West Side Bazaar celebrates anniversary

By Michael Canfield and Jacob Tierney
BengalNews Reporters
 The West Side Bazaar celebrated its one-year anniversary on March 3, 70 mile-per-hour wind gusts and all.
 “We planned on having a tent party, but our tent blew over at 8 a.m.,” said West Side Bazaar marketing coordinator Mary Joy Buscemi. “We had to move the tent sale to the basement.”
 Despite the winds and the surprise move to the basement, the bazaar celebrated the anniversary in style. With Wendell Rivera’s brand of Latin jazz providing the background music, a store full of patrons mingled and interacted with the vendors, eating cupcakes and buying unique, handmade goods from around the world.

West Side Bazaar Marketing Coordinator Mary Joy Buscemi, on the first anniversary:



 “We’re very happy,” said Buscemi. “We’re sharing our culture, our cupcakes and the wonderful music of Wendell Rivera.”
 The bazaar, which was founded by the Westminster Presbyterian Church through the Westminster Economic Development Initiative, features vendors from all over the world, including Peru, Indonesia, Rwanda, Sudan and the Ivory Coast.
 “Each woman has their own name for their shop: Pure Peru, Origins, Sumatra, Gysma’s African Styles and they're jsut so proud of their products," Buscemi said.
 Through a variety of partnerships with various community groups and institutions, the bazaar has grown into a stable part of the Grant Street area, Buscemi said. It partnered with Buffalo State College, the Tri-Main Center and Buffalo Spree Magazine. It also rented space in a local art gallery.
 “It gets the ladies out into the community,” she said.
 The bazaar was profitable over the past year, Buscemi said, which means the vendors will be paying more for rent and contributing to the general costs associated with running a business going forward."
 The bazaar is in the process of looking at new venues on the West Side to accommodate 30 vendors and a restaurant.
"We're very dedicated to this neighborhood," said Buscemi. "Community support of the bazaar has been incredible." Edited by Edward Mazzu