Buffalo Boss Babes : Maria Blair

Coming from a long family history of business owners ( Blairs Hardware and J and J Farms), Maria wanted to shine a light on the true stories of Buffalo. With her dual degrees of history and education, it was only natural to create a business out of sharing the love of our city with tours specific to its history and people.

Read more below about her story , follow her at @noillusiontours for more information about her tours!

What made you start or brought you where you are today ? Tell us your Story. What makes you a Buffalo Boss Babe?

In 2019 I set out to tell Buffalo's story from the voices that we don't always hear from. I wanted to show locals and tourists alike that Buffalo was more than just rust and snow and chicken wings. There are beautiful and impactful stories in this city's past. Over these last few years I have worked to showcase as many people and events from Buffalo's history as I can, with the intention of giving those that made Buffalo what it is today a platform. I had always been interested in studying history both academically and in my own ways, especially Buffalo's history. After spending some time really digging into the city's past I realized that there were so many people, places and events that the average person did not seem to be aware of. So I decided that with my history and education backgrounds I could tell those stories. No Illusions Tours began with Buffalo's Favorite Daughters, telling Buffalo's story through influential women that lived and worked here. Since then the tours have expanded to six tours of three different themes, as well as many special events and collaborations. I'm very grateful that this company has also brought me in contact with so many other local entrepreneurs, artists, and non-profits that also care so deeply about Buffalo's past, present and future. It has been a dream to work to inspire people to continue working on Buffalo's bright future by exploring its past.

Who are your favorite people to follow ?

I'm definitely inspired by other small businesses and groups that are working to tell Buffalo's story and uplift the city in general: Buffalo Bike Tours, Buffalo History Buff, Buffalo Niagara LGBTQ History, Buffalo Community Fridge. There are so many more!

What are your favorite things to do in the area ? Buffalo and greater WNY

I love visiting our museums and historic places that aren't featured on my own tours, especially the lesser known places. I just visited the Hull House in Lancaster for the first time, for example. I try to seek out as many of those blue historic signs and forgotten little cemeteries as I can! I enjoy trying out new restaurants and businesses, and walking the different neighborhoods of Buffalo. I especially enjoy walking through Forest Lawn and am there at least weekly. I also try to get to Letchworth State Park as often as I can.

Tell us about your favorite collaboration or dream collaborations ?

Its very difficult to pick a favorite collaboration, but I have worked most often with Buffalo Bike Tours and Sobremesa Buffalo. I always say that you can see the city in such a different way walking it than driving it and the same can be said for exploring it by bike. WIth Marc at Buffalo Bike Tours we have the freedom to do tours that would be too long to walk, so it offers a different way to plan a route. I think we also have complimentary backgrounds and knowledge, which allows us to create dynamic and unique ways to tell Buffalo's story. We have done two tours together in the past and are currently planning #3. Working with Claire at Sobremesa Buffalo has allowed me to explore historic story telling in a new way. We create historic dinners based on a piece of Buffalo's story. As a chef who is also interested in food history, I have learned a great deal from her and have gotten to be creative in my presentations that accompany her dinners. We have worked on three dinners together and are planning another for this year. This year I will also be working with Robert Brighton an author, on a special collaborative tour and I'm excited to see where that partnership will go as well.

If you could have coffee with anyone in the world who would it be?

I'm not sure if this includes both living and dead people. If so, though there are many people on my tours I'd love to meet, I am fully incapable of choosing just one. Therefore I'd say that I'd love to sit down with Frederick Douglass. His life and accomplishments are so inspiring. One thing that has always stuck with me was his response when explaining what he was most proud of in his life. He said it wis work for Women's Suffrage because it was something that he worked for that was of no personal benefit to himself. He worked so tirelessly as an abolitionist and writer as well of course, but it's also inspiring to me that suffrage meant so much to him too. I think it shows a lot about who he was as a person and I'd love to know more about that person.

What are your hopes, dreams, goals. Big or small?

At the end of the day my goal is to be a force for positivity for my city. I would like to do more with charities, and non-profits and to uplift other small businesses. I want everyone to see what I see when I look at this city and I want to help Buffalo and its people in whatever way I can . I hope to tell its story to those who live here to inspire them to love their home and to those who are visiting to show them how genuinely inspiring and important this city has been, is and will continue to be.

Tell us about your family?

I come from a small business family. My parents are the third generation to run a small local hardware and plumbing business that started in 1944. My sister now also has her own business with her husband raising turkeys and chickens. I grew up in WNY and have lived in Buffalo and a few different suburbs as well. Today I live with my boyfriend and pet rabbit on Delaware just north of the city.

FEEL GOOD FAVORITES

Restaurant in Buffalo: Strong Hearts

Color: Pink and Black

Super Power: Time Travel

Animal : Rabbit

Season of the year: Fall

Favorite thing about Buffalo / WNY: It has a lot of perseverance and grit- this city has a lot of moxie!