September 27, 2022
West Side Bazaar Fire and Community Response
A September 20 fire displaced West Side Bazaar small business owners — kitchen and retail space needed. 43North's Sophia Marshall on building Buffalo.
Fire, Healing and 43N
Help the West Side Bazaar
On September 20, a fire broke out in the West Side Bazaar leaving extensive damage. Currently they are in the process of finding temporary locations for their small business owners. Specifically, they are in need of commercial kitchen spaces or pop-up retail spaces that might be available.
If you can help with restaurant or retail space please contact Yanush Sanmugaraja, Senior Director, Economic Development, at ysanmugaraja@wedibuffalo.org.
Financial donations to help those effected by the fire can be made here
Community Builders to Know: Meet Sophia Marshall
"I owe a lot to the people of WNY who believed in me..."
Sophia (404 Link Removed) is an active member of the startup community and Events & Community Manager at 43North.
"In all my time in various communities from New York City to Fort Lauderdale to Italy, I have never met a community quite like Buffalo. I love how gritty and open to the idea of possibility this community is. It's the people of WNY that motivate me to help build this community. The connections from coffee meetups, dating back almost 3 years, have made a positive impact on me. I owe a lot to the people of WNY who believed in me and gave me a chance to prove what I can bring to the table. When it comes to events programming and community building it's about bringing great people together to connect and turn their ideas into something amazing through collaboration. I can't wait to see what WNY does next and I can't wait to be a part of it!"
WNY Startups on Fire
The Healing Grounds
The Healing Grounds, co-founded by Hy-Deia Walker (404 Link Removed)and Dan White, is a Holistic Cafe & Community Space. Created to cultivate authentic connections and promote healing, The Healing Grounds is centered around mind, body, and spiritual healing through regenerative resources that aid in community and self preservation.
"We do it because each of us individually have experiences in prior work environments that were not healthy for our mind, body, or spirit and this work feels more in alignment with who we are on a spiritual level. It gives us the opportunity to be in charge of ourselves & our future", explains Hy-Deia.
She goes on to say, "we've been receiving a lot of support from the community already and it feels good to know that people are excited about what we're doing. Currently we're operating our event space & in such a short amount of time we've been able to really touch people's lives and create a safe space where people feel comfortable expressing themselves, being vulnerable, and finding tribe".
The Healing Grounds is looking to build out their event and workshop spaces with practitioners who usually feel left out of opportunities in healing spaces. "If you are a healing practitioner looking for a space to share please consider making us your home, no-matter your race, sexual orientation, or creed. Reach out to us", says Hy-Deia.
"It gives us the opportunity to be in charge of ourselves & our future."
If you would like to contribute to the Healing Grounds "Community Fund" email them here
Community Funds are used to pay for people who would like to attend their events but may not be able to afford them. This keeps the space thriving while still allowing to include people regardless of their financial situation.
To learn more about The Healing Grounds click here !
Want to be a part of the excitement?
Get involved! BootSector is a non-profit organization founded to support the WNY Startup community. We're volunteer-led and always looking to build our family.
Contact megan@joinbootsector.com for more information about how you can get involved, and how BootSector can support your mission in the WNY community.