The following post was written by Vincent Elejandro who recently “Painted his Way” back to Buffalo. Now that Vinny has returned, he is looking to help promote his old neighborhood and will be sharing some of the reasons why he missed Buffalo as much as he did. From Vincent:
Mazurek’s Bakery located on South Park here in the First Ward has been serving up some serious goodness since 1933.
My mom got my first birthday cake here and possibly her own first birthday cake, the place has been around for that long. My aunt talks about the days when she had to get on her tip toes to look in the window at all the treats on display, and just last week I bought my two kids cakes for their birthday party, and the cakes were just as good as I always remembered.
Recently, Ty Reynolds and Nick Smith took over the business and is continuing to build upon the traditions and the history that is Mazurek’s. While eyeing the building along with some old photos (shared by the previous owners) the owners uncovered the original transoms above the display windows that features the address of the business.
As workers continued to uncover the windows, they ended up doing some replacement work and a few repairs to the facade, and today the work is fully visible from the street. “It is still very much a work in progress,” said Ty and Nick. “Someday we hope to be able to rebuild the entire store front and bring it closer to what it once was. Currently all the trim doesn’t match as pieces have had to be replaced over the years. Ideally energy efficient windows would be in the mix as well. But we believe small steps make a big difference.”
The newfound character definitely adds to the nostalgia of the place, and during this past week’s “Halfway to St Patty’s Day” event at Riverfest Park they lit green lights in the windows to show their support for the holiday.
Mazurek’s is one of the businesses that I “grew up with” down here, and the bakery might not be known to all who commute down South Park, but now that I’ve returned to Buffalo, I’m here to tell you that it’s soooo worth it to make the trip to the First Ward for a visit. The cakes are amazing and the donuts are unbelievably good. Give these guys a call and see what they are all about or just stop by.
I am going to paint the building to add to my Buffalo Series, and will be displaying some of my paintings on their walls at the bakery in the near future.
Mazurek’s Bakery | 543 South Park | Buffalo NY | 716-853-7833 | Facebook