BUFFALO, N.Y. — The grand opening of the Downtown Bazaar will just have to wait.
A much-anticipated grand opening on Monday has been delayed, following an issue with a fire suppression system at 617 Main Street, formerly known as the Expo Market.
West Side Bazaar posted the news to social media on Sunday afternoon.
"Our chefs and shop owners are eager to open, but we await a date from our landlord when the code issues will be resolved," the post read.
"We know this is frustrating but know that you want to support our business owners and hope you will make plans to visit the Downtown Bazaar in the near future."
The businesses at West Side Bazaar have been displaced since September of 2022, when an accidental fire tore through the building at 25 Grant Street, causing more than $300,000 in damage.
Compared to the Grant Street location, the Main Street site is a lot bigger. The West Side Bazaar on Grant Street was 3,200 square feet, while the former Expo Market is roughly 9,000 square feet.
WEDI Buffalo, the nonprofit helping many people from the immigrant and refugee communities start their own businesses, still plans on opening its Niagara Street location in the fall.
A Friday night event had served as an early grand opening for the Main Street location. It also served a fundraiser to help support the entrepreneurs in the bazaar and across the region.
"The vibe in here is always great," WEDI director of external relations Erin St. John Kelly said Friday.
"You'll meet people collected that you wouldn't see anywhere else in Buffalo, and tonight in this bazaar, you can have Filipino food, which is the hottest food of the year. Ethiopian. You can have South Sudanese tonight. Thai street food, which is Burmese and Thai, and incredible cupcakes."