West Side Bazaar Helps Buffalo Entrepreneurs Build Their Businesses
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| Nathalie Zola Malu, owner of Malkia & Co. Gourmets |
The smell of Congolese dishes, Caribbean specialties and other international foods fills West Side Bazaar on Niagara Street, where customers arrive to eat, talk and experience cultures from around the world.
Behind the marketplace’s food vendors, entrepreneurs are building businesses of their own to grow beyond the Bazaar.
Located at 1432 Niagara St., the West Side Bazaar is operated by the Westminster Economic Development Initiative, also known as WEDI. The business incubator helps provide entrepreneurs with affordable space, resources and guidance as they work toward eventually operating on their own.
The Bazaar combines a low-cost place to launch a business with training and support designed to help entrepreneurs overcome financial, cultural and language barriers by allowing business owners to test their ideas and build a customer base before operating on their own.
Andre Nunn, operations manager at West Side Bazaar, said the organization offers more than a traditional food court.
“We teach business literacy,” Nunn said. "We do have different programs for scholarships or micro-loans.”
According to Nunn, entrepreneurs also receive assistance with marketing, social media and branding. The Bazaar works with business owners from different cultural backgrounds, some of whom face language barriers as they establish their businesses.
The goal is to give entrepreneurs the experience and resources they need to become successful outside the Bazaar.
For Nathalie Zola Malu, owner of Malkia & Co. Gourmets, the opportunity helped her turn her passion for cooking into a business.
Malu, who is originally from the Republic of Congo, previously worked as a pharmacist before pursuing her interest in food. She said opening a restaurant on her own would have required a much larger financial investment.
“This place was perfect for me because I don’t have to invest a lot of money,” Malu said. “Every furniture was always here. I have just to buy my food, bring my pots, that’s all.”
Having an established location also allowed Malu to introduce Congolese cuisine to customers who may not have been familiar with it.
She said one of her biggest challenges was getting people to try dishes they had never tasted before. To get past that challenge, she offered customers samples and explained what the food actually is.
For Malu, the Bazaar has provided an opportunity to see how her business performs without taking on the same financial risks she would face opening an independent restaurant.
She described the experience as a “trampoline” that could help her reach her larger business goals.
Nunn said preparing entrepreneurs for the next step is a major part of the incubator’s mission. He talked about how the organization continues to offer support as business owners prepare to move into their own locations.
That support can also continue after businesses leave the Bazaar.
While entrepreneurs work toward those goals, the marketplace brings customers from different ethnic groups and backgrounds together.
Bridgit Hayes, a bartender at West Side Bazaar for nearly a year, said she enjoys the community atmosphere and the variety of people who visit.
She said some customers return every week, while others are visiting Buffalo and want to experience the different food options available.
“We have a fair amount of regulars here at the bar who come every week,” Hayes said.
Hayes said the Bazaar also provides a place for families and friends to spend time together while experiencing different cultures.
For business owners like Malu, the goal is to eventually grow beyond the marketplace.
“My goal is to have different locations in Western New York,” Malu said.
She hopes to expand her restaurant throughout the region and introduce more people to Congolese cuisine.
For now, West Side Bazaar is helping entrepreneurs like Malu take steps toward making those plans a reality.
Audio: Hear West Side Bazaar Operations Manager Andre Nunn explains how the incubator helps entrepreneurs build their businesses.
