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Rensselaer Falls couple plans to open gallery, lounge, eatery in former church

Posted 9/29/12

By JIMMY LAWTON RENSSELAER FALLS -- A former Western New York couple plans to open an art gallery, lounge and eatery in the village. Tammy Cotton and Donald Sendlak, say they hope to open "The …

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Rensselaer Falls couple plans to open gallery, lounge, eatery in former church

Posted

By JIMMY LAWTON

RENSSELAER FALLS -- A former Western New York couple plans to open an art gallery, lounge and eatery in the village.

Tammy Cotton and Donald Sendlak, say they hope to open "The Sanctuary" in the former Methodist Church sometime next year.

Cotton said her vision includes an art gallery, eatery and a lounge that would serve alcoholic beverages.

"We are calling it a lounge, not a bar. We want a very relaxed atmosphere," she said.

Cotton said she would also like to see the building used for performances and business meetings.

While plans for a commercial use are a bit down the road, Cotton said she has already been using the structure for art work.

Last year, only weeks after moving to the area, the couple created an elaborate Halloween-themed display. On New Year's Eve, the pair hosted a ball drop.

"We plan to do both again this year," she said. "We are trying to let people know we are here," she said.

Cotton and Sendlak said they have no family in the area, but decided to move here after helping a local fraternity on a work day.

"We came up and liked it so much we decided to move here," she said. "I had been living in the city for a long time and I was unhappy. I really wanted some where more rural," she said.

Both Cotton and Sendlak are artists. Sendlak is a metal sculptor and fabricator who helped create a memorial for the victims of flight 3407, which crashed into a home in Clarence killing 50 people.