An undetermined future for the East Side Save-A-Lot

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The closing of Save-a-Lot in the Broadway Market may not be a done deal.

Store owner Ronald Horrigan said he was trying to keep the store open. He told 2 On Your Side that conversations with the market manager and the city were going well, but financial assistance was needed to keep the store in business.

“The discussion went very well. There are some things we’re trying to work out and see if we can move things forward and keep the store open,” Horrigan said. “I’m going to need help financially, as I continue to put my own money into the store to keep it open.”

Horrigan says he loves his customers, but a few customers make it difficult for everyone and he couldn’t keep up with the flights.

Handwritten signs announced the closure, and the almost empty shelves show that the end is near. Councilman Mitch Nowakowski insisted that allegations of looting were not the cause, but according to manager Destiny Bowden and the owner, they were.

“They come all over the place. The cops don’t come. You call them. They don’t come. They’ll be there a half hour or an hour later, and the person is already out of the store,” Bowden said. .

Horrigan has hired security in the past, but said that hasn’t helped.

“Most of the time they’re in cahoots with the help and then you get the help and security of the theft, or they bring friends into the store and they let them steal,” Horrigan said.

Horrigan said since the pandemic, theft has gotten worse.

“It’s like they have a license to steal. After they steal, they say, ‘The owner has insurance, who pays for it.’ It doesn’t pay for the theft. It comes out of my pocket,” Horrigan said.

Bowden says it’s men, women, young and old who shoplift, and it happens five times a day, often ending in a fight.

If the store closes, that leaves Tops and Aldi in the area. In March, some Dollar General stores located in areas known as “food deserts” began selling products. U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand says they’re eligible for expansion, but something else could come our way.

“We’ve been talking with Buffalo Go-Green, and they’re looking at opening a grocery store on the East Side here, and we’re trying to convince them to do it now,” Gillibrand said.