Buffalo, N.Y. – After months of research, community input and customer surveys, Westminster Economic Development Initiative (WEDI) announced it has found a new home for the West Side Bazaar at 1432 Niagara St. in Buffalo.
The building, which WEDI will own, is three times larger than the current Bazaar. This will allow for more businesses to operate and provide space for community resources and events.
“We’re thrilled about this development and are looking forward to transforming a vacant building into a destination for the West Side community,” said Carolynn Welch. “We hope the new Bazaar will help spur more development on Niagara Street. Moreover, it will continue to give low-income and refugee entrepreneurs the opportunity to own and operate a business in our City.”
The new space will:
- Provide more storage areas, upgraded kitchen equipment and additional seating to serve more customers,
- Accommodate both the West Side and growing Riverside refugee communities, and
- House a variety of businesses, including restaurants, retailers, service providers and non-profits.
Empire State Development Acting Commissioner and President & CEO-Designate Eric Gertler said, “ESD is proud to support the upcoming expansion of the West Side Bazaar , which attracts many tourists each year, supports low-income families and provides the region with unique gift items and food from around the world.”
The Bazaar hopes to open in its new location in spring 2021.
About the West Side Bazaar
The West Side Bazaar is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) small business incubator and international marketplace located on Buffalo’s West Side. Our mission is to equip their business owners with the knowledge, tools, and experience needed to operate a business in Western New York. Fourteen of the 15 businesses are currently owned by refugees and two-thirds of the businesses are women-owned. Since our founding in 2012, we’ve helped over two dozen businesses start up. Our graduates include Gourmet Lao Foods, Global Villages, Rangoon Income Tax, Unity Traditional Cloth, and more.