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Jerusalem Market owner takes stock in fresh ideas
By Kalea Hall
LIBERTY
Mohammed Suleiman greets customers as they walk into his import shop, the Jerusalem Market.
He’s owned the business at 3033 Belmont Ave. for 10 years now and knows the regulars.
“I know all of my customers,” he said. “[When they] walk in, I know what they are going to buy.”
Suleiman, though, wants to attract more than his regulars, as does any businessman.
Suleiman, a Youngstown State University graduate with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer engineering, came to the U.S. from Jerusalem 20 years ago.
His father, Faisal Suleiman, is a businessman with real-estate properties and hotels locally and elsewhere.
Mohammed grew to prefer running the business rather than sitting behind a desk.
“This is my second home,” he said.
Through the years of his ownership, he’s learned to expand and take risks by trying something new.
“You have to risk,” Suleiman said. “There’s no business without the minimum risk.”
He’s expanded the freezer section of the store, the produce and the dry-food items.
The store is stocked with items Suleiman grew up knowing. There are several speciality items made in the Middle East that are essential in Middle Eastern food. Olive oil, tahini, grape leaves, rice, fava beans, cheese and rice are some of the essentials – and some of the top sellers.
There are also rows of sweets, stacks of tobacco for hookah smoking, spices and lots of pita bread.
“I like to keep my store full,” he said. “We try to bring in new product every once in awhile.”
The Jerusalem Market specializes in selling Halal meat – chicken, lamb and beef. Halal meat is meat that has been slaughtered by hand in accordance with Islamic law.
Behind a glass window, the butcher cuts the meat to prepare to sell to customers.
To get all these products in the shop, Suleiman works with 15 dealers.
This year, Suleiman decided it was time to add the “Grille on-the-go” section of the market. Here, customers can come up and order fresh, traditional Middle Eastern dishes.
Customer favorites include the falafel: chickpeas and other ingredients rolled and fried to crisp perfection; the chicken shawarma bowl: marinated cooked chicken strips in a bowl with hummus, rice, lettuce, pickles and tomatoes with garlic dressing; and the hummus appetizer: ground chickpeas with lemon, garlic and tahini.
“We here at the store we like to do things right,” he said. “If I eat it, I will let you eat it.”