Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - There's optimism in the air for sustainment of the Downtown Buffalo grocery store, Braymiller Market.
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While it was a welcomed sight for market owner Stuart Green to see a wave of organized customers come in Thursday afternoon for what they called a "cash mob," the more opportunistic announcement came from Mayor Byron Brown, who told WBEN last Friday, and again this Thursday, his plans to reintroduce to the Common Council the request Braymiller Market made for $526,000 in forgivable loans, made possible through the American Rescue Plan.
"I'm going to reintroduce the request for a forgivable loan for Braymiller," said the mayor Thursday. "I've been reaching out to members of the city council to provide additional information on why this is so important not just to Downtown Buffalo, but to the entire City of Buffalo. You can't have a great city if you don't have a great downtown, and the resources that come from Downtown Buffalo go to support services throughout our entire city."
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The Common Council denied the request unanimously in session last Tuesday. Now, the mayor has to convince five of the nine councilmen to reconsider. Council President Darius Pridgen tells WBEN that he has been in discussion with the mayor. Pridgen explains why he and the council denied the request last week.
"The majority of people and myself who voted felt that the money, that was set aside for small businesses, should go to small businesses and not one business when the amount for small businesses was much smaller. Second, and probably the most important thing for me, is that there was no process. There was no public process, so that if another business possibly needed it even more, they would be considered. That was a concern of mine, and the reason that it was voted no."
Pridgen clarifies that he would love to see Braymiller grow, prosper and maintain their presence in the city, possibly through some type of incentive. However, he, alongside other council members, want those funds to go to multiple smaller businesses.
While Green was saddened to have the request denied, he remains optimistic and has reached out to other potential investors. However, it would appear that the funding would be contingent on what the Common Council decides when the proposal gets officially reintroduced in the chambers.
"It's important that everybody knows that I have reached out to many other sources for funding. A lot of them are waiting to see what the city is going to do. It's not just the city that's going to keep Braymiller Market alive. There are other things that will happen should the city come through with the grant funding that we requested a while ago," said Green.