Braymiller Market to Close
Braymiller Market, a downtown Buffalo grocery store, is closing its doors after three years of operation. Despite its closure, City Hall announced it will not require owner Stuart Green to repay a $561,000 loan issued last year, originally contingent on the store remaining open until the end of 2025.
Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon revealed Friday that the city would lease the 21,600-square-foot building for a "public safety" purpose, though the terms of the lease remain undisclosed.
Scanlon stated the city and the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency (BURA) have no plans to demand repayment of the loan, citing Green’s efforts to meet hiring and job retention requirements. “ Stuart Green has done everything within his power to make this store successful. I don’t see a need to penalize him further,” Scanlon said.
Deputy Mayor Brian Gould added that a lease agreement could be f inalized by the end of the year. While Green owns the building, it is unclear how much the city will pay to lease the space.
Financial Struggles and the Closure Braymiller Market struggled financially almost from its inception. By spring 2022, the store was losing an average of $32,000 monthly, a figure that improved slightly to $23,000 per month by March 2023, according to records obtained by Investigative Post.
The financial losses led to, and difficulties paying vendors. In October, the Erie County Industrial Development Agency (ECIDA) nearly revoked Green’s property tax break after he was months behind on a payment. Green managed to pay the $8,119 owed just before the agency prepared to take action.
The $561,000 loan issued by the city last year provided temporary relief, with $170,000 allocated to paying off wholesalers and creditors. Most of the remainder went to payroll, leaving just $45,000 in cash reserves by March 2023.
Green attributed the store's struggles to the COVID-19 pandemic, which significantly reduced downtown foot traffic. City officials estimate that 20,000 to 30,000 fewer people frequent the area daily compared to pre-pandemic levels.
“When we began this project, we believed the timing was right,” Green said Friday. “However, the pandemic changed the business climate, making it difficult to sustain operations.”
Mixed Reactions from Officials The decision to forgive the loan and lease the space has drawn mixed reactions. Acting Mayor Scanlon defended the move, stating that the loan enabled the city to secure $3.5 million in additional grants for other small businesses.
“Ultimately, 236 businesses benefited from this funding, and the effort ensured we had a downtown grocery store for as long as possible,” Scanlon said.
Council Majority Leader Leah Halton-Pope expressed frustration over the closure. “I’m pissed that this is where we are,” she said.
Former Common Council President Darius Pridgen echoed skepticism about the store’s viability. “The model failed,” Pridgen said during his weekly radio show, noting his initial opposition to the funding. “This was not a good business deal.”
Future Plans for the Space City officials indicated that the grocery store’s location would continue to serve the neighborhood in a new capacity. Deputy Mayor Gould explained that the city would not pursue repayment of the loan, as the funds would ultimately be returned to the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.
As for Green, it remains uncertain whether he will need to repay a separate $500,000 loan from developer Ciminelli Real Estate, which constructed the building before selling it to Green for $7 million.
Despite the store’s closure, Scanlon expressed optimism about the downtown area’s recovery. “As downtown rebounds, I believe the critical mass needed to support a grocery store will become evident,” he said.
Braymiller Market’s closure leaves 36 employees without jobs just weeks before the holidays, a fact not lost on city officials. “This is a tough decision, and no one wants to see families impacted like this,” Scanlon said.