BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Community members are planning a big investment for Buffalo's Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood. A 15,000-square-foot grocery store, banquet hall and restaurant space.
"We are thinking it will be a milestone for Buffalo, [the] community needs it," said Hasan Morad who will run operations at Khamar Bari Super Market at 841 Broadway.
The building was a Super Duper back in the 1960s and was most recently run by a church, according to Hunt Real Estate.
This new space, projected to open in six to eight months, will cater to the growing Southeast Asian Population, many of them Bangladeshi.
"People are moving here every day. Before and after the pandemic, the whole scenery of Buffalo's community changed. So we think that they deserve more," said Morad.
Building Buffalo
7 News anchor Taylor Epps sat down for a Q&A with some members of the Bangladeshi community to learn more.
Q: Why Buffalo?
A: The housing market is cheap in Buffalo, a lot of us moved here from New York City in the 2010s to buy property and build here. People are moving here every day. Before and after the pandemic, the whole scenery of Buffalo's community changed.
Q: What's it like moving your life here?
A: A lot of people thinking oh Bengali come Buffalo and they don't need to pay taxes, the city's giving us free money. That's not true. We're working to bridge the gap. We are working with MVP, Buffalo Fathers, the Peacemakers.
Q: Do people mistake you for asylum seekers or refugees? What's that like?
A: Yes. It's hard because we all immigrate to this country and going through the immigration process, we spend a lot of money. That makes me mad. I'm not refugee. We are building Buffalo.
Q: What are the future plans?
A: Continuing to build Buffalo, bringing a major business center out to Cheektowaga, entertainment, housing and more. We love to work with others, I cannot build Buffalo myself. We have to get together, work with the Black community, work with the non-Muslim community. We're from a different country. We build Buffalo.
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