Tuesday, November 20, 2012

W.S. Bazaar opens bigger space on Nov. 27


            After months of preparatory work, the West Side Bazaar is set to open at its expanded location at 25 Grant St. on Nov. 27.
            The location houses 22 vendors, almost four times the size of its former site at 242 Grant St., including five of the six vendors from its current location.
Ben Bissell, economic development coordinator for the Westminster Economic Development Initiative, said the new location will have the space to feature a mix of local and international vendors, which he said is important to stimulate creative innovation.
Bonnie Smith, board president for WEDI, said the new location will feature a full kitchen, which is set to open in mid-December. She said there will be four vendors that will sell specialty foods from places like Africa, Peru, Burma and China.
“I don’t think you can get more all-over-the-world than that,” Smith said. “It’s very exciting.”
On Dec. 6, Smith said the Bazaar will be participating in Peace, Love and Grant, a promotional event to get residents to shop locally.
“We want the Bazaar to be a public face to build customer space and vitalize the neighborhood,” Bissell said.
Bissell said the Bazaar is a small business incubator, meant to act as a step toward independent business ownership.
“Someone might have a great idea, but they don’t have any capital,” he said. “So we give them subsidized space to get them from point A to point B.” By Brian Alexander and Jennifer Waters