the Bulls logo. Greeks & Sneaks also offers fraternity and sorority swag, as well as silkscreen prints, embroidery, and a wide range of sneakers.
Mon-Fri 10AM-6PM, Sat noon-5PM
If you're a touring musician in search of gear, Music City is the place to go: guitars, bass guitars, drum kits, brass band instruments, amps, PA systems, and effects pedals from all the leading brands are not only for sale or rent at great prices, but even optimized and customized for each customer by a staff headed up by local guitar hero Vincent James Mastrantonio (who even offers private lessons out of the shop!) And if your favorite instrument is in need of some TLC, never fear: tuning, repair, and pickup installations are also offered.
Mon-Thu 11AM-7PM, Fri 11AM-6PM, Sat 11AM-5PM
The ambience at O'Connell's is decidedly old-school, redolent of a time when merchandise was crafted with pride and skill and salespeople knew their customers by name, which makes it fitting that the specialty here is high-end men's formalwear, almost a sartorial anachronism in this day and age. The suits, sportcoats, dress shirts, shoes, slacks, ties and accessories offered here are of a style that marries staid conservatism with quirky individuality (novelty cufflinks shaped like race cars and champagne bottles are a good example of this). Prices tend toward the higher end of things, but you get what you pay for.
Mon Thu 9:30AM-8PM, Tue Wed Fri Sat 9:30AM-5:30PM
At this friendly and snazzily decorated shop, the namesake item is super flavorful without the cloying sweetness you see at a lot of other places: the folks at Lucky Koi understand that high-quality tea, even more than the flavor syrups, is what can really make or break this sort of place (choose from white, black, green, or oolong). As for the flavors, you've got your work cut out for you navigating the huge range of options; if you need help narrowing things down, the rule of thumb is the Asian flavors — ube, longan, dragonfruit — tend to be better than the Western ones. Made-to-order Hong Kong bubble waffles are a winner too.
Mon-Thu 2PM-10PM, Fri 2PM-midnight, Sat noon-midnight, Sun noon-10PM