By Joe Kirchmyer
The weather outside might be frightful, but the elves working in the kitchen at the historic Mazurek’s Bakery in Buffalo think the holiday season is absolutely delightful! In BuffaloScoop.com’s very first 7 Questions feature, we sat down with Ty Reynolds, co-owner of one of Buffalo’s favorite bakeries, to talk about the business and the busy holiday season.
1. Looking back to 2012, what made you want to buy a bakery?
Ty: I was working as a health insurance sales manager and drove past the bakery multiple times on my way to Sabres games … and decided one day to buy the bakery on a whim. I wanted to be my own boss.
2. You’re not a Mazurek, but you kept the name. Did you keep the recipes?
Ty: As part of the purchase we decided that I would keep the name and that the recipes would be provided as well. The previous owner stayed on for four months as I trained.
3. From a day-to-day business standpoint, what’s different during the holiday season?
Ty: During the holiday seasons, especially Christmas and Easter, we have a lot more offerings of different products than we do during the summer or fall.
4. Now through the new year, what are your biggest sellers?
Ty: Anise cutout cookies, fruit stollens and our rye bread.
5. When does your work day begin and end?
Ty: Between 3 and 4 a.m. and 5 and 6 p.m. Easter is the worst … the busiest. About 35 percent of our sales are done during Holy Week. Christmas is about 12 percent. So when you really think about it, between those two weeks I’m doing about 50 percent of my business for the year. Christmas is a little more drawn out — about two to three weeks with the cookies.
6. We hear that Mazurek’s has gone Hollywood! Tell us about the Lifetime Movie Network movie that the bakery is featured in?
Ty: It’s called “A Wedding to Die For.” Back in November of 2016 a New York film production company contacted me and asked if I’d be open to the idea of the production company coming in and filming part of a movie here. They came in on December 6 of 2016 and filmed for about 13 hours. It was on a Sunday so we were closed. Two of the main characters in the movie owned a bakery so they used the back of our bakery for a cooking scene and in the other scene, “Mrs. Mazurek,” who owned the bakery, was filmed in the front of the store. The movie takes place in Toronto, but if you pay close attention you can see Buffalo police cars.
7. If you could have one wish granted for Christmas, what would it be?
Ty: That the customer area of the store could be rehabbed to look like it did in 1933 when it opened. The original ceilings are above the drop ceiling, and you can also see where the light fixtures were and the gas lines for lanterns. The building was built in 1895.
The original Mazurek’s Bakery is located at 543 South Park Ave. in Buffalo, with a second location in the Broadway Market at 999 Broadway in the city. For more information, please visit www.mazureksbakery.com.
If you would like to be featured in BuffaloScoop.com’s new 7 Questions feature, please email Joe Kirchmyer at jk********@ve*****.net.
