Buffalo Rising Online

Aug 21st 2007, 9:19am By Laura Sargent

Most members of the community make it a point to fit the Bidwell Farmer's Market into their busy weekend routines because it starts their weekends out on a good note. The market offers fresh fruits and vegetables, jazz and warm summer air, but it also offers other type of goods, such as loose teas and fresh bread. These private vendors consider The Farmer's Market to be the best opportunity to clear a profit from a small business without buying into a costly storefront. They also have the means to supply an adequate amount of goods to the community without compromising the quality of their product by mass-producing.

With so many independently owned businesses in the area, it is relatively difficult to attain a storefront in an area that will provide high traffic. Although there are numerous vacant storefronts along the streets of the shopping districts, what may be good for one is not necessarily good for another. Often, high traffic areas mean high overhead that a new small businesses cannot afford.

The Bidwell Market offers these vendors a unique opportunity – a profitable marketplace and the opportunity to acquaint themselves with their consumers. Danielle Casucci of Tea Amo said, “The challenge is that there are so many small businesses out there and such little space. We are actually searching for a storefront in this area and thought that we would promote the website even more by joining the Market. We have been in business for about a year and I do believe it is going well.” Casucci's company sells high-quality loose leaf teas. “The type of product that we sell – I believe that there is a need for it. With the increasing medicinal value behind the loose tea, more and more people are seeking it out and there was so little of it in this area.”

Tea Amo will be returning economic value to Buffalo as well, if Casucci manages to attain a storefront. Because staffing is always an issue for any small business, she hopes to rely on the city's many colleges to provide reliable, hardworking employees.

David Kruder of Perfectly Baked Breads (and they are!) agrees that bad staffing can harm business finances. Perfectly Baked Bread's staff needs to be motivated and energetic to keep up with the vast amount of business that they do just on Saturday mornings, not to mention the rest of the week. “We bake throughout the night. We start prepping at 7AM Friday morning and finish up around 6AM Saturday morning so that everything is fresh; just in time to load up and head to the Market. That is the big issue.” David and his employees are certainly dedicated and if their bread is any indication, it is well worth the lack of a good night's sleep.

What is it about the Market that makes all of the hard work so rewarding? “There is nothing better,” said David with his arms outstretched. “The people here are energetic and kind and it's better than trying to run some corporation- you get to be with the people that make this, get to know the people that eat it. That's all it is, nothing complex, just very individual based.” We walked away with three loaves – Pumpkin, Zucchini and Sourdough, and spent less than $10.

Elmwood Bidwell Farmer's Market

Bread also sold at The Lexington Co-op