Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Good Friday marks one of the busiest times of the year at the Broadway Market. Shoppers have been heading there to get their kielbasa, ham, pierogis and other treats for Easter this Sunday, as well as Dyngus Day on Monday.
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, once again, urged folks to come on down not just this weekend, but year-round.
"This is the place to be," said Brown during a press conference on Thursday. "If you're shopping for food, if you're shopping for clothing, please check out the Broadway Market. A great job is done each and every day by the staff here at the Broadway market."
Being at the Broadway Market on Easter Week has been a tradition for Elaine Pasternak, supervisor at Camellia Meats, since 1983.
"My mom and sister used to come to the market every Saturday, there was a man called me exploring the poultry market downtown. And then he came here. And he said, 'When your daughter is going to be old enough, you bring her she seems like a good kid.' So I got out of school on early release and went there and worked. Monday, four days a week back in the day," said Pasternak in an interview with WBEN.
Pasternak loves the family atmosphere at the market.
"I go back to my childhood coming with my mom and my sister and getting their kids out here meeting the parents," Pasternak said.
Pasternak is also excited about the upcoming changes for the Broadway Market in East Buffalo.
"We're supposed to get a change here with $37 million, and that's supposed to be shovel ready in 2025," she said. "I can't wait to see it. I hope they really change it and bring a lot more vendors and stuff, and add a little nice restaurant where you can come back and get like stuff, everyday ham, Polish sausage, and just your fresh meat, poultry."
Seeing upgrades to the Market become a reality would mean a lot to her.
Going to the Broadway Market is an annual event for shoppers, though Debbie from Buffalo has a different shopping list.
"We make our own pierogi, we make our own kielbasa, so we make our own, so I don't really buy any food here. I just buy like sweatshirts and T shirts and plants and chocolate once in a while," she said in an interview with WBEN.
The Market will be open on Friday from 6 a.m.-to-7 p.m. ET, and Saturday from 6 a.m.-to-5 p.m. ET.
It will be closed on Easter Sunday, and then re-opens on Monday for Dyngus Day.