By Carol Fisher-Linn
Early Head’s Up…..Easter may seem far away but considering the time it takes to get ready it is around the corner. (Easter is late this year – April 20 (see detailed explanation, page 8).) Hoping you heed that warning, here are some hints about taking your annual trek to the famous Broadway Market in Buffalo. Yes, everyone should do it – pretend you are going to a European market because that is what it is like!
Easter eggs or beautifully decorated pisanki. Buffalo’s
Broadway Market is open six days a week, Monday-Saturday
from 8am-5pm. They are located at 999 Broadway Avenue in
Buffalo, NY 14212 and can be reached by calling (716) 893-0705.
No longer outdoors, as many in Europe are, it nonetheless has all the flavor, sounds, smells and excitement – and crowds – of an old-world market. I grew up going to the Broadway market. First by trolley, then by bus. Our Family was Polish and we needed to get our fix of cultural foods. We weren’t alone. As immigrants came to Bufalo’s east side in the late 1800’s (even before my time) they sought to preserve their European traditions and heritage. A group of citizens donated a piece of land at 999 Broadway and a European style open-air market was created. (And yes, I remember those days, watching them catch and butcher a duck for Mama’s soup from the famer at the back stalls). It morphed into a cultural spot where business and socializing took place. If you wanted the latest gossip, you went to the market. East Buffalo grew up around the market and the area became Buffalo’s second largest business section. As shoppers made their way through the many stalls, they could follow their noses, or just look for delicacies from all over the planet – even then! African dates, Spanish olives, Italian cheeses, Kosher needs, smoked salmon, fresh herring rare wines and even jellied eels.
preserve their European traditions and heritage. A group of citizens donated
a piece of land at 999 Broadway and a European style open-air market was
created. 135 years ago on March 26, The Broadway Market opened for the fi rst
time. Many Buffalonians have treasured memories of the beloved market over
the decades. As Easter approaches, we recall our memories of buying butter
lambs and pierogis from the Broadway Market. What do you remember?
An indoor market sprung up with some outdoor stalls remaining for live chickens, geese, etc. or where the fruit and vegetable farmer preferred to sell to customers from their battered old farm trucks. In the early 1920’s my mom woke at 3am to ride, bundled up, in her grandfather’s open wagon from West Falls to take his vegetables to the Broadway market by 6am. The open market was also where shoppers found the yard sale items. Maybe an old steel wheel for the tractor, a leather strap for the horse carriage, or an early 1800’s framed daguerreotype or colorful pastoral scene of sheep in a field to brighten their wallpapered walls. Over time, the market had three different structures (the newest built in 1956 – renovated in 1980 – now 90,000 square feet of retail space with two levels of parking), but to this day it maintains its old-fashioned concept of selling farm fresh, exotic and unusual products, just as it had since day one.
Who doesn’t need a butter lamb, freshly made kielbasa, colored Easter eggs or beautifully decorated pisanki. Pisanki derive from an ancient tradition when eggs, the symbol of life, were endowed with magical properties and were thought to ensure both a plentiful and good health. These eggs are exchanged among friends and relatives with good wishes.
Spoiler alert. Expect it to be mobbed, as my claustrophobic husband discovered when I dragged him there one year. I was lucky to get him off the elevator. Plan to stand three deep at the seafood and meat counters, or the freshly made placeks (coffee cakes) and Kruschicki. There are typically around 30 vendors. Goto the broadwaymarket.com site for a list.
CAUTION! Go early in the season. The days immediately before Easter are for the brave of heart who want that crushing exhilarating experience. For older wimps like me, I suggest going anytime now. Check for hours.
If you are local and want some good meats before the holiday, or don’t want to fight the crowds, stop over at the Meat Shoppe at 44 Main Steet in Springville, near Julie’s. The shop makes me feel as if I am back in my old family butcher shoppe with mom in the late 40’s 50’s. The Ted Martin daughters have taken over the hauling and cutting of the daily fresh meats from Ford Bros., but they still adhere to dad’s old way of marking and hand calculating the sale in pencil on the brown Kraft paper they use to wrap their meats and freshly made kielbasa and Italian sausages. Pulled pork is the best and yes, they cut the meat to your specifications. Check their hours before heading out. Get your peeps lined up!