Press 2021
December 9, 2021
Additional $1 million pledge toward the new West Side Bazaar
The campaign to raise funds for a new building for the West Side Bazaar passed the halfway mark Thursday with the announcement of $1 million in donations.
Buffalo Business First: December 2, 2021
Introducing the 2022 IDEA (Inclusion Diversity Equity Awareness) Award Winners
Fifteen people and seven organizations were chosen from nearly 50 nominations for championing diversity and inclusion.
November 29, 2021
Break-in causes a break-out of Buffalove for WEDI's West Side Bazaar
The community comes together to support the West Side Bazaar after a break-in causes thousands in damage.
Buffalo News: November 16, 2021
Restauranteur's road led from South Sudan to Buffalo
The Nile River is the longest waterway on the planet, but Akec Aguer's path to opening his first restaurant was longer yet.
WGRZ Channel News: October 27, 2021
Buffalo grant program to award approximately $1 million in grants to 50 small businesses
The program is the result of a collaborative effort between the City’s Office of Strategic Planning and the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency, the Westminster Economic Development Initiative, and the SUNY-Buffalo State College Small Business Development Center.
Buffalo Business First: October 25, 2021
Building a Better Buffalo: Betsy Mitchell boosts the West Side
When Westminster Presbyterian Church was celebrating its 150th anniversary back in 2004, Betsy Mitchell raised her hand to join a focus group to come up with the next mission project.
The Washington Post: October 21, 2021
The Regeneration of Travel: A Widow Finds Reinvention in Buffalo
Buffalo’s West Side is home to 72 languages. Curious to explore more, Charlotte stops by the West Side Bazaar. The food market doubles as an incubator that helps refugees and immigrants “test” business ideas. Local nonprofit and microlender WEDI provides support.
Buffalo Business First: September 9. 2021
A guide to Buffalo resources for entrepreneurs of color
Western New York has the entrepreneurship bug – with much civic and private-sector attention being paid to founders and their young companies. But as that ideal has spread throughout the community, it’s also become crucial that underrepresented individuals aren’t left behind.
Yahoo! Finance: August 27, 2021
KeyBank and First Niagara Foundation Invests in Organization that Supports MWBEs in Buffalo
KeyBank, in partnership with the First Niagara Foundation, recently announced a $1.5 million donation to support the Westminster Economic Development Initiative’s (WEDI) new West Side Bazaar Project. It’s an investment supporting an organization that provides minority and women-owned enterprises (MWBEs) in Buffalo, New York with the tools they need for sustainable success.
August 16, 2021
KeyBank donating $1.5 million to new West Side Bazaar
Plans for a new West Side Bazaar are getting a significant boost from KeyBank.
Key, in partnership with the First Niagara Foundation, is contributing $1.5 million to the project, which will see the bazaar move to a larger building on Niagara Street.
News 21: August 15, 2021
From farm to table, immigrants feed America
Buffalo — a factory town that borders Lake Erie and Canada — is divided among racial and ethnic neighborhoods, except for the west side. There, shop owners from across the world, including people from Somalia, Ethiopia and Myanmar, are building businesses to prop up the Rust Belt city.
Buffalo News: July 2, 2021
Banks see new city branches as stepping stones for investment
Five Star Bank recently opened a location in the Elmwood Village that is a far cry from an old-school branch. In conjunction with the branch opening, Five Star pledged to donate at least $10,000 to the Westminster Economic Development Initiative. The size of the donation could go higher, based on new-account openings at the branch during a set period.
Buffalo News: June 29, 2021
Open4 awards 3 million to support small businesses
An effort called Open4 has awarded about $3 million in funding. Open4 chose to distribute the funds among three Community Development Financial Institutions serving Buffalo and Rochester: the Westminster Economic Development Initiative, Pursuit, and PathStone Enterprise Center.
Buffalo News: June 23, 2021
Welcoming customers back to the West Side Bazaar
The restaurant food court inside West Side Bazaar is welcoming customers through its doors again, for the first time in more than a year.
WGRZ Channel 2 News: May 4, 2021
Refugee increase may bring more to Buffalo
A recent White House decision to increase the number of international refugees allowed into the US from 15,000 up to over 62,000 may mean more will resettle here.
TripSaavy: April 27, 2021
Top 15 Things to Do in Buffalo
Buffalo’s food scene is so much more than just wings, and the indoor West Side Bazaar proves it.
WGRZ Channel 2 News: April 27, 2021
West Side Bazaar ranked by Yelp as one of the Top 5 Places to Eat in Buffalo
The restaurants are ranked based on how well they're reviewed, weighted by the number of reviews they get.
Buffalo News: April 7, 2021
West Side Bazaar makes plans for new home on Niagara Street
The food and retail business, which helps small businesses get a start, is moving from Grant Street to a new home at 1432 Niagara Street.
Stepout Buffalo: March 23, 2021
Best Chinese Restaurants According to Western New Yorkers
The search for good Chinese food within a reasonable (whatever that means to you) radius of your house is basically a rite of passage when you move. So whether you’re moving or just still haven’t found "the one", we’re here to help.
Niagara Frontier Publications: March 23, 2021
M&T Bank: $400,000 + in funding for pandemic relief & racial equity efforts
M&T Bank announced it has donated $417,000 to support communities in Western New York as they continue to navigate the challenges of the pandemic.
Buffalo Business First: February 17, 2021
These Buffalo Businesses are among the Best Places to Work in WNY
The entries have been reviewed and the calculations completed. Eighty-two companies will be honored as Best Places to Work 2021 finalists at a virtual celebration on March 31.
Buffalo News: February 9, 2021
Buffalo's Dim Sum Guide: Dumplings are just the beginning
It started, like so many food stories do, with a hungry reader’s question: Where can I get dim sum in Buffalo?
WGRZ Channel 2 News: February 6, 2021
Josh Norman's Buffalo Business Blitz distributes over 200 grants to small businesses
Of the 200 businesses, more than 100 are in the city, 52 percent are owned by women, and 43 percent are owned by people of color.
WIVB Channel 4: January 14, 2021
Buffalo Business Blitz grants being administered by Westminster Economic Development Initiative
The Buffalo Business Blitz is continuing to help small, local businesses by giving out small business grants of up to $2,500.
Family Desinations Guide: January 12, 2021
25 Best Things to Do in Buffalo, NY — Top Activities & Places to Go!
Curiously named after the American bison, the city of Buffalo is famous for its chicken wings, natural wonders, and cultural diversity.