Where To Get Groceries Now That Braymiller Market is Closed

Buffalo's status as a food desert has been in the news a lot lately. People who live on Buffalo's eastside and near downtown Buffalo don't have a lot of options when it comes to getting their hands on fresh produce and quality food. Given that fact, the city of Buffalo pushed hard to bring a grocery store to downtown Buffalo, which would give people who live around and outside of downtown an option for groceries.

Thanks to a private/public partnership between the city of Buffalo, an old parking lot on Ellicott Street in Buffalo was turned into an affordable housing complex with a grocery store adjacent, which became a Braymiller Market in 2021. However, opening a grocery store after the world's worst health pandemic more than a generation isn't without its problems. The market, which was only open for three years, has closed its doors, and now the residents who were served by Braymiller no longer have a grocery store to shop in, and the neighborhood is back to being a food desert.

What Is A Food Desert?

According to the Food Empowerment Project, a Food Desert is a geographic area where residents’ access to affordable, healthy food options (especially fresh fruits and vegetables) is restricted or nonexistent due to the absence of grocery stores within convenient traveling distance.

A USDA report to Congress details this further, breaking down the millions of Americans who don't have a grocery store and ultimately have to rely on corner convenience stores that typically have lower-quality food that is more expensive.

So Where Can People Who Live Nearby Shop?

So, if you live in the resident neighborhoods just east of downtown or the apartment building next door to Braymiller Market, where can you shop for groceries? There are a few options, but not many:

Tops Friendly Market at 425 Niagara Street in Buffalo's lower westside neighborhood,
Price Rite Market, 250 Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo's Elmwood Village neighborhood.
Aldi, 998 Broadway in Buffalo's Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood,

Now, while there are several convenience stores all around town, those are the only grocery stores in a 2.5-mile radius of downtown Buffalo. While this market struggled to gain traction in post-pandemic Buffalo, there is little doubt that Buffalo has needs that are not being fulfilled.