Common Council member disputes Broadway Market Save-A-Lot's reason for closing

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- Buffalo Common Councilman Mitch Nowakowski joined News 4 Tuesday afternoon to talk about the pending closure of a Fillmore District grocery store.

Next week, the Broadway Market could lose its Save-A-Lot, the only full-service grocer at the historic shopping destination if a solution to keep it open isn't found.

According to Nowakowski, Save-A-Lot hasn't properly notified the City of Buffalo, its landlord, of its plans to close, other than a piece of paper with a message written in marker.

"My constituents deserve better than that," Nowakowski said.

The councilman disputed the store operator's purported reason for closing -- alleged thefts. He also says Save-A-Lot hasn't told the city what it needs to keep doing business.

"There has not been looting at the Broadway Market that has propelled this operator to leave. That's just categorically false and that's lying about the neighborhood," Nowakowski said, referencing a Buffalo News report on the store's plans to close.

If the store does end up closing, Nowakowski is determined to get another grocer in that spot. In the interim, there are other stores, like a nearby Aldi's, to serve residents, he said.

Watch the full interview on News 4 in the video below: