For Sahadi’s, business is family. This Middle Eastern grocery store has been a staple in New York City for over 120 years. Christine Sahadi Whelan knows the secret to success is being a part of the fabric of the neighborhood. “We send hummus everywhere,” she jokes. Sahadi’s works closely with the local Business Improvement District, schools, community groups, and churches. “If there’s an event, we’ll send hummus.”
Photo courtesy of Sahadi’s
The popular store for nuts, granola, spices, cheeses and sweets on Atlantic Avenue has gone through a few expansions over the years. Originally opened by Whelan’s family in Manhattan in 1895, her grandfather came on board in 1919. They eventually moved the whole operation to Brooklyn in the mid-40s when the construction of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel made it impossible to do business in lower Manhattan.
However, more has changed in the last five years than the previous thirty, according to Whelan. “We’re always thinking about where we’re going and, ‘how is this relevant?’” In an exclusive with Grubstreet, Sahadi’s just announced a new expansion to Industry City coming this fall. This new location will be more of an experience than just shopping for groceries and will be focused on Mediterranean flavors and fusions of Lebanese cooking. Research and development, which usually only happens in Whelan’s kitchen, will now be easier, and on display for their customers.
Photo courtesy of Industry City
Whelan and her brother, Ron, have been working on and off in this family business their whole lives. Their day typically starts at 6 am with a walkthrough of the store, at 7 am the bakery opens, and after the doors open at 8 am they’re on the floor and handling the day-to-day operations. Whelan’s husband, Pat, works in the warehouse for the first part of the day and then joins the team at their office to close up shop. When asked if their kids plan on taking over some day, they both say that’s not something they want to push them into, “It’s hard being a legacy kid.”
They do, however, want their staff to feel like they’re part of the family. Many of them have been working with the store for decades. Sahadi’s employs a lot of immigrants, which is a great asset for customers speaking various languages and coming from different cultures, but sometimes makes navigating other areas of life difficult. “My manager would think nothing of sitting down with a member of the staff and talking through something like a letter from school. We’re a family through and through,” says Whelan.
Photo courtesy of Sahadi’s
And if the whole family doesn’t spend enough time together during their 12-hour work days, they all go home at night to their neighboring houses in Bay Ridge. “We didn’t plan it that way!” swears Whelan, but it’s definitely a wonderful thing when you have family close by.
You can visit Sahadi’s main location at 187 Atlantic Ave. by taking our NYC Ferry South Brooklyn route to Brooklyn Bridge Park – Pier 6/Atlantic Ave and walking 11 minutes.
