Many paranormal enthusiasts believe that when you renovate an old building, you are likely to stir up the past and this may come in the form of either residual noise or you guessed it, a haunting. After hearing so many phantom noises, the staff at Rochester Art Supply has learned to embrace this concept and uses it to explain…well, the unexplained. The store’s establishment is located in an old hardware store and their warehouse was a former apartment complex. Despite the current bustling storefront that now resides there, the staff is often bombarded with questionable noises – especially after hours. With unclaimed footsteps, unplugged radios turning on by themselves, and warehouse doors slamming for no reason at all, the staff has come to accept that the store is indeed haunted. The staff even comically refers to the ghost as “Lester” since that was the name of original owner of Lester’s Hardware.
Rochester’s President, Mike Lesczinski admits he’s encountered some strange incidents at that store late at night and chalks it up to Lester. On one occasion in particular, Mike was working on paperwork when the footsteps in the warehouse got so loud that he actually thought someone broke in. He called the police and after a thorough investigation, he confirmed that he was indeed alone in the building. Lester has made his presence known on several other occasions as well. During the late hours of the holiday rush, Lisa Lesczinski heard someone walk loudly down the warehouse stairs. As she and her coworker went over to the stairs, they discovered no one was there. During another incident, Jenny Lesczinski was working in her office when she heard a man yell her name from the warehouse. Assuming it was her father, Mike, she went looking for her dad to find he was actually outside unloading a truck. Realizing it wasn’t him, she ran back to office a bit shaken. Lester continues to surprise the staff with his footsteps and voices. He even gives the store cat a chase from time to time and provokes the store dog to growl at the empty warehouse hallway. The friendly but mischievous ghost, Lester, has now become a part of Rochester Art Supply’s unique history.