AM-POL Eagle: Walkowiak’s wine was popular on Broadway in early 1900s

(by Gregory Witul • AM-POL Eagle) My friend Mary Lou stopped by the Am-Pol Eagle offices just before Easter with a very old and interesting relic of Buffalo’s early Polish community, a corkscrew advertising A. J. Walkowiak’s wine and liquor importing business at 935 Broadway. These days the name Antoni Walkowiak doesn’t carry much weight, but in his day Walkowiak was as influential as James M. Rozan, Jacob Johnson or Francis E. Fronczak.

Antoni J. Walkowiak was born in Pobiedziska, in the province of Poznan in 1869. At age 11, Antoni and his family left Prussia – controlled Poland and moved to America, where they settled in Buffalo. In Buffalo, Antoni attended St. Stanislaus School before pursuing a higher education. After graduating, Walkowiak began working as a grocer and involving himself in Democratic politics. At age 21, Antoni married Rose Pitass, the niece of Dean Jan Pitass, founder of St. Stanislaus parish. In 1900, Antoni opened his own grocery store and saloon at 399 Peckham, the future home of Helen’s Lounge (see “Helen was once on the menu in…” Sept. 12, 2013). With the store and saloon, Antoni found financial success and was able to develop a political base from the patrons he served. In 1905, he expanded his store to include wine and liquor before moving to Broadway around 1910.

At 935 Broadway, Walkowiak focused almost exclusively on the import business and offered a wide selection of European wines and spirits. For the wine connoisseur, Antoni had bottles from the best vineyards along the Moselle in France, the Rheinhessen region of Germany and the nation of Hungary. In the spirit section, Walkowiak focused on specialty vodka from around the world. If a customer was looking for something softer, Antoni offered imported mineral and spring water.

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