When I stopped into Elmwood Avenue's X-Cel Produce last week I had no idea that it would be the last time. X-Cel had to be one of the most memorable little markets in Buffalo... not for the things a market would normally be well known for either. Anyone that ever picked up a sandwich from there knew that they had better do so on a totally empty stomach. It was also safe to say that no one ever attempted to answer a cell-phone on the premise... it was bad enough if your phone rang in your pocket or your purse. There were enough signs in there that reminded visitors that mechanical devices were not welcome once inside the market. It was also suggested that customers take off their sunglasses. And leave beverages outside... and their attitudes behind... heck, I was even nervous to bring my camera in with me when I interviewed John last summer for Southwest Airline's Spirit Magazine.
John Darowz started X-Cel twenty-five years ago with his grandmother and the market quickly became a family business. A note on the door says that the family prefers to exit quietly... just as it had entered quietly onto the street. The note is a gushing "Thank You" to all of the market's customers, many who had become friends with John and his family over the years. Unfortunately, I believe that John anticipated this closing for quite some time. Upon stopping there in the past he would relay to me that the neighborhood was not supporting him as it had done so often in the past. He told me that his primary business was coming from folks from the suburbs who stopped in to pick up something before heading downtown to work. From reading the note on the door, it sounds as if the market's heyday was during the late 80's and early 90's. Regardless, X-Cel offered a type of deli sandwich that will now be hard to find on the street. That is unless The Village Beer Merchant decides to try its hand at NYC-style (or as John called it, "Buffalo style) sandwiches. Joe's Deli on Hertel does a great job for the Hertel crowd, and Globe Market has certainly captured the market when it comes to lunch time patrons.
The North/Elmwood corner will be very interesting to watch now... I hope that the owner has a good plan for attracting a couple new businesses that work well with each other and with the neighborhood.
Photos: RoBear