Yesterday, my wife and I took my mother-in-law to The Broadway Market, mainly because she said that she had not been there in years. I was excited to go for a couple of reasons. First, I always like to see the crowds of people that show up during the Easter season. Second, my mother-in-law grew up on the East Side, and spent a lot of time shopping at the market when she was younger (and not just during the holidays).

To be honest, the reason that the excursion to The Broadway Market was dreamed up was because one of my mother-in-law’s Polish friends told her that he heads to Canada to do his shopping for Easter dinner. Canada? Yup, he first heads to St. Catharines, where he hits up St. Joseph Bakery, a mid-sized Polish market that is located in the heart of a historically Polish neighborhood. So we decided to see what the fuss was all about, and the three of us piled into a car and headed north on the QEW.

The frontage of St. Joseph Bakery is nothing to write home about, but the inside is chock full of incredible Polish/European culinary delights, from meats and baked goods to aisles of canned, bottled, and packaged authentic/traditional foods that were completely unfamiliar to us. It was hard to imagine that there were so many different Polish/European producers making the intriguing foods – cookies, wafers, spices, pickles, soups, sauerkraut, cheese, eggs, juices, noodles – you name the type of food and there was a Polish brand behind it. The market also featured foods from other countries such as Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine… it was a true Polish/European market that prided itself on supplying its customers with quality products that are wonderfully curated. To tell you the truth, I was super impressed – I had never come across anything quite like it.

The second market that we were told to go to was in Hamilton, Ont., a bit further up the QEW, but still a relatively quick jaunt from Buffalo. We soon found ourselves standing in the parking lot of Starsky Fine Foods. Upon entering, we immediately knew that we had hit the goldmine of Polish/European markets – the giant aisles were loaded with all sorts of worldly delights that, once again, were completely unfamiliar to us. It was a super-sized version of the St Joseph Market. Once again, we walked up and down every aisle, picking up packaged and bottled goods that looked delicious – yogurts, stews, pickles, soft cheese curds, honeys, spreads, sauces… with brand names such as Elwest, Silani, Wolski, Valentins, and Tymbark. A shopper could spend a couple of days walking around Starsky, and would still not see everything that there is to see. It’s a completely different world altogether.

As we headed back down the QEW, back to Buffalo, we couldn’t help but think that The Broadway Market team could benefit from making a trip to these northern neighbors for some fresh market ideas. The Broadway Market has so much potential. There are already butchers, and pierogi makers, bakeries, seafood purveyors, grocers, delis… and it’s all amplified during the holidays. But there’s something missing at the same time. There’s a whole range of Polish/European super market products that would help to bring long-lost customers back to the market, who remember the days when it had more offerings. Just ask my mother-in-law. And don’t think that someone has to be Polish to appreciate all of the wonder selections that we came across in St. Catharines and Hamilton. While the products are mainly Polish and European, these are everyday items that can be enjoyed by everyone.

There’s a reason that my mother-in-law’s friend makes the trek to Canada to pick up his Easter sundries. There’s an enticing world of market goods that are missing at The Broadway Market. The good thing is that The Broadway Market already has the anchor staples, such as the butchers and the pierogi makers. If the market was to incorporate a broader element into the mix, by selling just a handful of the products that we came across in Canada, I bet that it could attract a clientele that would pay a visit on a more regular basis. The bones of The Broadway Market are in place. Now, it just needs to get a little meat on those bones. This would not be a heavy lift. We’re simply talking about dedicating some space to a marketeer that understands that there is a need for more authentic, daily sundry products that are thoughtfully curated, and deeply appreciated.