(From left) Ezaddin "Dean" Alasad and Faisel Suort (Photo by Jay Paul)
Home to vegan and organic products, plus Richmond’s largest supply of Nightingale Ice Cream Sandwiches, Northside Gourmet Market is the first of many ventures from friends Ezaddin “Dean” Alasad and Faisel Suort. With other projects on the way, including renovations to the 25-year Oregon Hill institution and college student standby Fine Foods Mart, which has been renamed Mocha Gourmet Market; a location at The Summit in Scott’s Addition; and a lease signed on First Street in Jackson Ward, the tenacious duo are slowing building an empire.
Richmond magazine: How did you get into this field?
Ezaddin Alasad: I’m originally from Yemen. In the early '90s, my father and I started a deli in New York together. I moved to Richmond in early ’98 after I got married and we had our first baby. We opened six stores by 2007, then I started my Tritec ATM business in 2008 — something [I've] always known how to do is customer service and being around people and being a part of their everyday life. I met Faisel, he was one of my clients, and we became good friends.
Faisel Suort: I was in New York, and I always wanted to do something different. I moved here in 2006 after living in Los Angeles and Texas, had tobacco stores up there. I used to run a convenience store on Eighth and Main streets. I came up with this concept, and it took him five years to agree. [Laughs]
RM: How did you decide what to stock at the North Side store?
Alasad: When we opened in the middle of a pandemic, people didn’t want to go to big-box stores. We canvassed the neighborhood and talked to people. With 2,000 square feet, we have over 6,000 SKUs; a mini Walmart will have 8,000 to 10,000. We’ve become more of the neighborhood grocery store for daily stuff than the corner market, and we’re big on local and working with local [purveyors].
Suort: Our setup is a small-scale grocery store setup. Some days, people think we’re just a convenience store, and they come out with $200 worth of groceries. A customer that made us laugh said, “I came out for one thing.” We like that, it means we’re doing our job.
RM: What does the future hold for you both?
Alasad: We sat down together, and I told him we need to have a vision of what we’re looking for, and we looked at areas that are underserved. It’s part of our business plan to have 10 stores in three years. We’re looking at Rocketts Landing, Manchester and a couple of places in the Chesterfield area. Our concept fits right in, people don’t have to travel far.
