As sometimes happens in my BFA world, I forgot to grab my video camera for the public meeting regarding the post office.  I did have however have my audio recorder with me.

The above audio is of Buffalo’s Postmaster, John Phelan.  He lays out the problems facing the United States Postal Service and why the Broadway-Fillmore Station is under review to determine if it should close.

About twenty people were at the meeting.  I spoke along with other people from the neighborhood.

The reoccurring message most of the public sent is how important the post office is to the community and the business district.

Patra Mangus…a neighborhood resident who also works in B-F and is a member of the Broadway Area Business Association, spoke at the meeting wrote this in her letter to the editor of the Buffalo News:

This is a very old community. Most residents rely on public transportation. Being a less desirable neighborhood, mostly low-income people live here. Like most communities, we deal with criminals who prey on the weak and elderly. The post office tells us to use the main office on William Street, which is not a practical solution. It would take two buses and $3.50 bus fare for me to check on my mail in my post office box. And even that location is part of planned closings.

Many of our older residents remember the Great Depression and don’t trust banks. Having a post office box allows them to receive their check, in their hands, instead of direct deposit in a bank. They purchase money orders to pay their bills and mail them—all at the post office. They don’t have to worry about their check being stolen from their mailbox on the house.

The post office should also take into consideration its carriers, who slog through unshoveled sidewalks and past vacant buildings, drug dealers and aggressive dogs. The more mail being put into the post office boxes, the less likely a carrier will be injured in a fall or endangered in some other way.

I appreciate the dilemma the post office is in, but the potential damage to our community is much too great to allow the Broadway Fillmore Station to close.

When I had the opportunity to speak, I spoke of how the decision to close the post office can’t solely be based dollars and cents (the Broadway-Fillmore Station isn’t losing money by the way) and that the intangible benefits to the neighborhood and business district need to be taken into consideration.  A post office being open means a lot to a neighborhood like Broadway-Fillmore which has seen its share of decline over the years.  Closing it works against its residents, people, organizations and businesses working hard to change things in the neighborhood.

I encourage you to give your input and ask the USPS not close the Broadway-Fillmore Station by writing to:

Facility Optimization Coordinator
United States Postal Service
1200 William St. Rm 205
Buffalo, NY 14240-9345

Shot this little video short at the Market on Saturday.

Santa even said I was off the naughty list!

Kriskindlemart continues through 12/24…stop on down for a one-of-a-kind Buffalo experience.

http://broadwaymarket.org

(click on image for full view)

Don’t want to go to the malls or mega-stores?

Come on down to the Broadway Market on Black Friday and shop local.

From the Broadway Market’s website:

Join us this holiday season for the Broadway Market’s annual Kriskindlemart, a unique alternative to mall shopping that offers holiday foods and crafts, beginning Saturday November 19 through November 26 including the busiest shopping day of the year, Black Friday, when Santa arrives at 12:00 noon. (Closed Sunday and Thanksgiving Day) Also, take a ride on our horse drawn carriage! Rides will be available on Black Friday from noon until 2:00 p.m. Enjoy local food and products that include jams and jellies, hand crafted virgin olive oils, veggie burgers, organic coffees, unique spices and local wines as well as seasonal crafts along with our always popular Broadway Market traditional meats, poultry and fish, delicious bakery items, candies and fresh produce. Kriskindlemart continues Saturdays in December and daily Sunday December 18 through Christmas Eve.  The event is free and open to the public.

The Market is a great place to friends or family who may be in town for the holiday weekend.

For more info, visit http://broadwaymarket.org

The Broadway Fillmore Station post office is once again on the closing list by the United States Postal Service.

It is almost two years to the day that the office was saved from a previous closure attempt.

Tom Handley, who owns the building where the post office is located, emailed me about the meeting.

On Friday Nov 11 (Veteran’s Day), the Post Office hung notices on their door and interior wall announcing a public meeting to be held on November 29. This notice gave reasons for their decision to close this location (4 pages attached). They also sent out a survey to residents in the area on 11-10-11 (copy attached). As their landlord, I have not been contacted by the Post Office regarding this action.

Here is attached notice from post office (pdf)—>

More from Tom:

The community has been successful so far in keeping this Post Office branch open, but it’s biggest challenge is coming up.  In order to save our post office, we need 200 people to attend this meeting.  Other communities across the country have been successful in keeping their post offices open – but it takes the entire community, and we have to have strong attendance at this meeting.  (We will serve light refreshments.)

