I'd definitely suggest not caring about where your UI designer is located. It's hard enough to find decent UI people without forcing them to live in Western NY. Some of the best UI people I know live in Europe, Mexico, New Zealand, etc. If you're down for contracting with someone remotely, I'd take a look at Dribbble to find some styles of work you really like and then give those designers a shout. It could really make a huge difference. Good luck!