By Isaiah Rifkin
The concept of the American Dream, for better or for worse, has constructed how Americans view success. It has created the foundation for personal and professional fulfillment, by enabling the individual to “pull themselves up by their bootstraps,” and define their own direction. While this is certainly a romantic ideal, to quote Senator Al Franken “first you have to have boots.”
At the West Side Bazaar, we strive to be that extra layer of support, so that diverse underserved populations in the Buffalo area have the ability to access the American dream. This month, the West Side Bazaar is excited to announce it will be extending that support to two new vendors who come from very different backgrounds but share a common entrepreneurial spirit.
Kap Za Thang’s (owner and operator of Thang’s Family Restaurant) journey to Buffalo started in the Chin region of Burma when he was 21 years old. A member of the ethnic minority, Kap was thrown in the middle of a regional conflict by providing a meal for the local military group, fighting for self rule against the Government, who in Kap’s words, was attempting to “erase people.” When the government found out about Kap’s support of the opposition military group, he knew his life was in danger so he left the country. Kap became refugee in Malaysia for the next 10 years, working in a number of different jobs including construction, furniture building, as an electrician and eventually in a Japanese restaurant. On April 21, 2009 Kap arrived in Buffalo and began to establish the roots for his new home. In August of that year he found a job at the Lexington Food Co Op and worked in food prep for eight years.
During his time in Malaysia and at Lexington Food Co Op, Kap dreamed of something more. He had the entrepreneurial fire, but did not have the resources to make it a reality. He visited the West Side Bazaar and eventually sought out counsel. Kap is excited to go through the incubator model to learn how to create a profitable business, so one day he can open a brick and mortar restaurant with his expanded menu. When I talked to him about his vision, Kap expressed his concern in narrowing down his menu, “I have 1000 recipes, I don’t know how to pick.” You will have to come to the Bazaar to see which ones he ultimately decided on.
Becki’s (owner and operator of Becki’s Bakery) story is a little different from Kap’s. Becki Foote was born in Ohio and moved to Florida, where she spent the majority of her childhood, eventually attending and completing culinary school. Becki’s family once again upped and moved to a new state, when her mother got a job with the Native American Health Services in Arizona. While she was excited to be in a new environment, Becki had some trouble finding a job. That’s when she noticed something unique about Arizona. Everyone sold things on the side of the road, so in her words, “there wasn’t a job for me, so I created one.” She began selling her banana bread and in doing so created a sustainable income for herself and her family.
Three years ago Becki’s family decided it was time to move to Buffalo so that her mother and grandmother could be reunited with their extended family. She started her business back up in the Broadway Market but did not find the initial success that she had had in Arizona. “They didn’t have the same interest in bread.” Becki started working with WEDI a few months ago and decided it was time to move into the West Side Bazaar to test a new market. Additionally, she sells in a number of farmers markets around the area. While she is brand new to the market, Becki this thinking about the future and trying to decide whether she wants the flexibility and mobility of a food truck or the community presence of a brick and mortar.
Kap and Becki have had very different journeys that stem from opposite sides of the globe, but they have found themselves under the same roof, working towards their versions of the American Dream. Taking the entrepreneurial leap is not an easy one. Becki and Kap will be working through this journey in the collaborative West Side Bazaar environment, where the community is just as integral to the dream as the entrepreneurs.
We hope you stop in to join them on their adventure and help empower the local community to achieve their dreams.
Westside Bazaar
25 Grant St, Buffalo, New York
(716) 464-6389
Hours:
Tuesday through Thursday, 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Friday and Saturday, 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
www.westsidebazaar.com
Follow on facebook @westsidebazaar
Lead image – Mural being painted by artist Chuck Tingley. Painted with acrylic on plexi panels, 8 x 8 feet, with a final 2 isolation coats gloss finish and 2 coats of varnish satin finish. The mural design is inspired by the current melting pot of Buffalo’s West Side. To reflect on the cultural diversity that is the makeup of the surrounding area, patterns for the mural come from Arabia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Rwanda, Burma/Mynamar, Laos, Karen, and Nepal. The textile patterns speak on the community, specifically the stories of the immigrants and refugees that make up West Side Bazaar’s workforce. Waiting on the next steps for installation on the outside of West Side Bazaar, 25 Grant St, Buffalo, NY.