Camellia Meats and the Cichoki family are what the Broadway Market is all about.  I was happy when they took over the butter lamb making business from Malczewski family when they retired earlier this year. It keeps the business in the market. And that is exactly where it always should be.

From WGRZ:

What would the traditional Easter fare at the Broadway Market be without the butter lambs?

They almost weren’t there this year.  That is, until a 21-year-old stepped in.

Channel 2 Photojournalist Dooley O’Rourke shows us how this young man is keep the sweet tradition alive.   Click on the video player to see his story.

Visit them on Facebook—>

This is the third part of my series on ten things the Broadway Market can do to be a year-round destination.

In this installment, I am going to touch on the Broadway Market’s hours of operation.

A cursory look at some other markets around the country and I found that a lot offer later hours on all or a few days of the week and offer Sunday hours.

The Broadway Market has been open 8am-5pm six days a week (Monday-Saturday) for as long as I can remember. In this day and age, those hours just don’t cut it in retail anymore.  The market needs to adapt to the market.

The market doesn’t need to radically change its hours either.

Let’s start by having it open a few nights a week to 7pm.  The later closing will provide an extra window of time for people to shop after work or may want to zip down later.  It  makes the market more convenient and can help expand its base of year-round shoppers.

Next.

Have you been inside of a Wegmans or Tops on Sunday recently?  They are jammed packed with people shopping.  These people could be shopping at the Broadway Market.

If you take in to consideration the influx of people who come to the Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood for Sunday Mass, there is a built in customer base waiting to be tapped into.  Personally, I would love to stop in the market for some baked goods, etc. on Sunday after Mass.

The Broadway Market wouldn’t have to open all day on Sundays.  A short hour schedule of 9am-2pm should suffice.

As the title of this post and series suggests, EASY.

—————————————-

The entire series of articles can be viewed by clicking here—>

In the year 2012, a prime destination for shoppers is the internet.  The amount of online sales continue to grow every year.  It is a trend that isn’t going to change.

Here is a clear and practical way for 999 Broadway to tap into that.

The Broadway Market could use its name power/brand and start an online store of products sold at the market.

There is a whole world of Buffalo expats out there who would love to get their hands on a lot of the items sold at the Broadway Market…kielbasa, horseradish, t-shirts, placek, Polish mushrooms, chrusciki, pączki, hot dogs, marjoram, pierogi, gift certificates, etc. There is also a whole world out there interested in the type of products the Broadway Market is known for. An online store could be a year-round destination for shoppers around the globe.

Along with increased sales for existing vendors, the Broadway Market itself could use the profits from an online store to fund marketing initiatives along with capital projects.  It would provide income to help make the market more self-sustaining and fill in funding gaps for projects where the money just isn’t there.

The online store would also grow the Broadway Market brand and its reputation as a food destination in Western New York.

As the title of this post and series suggests, EASY.

Part I of the series can viewed by clicking here—>

Bus ad on Metro Bus 1970s/1980s

As the Easter season begins at the Broadway Market today and it becomes the busiest place in Buffalo for the next two weeks, I am going to post a series of ten articles on what the Market can do easily to become a year-round destination for shoppers.

When you shop at the Broadway Market year-round, Easter time is a surreal experience. The place is packed with customers and vendors alike. Then, come in a week after Easter and the market is almost ghost-like. It is that way for most of the rest of the year. I can’t help but to be depressed when I shop while I wonder how can the Broadway Market continue to survive like this?

In my first post, I am going to focus on Saturdays.

Over the years and running quite a few events at the market on Saturdays, my experience has taught me that to build some momentum for the Broadway Market, Saturday is the key.

I point to the recent Polka, Piwo and Pierogi event.  On a usually dead January day at the market, the place was jamming.  Why?  It was a unique food based event that captured the interest of people.  There was nothing really extraordinary about what was going on.  But, the key here is that something was going on to attract people.

This type of programming should be the norm every weekend…programming that will attract a wide variety of  customers.  It gets people thinking of the Broadway Market as part of their what should we do today in Buffalo thought process.  What happens next is that potential vendors will want to be at the market on weekends because there is a customer base waiting to be tapped.  This is also how you build more momentum…adding more vendors will serve to build the Broadway Market’s reputation as a destination for people on the weekends.  Businesses and customers will want to be there.

Once Saturday has been established in making the market a destination for people, the spillover can help prop up the rest of the week by getting businesses to think that they should be there on more than just Saturdays.

As the title of this post suggests, EASY.

The Broadway Market will kick off its Easter Season on Friday, March 23, 2012. The official ribbon cutting takes place at 1:00pm.

Come on down and get a jump on Easter!!!

http://broadwaymarket.org

I had a great time at the Broadway Market serving up some Flying Bison beer and experiencing a wee bit of the Irish.

The attached article is from 1991.  It amazes me that some 21 years later that we are still having the type of conversations included in the article about making the Market a year round destination, etc.

The problem with the Market now and with each successive year is that it is suffering from the slow and steady decline we have seen throughout Buffalo.   The Broadway Market in 2012 is in a lot worse shape than it was back in 1991.  It makes me wonder when the decline will reach the point of no return.

Click here to view article—> (pdf)

Food, music, dance and shenanigans will be taking place at the Broadway Market’s St. Patrick’s Day Celebration on March 17, 2012. Come and enjoy the Blarney Bunch from 11:00am -2:00pm, the Rince Na Tiarna Dancers at 11:30am and beer tasting and sale by Flying Bison Brewery from 10:00am-3:00pm. Purchase $20 or more at the Market and enter to win a Pot O’Gold prize.

Check out the Broadway Market’s website,www.BroadwayMarket.org for a complete list of vendors.   For additional information contact the market at 716-893-0705. The market is located at 999 Broadway and is open every day, except Sunday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm. Parking is available in the parking ramp attached to the market.

From the Broadway Market’s website:

Click here to view PDF file—>

The Broadway Market will kickoff the 2012 Easter Season on March 23rd. Use the link above to view the complete schedule.

A listing of all of Easter vendors will be available soon!

Love this time of year in B-F!!!

The neighborhood comes A L I V E!!!!