Bazaar expected to bring buzz to West Side

By Ashley Brown and Brittany Sherman
Bengal News reporters
 The aroma of exotic foods fills the air. Pedestrians can’t help but stop and stare at the colorful and intricate fabric and jewelry. The sound of eclectic music spills into the streets, creating a unique ambience.
 This is the scene that is hoped to be set by the West Side Bazaar, a project that has been a work-in-progress for some time by several West Side organizations and investors.
 The idea behind the project is to help provide business and entrepreneurial skills as well as opportunities for the refugee population, and build up the West Side’s commercial district.
 The Westminster Economic Development Initiative and Niagara Common Councilmember David Rivera have played key roles in the development of the project.



The bazaar has faced a couple of hurdles that have delayed the unveiling of the unique business on more than one occasion. The primary issue that has been faced is establishing a location.
 “We’ve been trying to find buildings, but no building has opened up,” said Kirk Laubenstein, legislative assistant to Rivera. “We’ve been waiting on the Heal closing because they just closed, but the building needs a lot of rehab. We’re at least hoping for a temporary location while Heal does the rehab for their building.”
 If plans go through as hoped for at the Heal building, the Bazaar will be housed at 240 – 244 West Ferry Street. It will be the tenant on the first floor of the building.
 The bazaar aspires to feature the diverse cultures and ethnicities that make up the West Side community and draw in commercial business.
 “The idea is to have a smaller type of a Broadway market,” said Laubenstein. “You would have vendors and small booths selling food, hand crafts, jewelry, primarily focused on refugees, but not limited to refugees.”
 Bonnie Smith, the Economic Development Director for the WEDI, expands on specifically what vendors will be featured at the bazaar.
 “We have Anthony from Liberia, who is importing beautiful clothing and fabrics from Liberia,” said Smith. “We also have Marta from Peru, she’s a trained chef and she’s doing Peruvian food, and hopes to start the first Peruvian restaurant in Buffalo.”
 This business will stand out from any other bazaar, flea market or farmer’s market in the area because it primarily focuses on the West Side’s refugee and immigrant population. The vendors will offer an international mix of commodities and goods.
 There’s much more than just finding a location and the adequate funding that has gone into this project. WEDI, the lead agency in the bazaar, has helped refugee and immigrant vendors understand the business aspect of the project.
 “We’ve been part of the workshops and developing the workshops for the vendors,” said Smith. “Our workshops have been on sales tax, insurance, importing and general business know-how.”
 Building up the commercial district in the West Side community has been a primary motive for the Bazaar.
 “As you see over on Elmwood, as goes the commercial district so goes the neighborhood around it,” said Laubenstein. “Our goal is to have a vibrant neighborhood and a vibrant neighborhood includes good commercial districts.”
 Smith believes that the future for the West Side is looking bright. She hopes that with some assistance, the refugee population can turn this into a thriving community.
 As of now, the Bazaar is looking for a temporary space until renovations are complete at the location on West Ferry. The hope is to have an opening at a temporary location in December.

 Edited by Allison Dunckle and Kaitlin Fritz

Merging old and new through business group

By Mike Gambini and Ken Obstarczyk
Bengal News reporters
 The West Side is home to a diverse population including Puerto Ricans, African Americans, Eastern Europeans, Asians and Somalis.
 Welcome to the Grant Street business district.
 Helping to bring synergy and cohesion to such a diverse area is the Grant-Ferry Association headed by Kathleen Kinan and Gary Welborn.
 Since taking over the association from founders Bob Franke and Mike Rizzo, Kinan and Welborn have begun to implement a plan that not only merges a melting pot of businesses, but incorporates an equally diverse campus, Buffalo State, which has plenty of resources to share.
 “My vision is that Grant Street can be a global commercial strip,” said Gary Welborn, vice president of the Grant Ferry Association, and chair and associate professor in the sociology department at Buffalo State.
 “I think Bob from the beginning had the idea of tapping into those communities, trying to get some entrepreneurs from those communities to anchor in with businesses,” he said. “That has happened but it can go further. We want to create a commercial strip that is organically connected with the community around it.”
 Welborn said the biggest challenge facing the association moving forward is connecting the new businesses that have sprung up, to the old businesses that have been a mainstay for over 60 years. Due to the diverse community, there is very little connection, he said.
 Grant-Ferry Association has an idea to overcome this hurdle. They plan to hold a series of business mixers with the first one taking place on Nov. 3 at G & L Flooring, 200 Grant St. Welborn said the mixer will be a great opportunity for businesses like Guercio & Sons, Sweetness 7 Café, Hatimy Market and the African Market Center and Deli to associate.
 Paul Murphy, owner of G & L Flooring, stopped short of saying he wasn’t pleased with the way the previous regime operated the association, instead, he said he is looking forward to a fresh start.
 “The mixer will hopefully bring people together under a friendly atmosphere seeing what people’s goals are for the future,” Murphy said.
  “I have met with Kathy and Gary on numerous occasions and discussions have been positive. Hopefully new leadership will change things,” he said.
 The Grant-Ferry Association is also looking to extend its reach to Buffalo State.
 Welborn hopes that students, faculty and staff will venture off campus for an experience that is unlike what they may be used to.
 “Grant Street is a unique shopping area that offers students, faculty and staff an experience much different than a shopping mall or commercial strip,” Welborn said.
  “The businesses reflect the identity and ethnicity of the groups in the area and that is something important to recognize,” he said.

Edited by Heidi Friend and Kristine Starkey