By Kate Bartlett
Anjanette Nicolazzo is an Associate Real Estate Broker with ERA Team VP who has called Ellicottville her home for the last 14 years. Engaged to her hometown sweetheart Jonathan, Anjanette is proud to be raising their 2-year-old son in a community she describes as, “like no place on Earth.” She is passionate about the great outdoors and showing horses, and believes exercise is the best antidepressant on the market.
Anjanette operates a full-time real estate business working with buyers, sellers, developers, and investors in the vacation and residential markets of Ellicottville and surrounding Cattaraugus County communities. “I love what I do, and I’m thankful that Ellicottville’s growth has blessed me with an opportunity to build a lasting career here while raising our family.”
Born and raised in Kane, Pennsylvania, about an hour south of Ellicottville, Anjanette had a love for the outdoors and horses from a young age. She started taking riding lessons and showing when she was 7, and eventually convinced her parents to buy her a horse, which they really couldn’t afford.
To help pay for the horse’s board, Anjanette started washing dishes at her parents’ Italian restaurant and bar, formerly known as “Papa Nick’s,” at age 11, and cooking at age 15, which led to learning the business. “The place was notorious for my dad’s Grinder sub and the great rock & roll bands he’d bring in every weekend. There was never a dull moment.”
During her sophomore year of college at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, her family tragically lost both their primary residence and the restaurant to a devastating fire. They were left with only the shoes on their feet. Both properties were a total loss, and they lacked the proper insurance coverage to rebuild.
“A major turning point, I leaned into my studies to keep my head above water. I copy edited the UPB student newspaper and eventually spent a semester in Costa Rica studying Ecology and Marine Biology.” She graduated with a B.A. in Public Relations and International Studies in 2008.
After college, Anjanette drove across the country to manage the East Glacier Park Lodge Bar and Lounge in Montana for the following year. “I needed clarity, and managing gave me the opportunity to create my own schedule and climb mountains on back-to-back off days. Without cell service, the internet, or television, it was such an enriching experience.”
While living in MT, her dad’s health was declining in PA. The Tamarack Club at Holiday Valley was nearing completion. She applied and was hired in their foodservice department, arriving about a week before the grand opening of John Harvard’s. “Ellicottville was close to my parents and really reminded me of being out west. Plus, I tore my ACL skiing the year prior, and was determined to become a strong skier. I knew this was right where I needed to be.”
Anjanette has been a well-known community member since moving here. From John Harvard’s to EBC, to freelance writing and handling advertising sales for The Villager and Ellicottville Snowed-In. After she obtained her Real Estate Salesperson license in 2014, her hardwork led to a position with Timberbuilt in North Collins as their Marketing and Sales Manager while she built her real estate roots.
However, an opportunity arose at Zippo for a National Accounts Manager in 2015 that she couldn’t refuse. She went on to become a Regional Accounts Manager for the East Coast, and ultimately their Director of Domestic Sales. “I’ll be forever grateful for the wealth of business acumen I gained, but deep down, I knew I’d always be working for someone else’s dream until I worked for myself.”
In 2019, Anjanette took the risk of resigning from her director role at Zippo to pursue her real estate career full-time and obtained her Associate Broker license. “It’s truly one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and I’m thankful for the support our community and my colleagues have shown me.”
“Selling is in my blood, and the best part about real estate is helping people make major lifetime goals come to fruition. This can look like handing keys to someone that never thought they’d be a homeowner, to securing a million-dollar contract sight unseen. The days are far from monotonous, I enjoy solving problems and making deals happen.”
Anjanette is on the Board of Trustees at the Ellicottville Memorial Library, a business member of the Ellicottville Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Holy Name of Mary Catholic Church and participated in the Leadership Cattaraugus and McKean programs.
“My family is my whole world. My fiancée Jonathan, our sweet son, and our two dogs mean everything to me. We enjoy hiking, skiing, snowmobiling, and cooking, and make it a point to sit down at the dinner table together nightly. I love being a mother.” Anjanette also shows American Quarter Horses and is an avid reader and writer.
“As for Ellicottville, it’s a melting pot smack dab in the middle of rural America. The village life is special, but less than a mile outside those limits we’re surrounded by a mix of forests and wide-open spaces that offer some of the best opportunities in the country to get outside. On any given weekend, you can hit the trails or cruise dirt roads, catch a beautiful sunset, then end it all next to a campfire, or by hearing a live band.”
Anjanette reminds us that, “Your setbacks are your real gifts. They are learning experiences that show you where the work needs done, they are the facilitators of growth. If you really take the time to learn how to believe in yourself, trust yourself, and get to know yourself, anything is possible.”
Follow Anjanette on social media @nicolazzorealtor. Contact her at 716-801-6836 or nicolazzorealtor@gmail.com.