BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The news of Braymiller Market shutting its doors has left many in the community shocked and disappointed.
"What did you always come here for? Did you come here often?" I asked customer, JT.
"Food, you know, the convenience of it," said JT. "It's a food desert out here downtown. It's no good—no stores, no shopping centers, no nothing. We've got to go way out to the suburbs to get anything."
City officials and the store's owner recently announced that Braymiller Market will cease operations after only three years. The closure is attributed to challenges stemming from the pandemic.
"Man, it's a shame," JT said. "It's like the whole downtown is empty."
Watch: Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon announces the closure of Braymiller Market.
Councilwoman Leah Halton-Pope, who represents the area, expressed her disappointment.
"I'll be honest with you, I'm pissed that this is where we are," she said.
The closure has intensified concerns about Downtown Buffalo becoming a food desert.
"To see my constituents walk out of here with groceries, knowing that next week they won't be able to walk next door to get food, is a problem for me," said Halton-Pope.
"People are worried that there's going to be a food desert down here. Where do we go from here?" I asked Scanlon.
"Yeah, we're going to have to continue talking with grocers and others to see what we can do to bring options to this community," replied Scanlon.
Charles Lindsey, a national retail expert with the University at Buffalo's School of Management, said this closure will have a ripple effect on the city. A city that still hasn't bounced back from the pandemic with now 30,000 fewer workers coming downtown.
"A lot of downtowns are going through this. It's not just us. And these are difficult problems. These are difficult problems with difficult solutions," said. "When you add the fact that the foot traffic hasn't come back and the office workers haven’t returned to the extent we expected, it just becomes untenable for grocers in areas like this."
As for the future of the Braymiller Market building, Scanlon said that it would likely be designated for public use, possibly for public safety purposes. An official announcement is expected soon.