Take the time and attend the meeting at the Matt Urban Center on 11/29 at 6:30.   Losing the the post office would be a significant  blow to the neighborhood.

(click on images for full view)

Buffalo’s Black Friday alternative is back for it’s fifth installment.

Kriskindlemart was the brainchild of Carol Bronnenkant and Sandy Starks back in 2007.  As a board member of the old Broadway Market Management Corp, I was looking to partner the Market up with some creative people to help bring new ideas to the table.  I was working with Carol at Corpus Christi Church and got her connected to the Market.  She then got Sandy Starks involved and the idea of Christmas Fair was born.

(Video from 2007)

I just remember how nervous we were when putting the event together because the weekend after Thanksgiving was really a dead weekend at the Market. Through a lot of hard work and guerrilla marketing the first Kriskindlemart was a huge success.

It has now morphed into a month long event at 999 Broadway.

From the Broadway Market’s website:

Join us this holiday season for the Broadway Market’s annual Kriskindlemart,  a unique alternative to mall shopping that offers holiday foods and crafts, beginning Saturday November 19 through November 26 including the busiest shopping day of the year, Black Friday. (closed Sunday and Thanksgiving Day). Enjoy local food and products that include  jams and jellies, hand crafted virgin olive oils, veggie burgers, organic coffees, unique spices and local wines as well as seasonal crafts along with our always popular Broadway Market traditional meats, poultry and fish, delicious bakery  items, candies and fresh produce. Kriskindlemart continues Saturdays in December and daily Sunday December 18 through Christmas Eve.

It truly is Buffalo’s alternative to the craziness you see at malls…a great way to get some wonderful local products for the holidays.

For more info, visit http://broadwaymarket.org—>

From the Broadway Market’s website:

Kriskindlemart, the Market’s annual holiday food and craft festival, kicks off on Saturday, November 19 and continues the week of Thanksgiving, closed Thanksgiving Day and open on Black Friday. It then continues 12/3, 12/10 and then 12/17 through 12/24 including Sunday, 12/18.

The Broadway Market is looking for additional craft and food vendors to fill out our holiday slate of great local products and food!

The rate is $450 for these 16 days. This is only $28.00/day.

The Broadway Market handles all advertising and there will be entertainment each day.

Click here for our application—>

If you have any additional questions, please contact the Market.

Kriskindlemart is an awesome event!

Cant’t wait for this event!

For more info on the wine festival, visit http://broadwaymarket.org

Listen:

Eileen Buckley (2011-08-17) – Buffalo’s city Planning Board has given the thumbs up to build an Aldi’s Supermarket across from the Broadway Market.

The board voted five to one Tuesday in favor of the $1.1 million project at 998 Broadway.

Mayor Bryon Brown said he fully supports an Aldi’s in the Broadway Fillmore District.

At one time, 998 Broadway was a well known place to shop. It was former the site of Sattler’s, one of the largest department stores in the City in the 1950′s. It more recent years it was home to a Kmart.

Now Aldi’s wants to construct its discount food store at the vacant address.

Read full story—>

(Michael Mroziak • Wed, Aug 10, 2011) When Tom Kerr’s role as the Broadway Market’s executive director ended late last year, the City of Buffalo was reportedly reviewing a short list of candidates to take over leadership at the Buffalo landmark. Months later, the Market is still under the care of a pair of city employees while no official director is in place. Some of the full-time merchants inside the Market say they can’t wait much longer.

“It’s a big-time worry. There’s no leadership, no direction, there’s no one to basically manage it all,” said Peter Cichocki, president of Camellia Foods. “You need someone that’s a manager of retail operations like that to handle the situations down there.”

The situations include building maintenance problems, some of which have been left unfixed for an extended period of time, according to merchants.

“The front doors are still broken and they haven’t been repaired,” said Irena Woszczak of Broadway Opticians. “There are times when some basic toiletries are not supplied because we don’t have a budget. Basic cleaning supplies aren’t being provided regularly. Equipment that we do have isn’t being maintained and if it’s broken it’s not being fixed.”

Kerr had taken the role as executive director at the Broadway Market in January 2010, leaving the position that November. His contract with the Buffalo Economic Renaissance Corporation (BERC), which managed the Market, had expired that autumn. Kerr agreed to stay on for an extension but the City of Buffalo then dissolved BERC and with it Kerr’s position.

Read full story on AmPolEagle.com—>