Buffalouie’s owner Ed Schwartzman decided it was time to upgrade the interior of the iconic wing spot located in the historic Gable’s building across from the Sample Gates. He knew just what to do. More importantly, he knew who to call. 

Scwarztman’s daughter attends a local school where she became friends with the daughter of Bloomington’s Adam Long, an artist, and muralist. One day while eating at Buffalouie’s, Long pitched the idea for a basketball-themed mural on the wall of the restaurant. 

The project was simple. Hoosiers could bid to have their faces enshrined in various iconic figures sitting in the stands of a very familiar basketball stadium on the wall of the restaurant. The bids started at $100 and featured characters like Dorothy, Darth Vader, and Mr. Rogers. A winning bid would give them a piece of Bloomington history, forever. Schwartzman says will remain on the walls as long as there are walls there. 

In 2017, Long left his day job with his family’s business to pursue art full time. In addition to the mural Long has masterminded around Bloomington, the art that means the most resides in the bedrooms and hallways of special needs students throughout the community. Especially for those like his daughter.  Her animal-themed mural, the first of the best days ever, serves as a reminder that even cerebral palsy can’t stop her from being a veterinarian or Zookeeper one day. 

Long started his foundation, The Best Day Ever Project, to help bring art into the living spaces of children like his daughter. The foundation aims to create hope and opportunity for those who need it the most. Long has given that hope to children with special needs more than a dozen times. Thanks to this mural, and a little help from Schwartzman and Buffalouie’s, he won’t be stopping anytime soon. 

By the time the bidding had ended, over $10,000 dollars were raised to be split between Long’s foundation and the Bloomington Boys and Girls Club.

This is not anything new for Schwartzman, who credits his wife, and his young daughter for reminding, if not forcing him, to give even when it seems crazy. They call it “giving to gain”.

When Schwartman’s wife Jamie, who co-owns the restaurant, feared Bloomington students would go hungry when schools closed amid the Covid-19 pandemic, she told Ed they were going to give students on free and reduced lunch programs free meals from the restaurant.

The motto and the idea behind it are simple for employees.  Do the right thing without the expectation that it will be returned to you, and most of the time it will be. They gave these meals for the two weeks it took for the schools to open their cafeterias.

They gained a lot of help, as community members offered to deliver and pay for the meals. A few months later, they received an award from the city of Bloomington for their philanthropy. 

Schwartzman lives that motto. You can see for yourself inside the building, where the mural will soon hang in perpetuity. If you were new to Buffalouie’s you might not understand why this larger than life gentleman with grey hair and a loud raspy voice would be talking to you. Seeing him working behind the counter, you might not even know he owned the place. 

That doesn’t matter to Schwartzman, and he and his wife don’t plan to stop giving any time soon. That mindset has been a big gain for artists like Long, the children who he empowers, and the community that gets to enjoy the art. And some really good wings too.