FAQ | West Side Bazaar

General

Do you have parking?

Yes! Parking is located across the street at 1455 Niagara St. for West Side Bazaar customers. A suggested $5 donation for parking helps us provide the lot.

Limited on-street parking is available on and around Niagara Street.

What are your hours?

The West Side Bazaar is open:

Tuesday – Saturday 11am - 8pm

The Bar is open:

Tuesday - Thursday 4pm - 8pm
Friday 12pm - 8pm.
Saturday 4pm – 8pm

Is the West Side Bazaar ADA compliant? Do you have an elevator / wheelchair ramp?

Yes! Wheel the World Listing

Do you still run the Downtown Bazaar?

We do not! The former Downtown Bazaar is now operated by an independent business and rebranded as The International House. Grab some delicious food from some of our graduate businesses within the building

International House Buffalo

Can I rent space in the West Side Bazaar?

We have many opportunities to collaborate with businesses at the West Side Bazaar. We have two office spaces, seven retail storefronts, eight kitchen booths, one commissary kitchen, two meeting rooms, and numerous spaces for tabling and programming ideas.

To apply to be a full-time vendor at the West Side Bazaar, apply here.

Please note, full-time vendor opportunities are dependent on availability, and it may take several months for a space to be available.

To request space for a meeting / class / pop-up, make a request here.

What kind of businesses are at the Bazaar?

The Bazaar considers any legally formed business that has not yet operated at full-scale for 3 years or more in Erie or Niagara County.

How long are businesses usually at the Bazaar?

Generally, businesses are suggested to remain on-site for three years; however, each business is on its own trajectory and may choose to leave before or prolong their lease beyond the initial three-year increment.

What do I need to start a business at the West Side Bazaar?

We’ve worked with businesses that have developed their business plans from scratch and others that have been years in the making. We recommend having a business plan and three months' worth of business expenses available before interviewing at the West Side Bazaar.

Depending on the business type, there are various city, county, state, and specialty permits necessary to open the business. We can help connect you with the proper parties once we understand your business better.

As an Entrepreneurial Assistance Center, WEDI offers up to 60 hours of free small business training twice a year

Workshops

You can also visit the Small Business Development Center @ Buffalo State College for your initial business planning.

Business Development Center

We are having a market and would love to invite one of the West Side Bazaar businesses participate! How can we make this work?

We always suggest contacting the business individually to see if they would be interested, as they are all running independent businesses. Email Lisa Eodice at the link below, any additional information, and she would be happy to share it with the business.

Email: LEodice@wedibuffalo.org

How long are your leases at the Bazaar?

All of our leases are month-to-month to allow businesses to pursue any opportunities to open up their own brick-and-mortar location.

How many business owners are successful when they leave?

Many local businesses have started out at the West Side Bazaar. Current active businesses in the community include:

Nine & Night Thai Cuisine

Kiosko Latino

Abyssinia Ethiopian Cuisine

How do I park a bus there?

We have a parking lot across from our building (1455 Niagara Street). It is recommended that the bus drop the group off on Niagara Street, heading south (towards the city).

My group would love to talk with someone from the Bazaar - is someone available to speak with us?

We love sharing our passion for small businesses with visitors. As we are a small organization, it depends on the availability of our team. Please make a request here.

My group is looking to eat a meal together at the Bazaar. Can you tell me how that works?

We have several catering options available:

Buffet Style: We can arrange a buffet with a pre-determined menu for your guests.
Individual Lunchboxes: We can provide individual lunchboxes to ensure that each meal is ready at the precise time.
Multi-Restaurant Tasting Menu: If your organization is interested, we offer a tasting menu that features items from multiple restaurants.
A La Carte Ordering: Visitors may order individually from various businesses, but please be aware that there may be delays in receiving orders due to high demand or external requests faced by the restaurants.

We recommend allotting one hour and fifteen minutes for lunch at the Bazaar.

Incubator Program

What type of training is provided?

Our mission is to meet you where you are at. Training can range from assistance filling out paperwork for licensing, marketing skills, POS training, business plan development, menu and catering development, event organization and execution, and more. We also have many professional community partners that offer mentorship in their areas of expertise.

Microloans

We offer credit builder and small business loans of $500 - $20,000.

WEDI Microloans

Events & Catering

Does the Bazaar host events / performances / programming?

Yes! We would love to have your event. Please fill out all your information here, and we will be sure to get in contact if we can make the event work!

How long do you need in advance for a catering order?

In general, a week is best in order for our chefs to prep accordingly. We may accommodate with as little as 48 hours' notice, depending on the availability of staff and chefs.

Do you cater on Sundays / Mondays? Can I get a catering order outside of normal hours of operation?

We will always communicate opportunities with our entrepreneurs! Send us a request, and we will see if we can make it work! In general, it is recommended to choose just one chef for “off-hour” catering events.

Do you deliver catering?

Depending on our availability, we may be able to deliver your catering order. The more notice we have, the higher the success rate for delivery. We may only be able to provide pick-up catering due to staffing. It is $5/mile for deliveries.

I want to try everything! Do you offer sampling events?

As of right now, we do private tastings for groups of 15 or more. Send a request here to organize a private tasting!

Private Tastings

Do you do cooking classes?

Chef Nathalie of Malkia & Co provides a hybrid French/Congolese cooking class for groups of 8-12. Make your request here.

How do you accept payments?

We use Toast for invoicing and prefer to take payments via credit or debit card. We also take checks and cash; however, we need these payments in advance of the event contracted.

What is your capacity?

Our full building capacity is 387, with room for 175 standing downstairs and 175 standing upstairs. We have seating for 150 throughout the building.

Hopes and Dreams (Commissary) Kitchen Questions

How much is the rent for the commissary kitchen?

We have various rent levels depending on how the room is being used. The prices vary from ghost kitchen, production, classes, one-offs, or catering.

What do I need to start a business in the commissary kitchen?

A signed lease, a signed handbook, a restaurant take-out permit/catering permit (depending), Erie County Health Department permit, insurance, possibly NYS Agriculture and Market for food processing/packaging, first month’s rent, and deposit.

What hours is the kitchen available for rental?

Seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Depending on the availability of scheduling.

Do you have storage for my business?

We do not have long-term storage available; all usage is load-in and load-out.

What hours can I operate in the Hopes and Dreams Kitchen?

Any business can schedule a time frame at any time (24 hours). However, we do not allow delivery/non-business personnel within the building when our doors are locked.

How long are your leases in the Hopes and Dreams Kitchen?

Our leases are month-to-month; however we require a minimum of 32 hours a month to have a monthly lease at the West Side Bazaar’s Hopes and Dreams Kitchen.