By Cait Malilay and Natalie Gravino
The West Side Bazaar, which was launched just a little over a decade ago by the Westminster Economic Development Initiative, also known as WEDI, is best known for its unique apparel and accessories from all around the world and variety of authentic ethnic food kiosks.
Located on Grant Street, it’s become so popular that leaders decided to expand its retail and restaurant space by five times.
Garang Doar, co-owner of Nile River Restaurant, is just one of many who are excited for the bazaar’s new and much larger location at 1432 Niagara St.
“A bigger kitchen is definitely like the one thing that I can hope for,” Doar said.
The bazaar will grow from 3,200 square feet to over 16,000 square feet.
“Everything’s going to be bigger in that they’re going to have increased capacity because we'll have more room for customers, which helps them make money and we’ll also have more room for storage for them because right now they don’t have very much room for space,” Erin St. John Kelly, WEDI director of external relations said.
The seating in the community cafe will increase from 35 to 82.
The new location is being funded through a capital campaign, the goal of which is to earn $7.5 million in a three-year period from 2021 to 2024.
The building was bought in 2019, but there were delays to even start the demolition due to the pandemic and its supply line, Kelly said.
The bazaar’s new location renovations is not the only thing that the pandemic stalled. Doar and his father were on the bazaar waitlist for five years until they officially opened in August 2021, which was a perfect time after the pandemic led to the shutdown of many businesses the year prior.
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| Garang Doar |
Htay Naing opened up his Thai restaurant Nine & Night in 2016 and is just one of many vendors who witnessed COVID-19’s devastating effects on businesses.
“Now it’s doing much better than the last two years,” he said.
What inspired Doar and his father to open up their restaurant was to represent the Sudanese population in the community.
“For us it’s just a way to bring our culture, our part of the world, to the United States in Buffalo,” the 25-year-old said.
Doar’s father left South Sudan in the midst of a civil war and waited for U.N. refugee status in Egypt for three years until settlement in Buffalo with the help of Catholic Charities in 2003.
Before the opening of their restaurant, Doar worked as a line cook in a country club for seven years and his father worked various jobs.
Doar said that because they opened up post-shutdown, they personally didn’t see much of an effect, but based on what they’ve heard from others who work at the bazaar, it has changed the way people get their food.
“The traffic into the store has slowed down quite a bit, but with that happening it has jumped deliveries and online orders,” he said.
The bazaar has certainly gone through a long journey since its opening over a decade ago.
WEDI helped support over 48 small businesses, 54% of which have branched out and created their own retail front.
“My dad and I had the idea of doing a little bakery or something with it, so it’s not completely out of the question, but right now we’re just focused on building our business slowly but surely,” Doar said.
Renting its current Grant Street location, WEDI is hoping to begin construction at the new location this spring and open in 2023.
