When Kroger closed its Linden store last year, it created a food desert in the north Columbus neighborhood. Many residents suddenly lost access to affordable and healthy food - that is, until Saraga International Grocery opened a store in the Northern Lights Shopping Center last month.
鈥淚鈥檓 actually really glad that it鈥檚 opened," says Mary Quaboh, who both works and shops at Saraga International Grocery.
She moved to the U.S. from Ghana several years ago.
"I live like right behind the building and I鈥檓 an African too, and there鈥檚 not really much African stores super close by, so having this as an international store is really, really helpful for my family actually,鈥� Quaboh says.
Saraga opened its first store in 2013 on Morse Road. Its new store in Cleveland Avenue is just a few miles away.
Owner John Sung, 54, is an immigrant from South Korea who came to the U.S. three decades ago. He and his brother started a grocery store in Bloomington, Indiana after they dropped out of college. That store鈥檚 success led him to expand into Indianapolis, and then to Columbus.
鈥淩eally doing well,鈥� Sung says. 鈥淲e have a lot of customers coming for special offers. Actually, they love it and everywhere I go, people know me as the owner of the store and they really appreciate what we鈥檙e doing there.鈥�
Sung says new immigrants and anyone with an international palette can appreciate Saraga's variety of food.
鈥淲e have great produce and seafood, especially live fish and meat,鈥� Sung says. 鈥淣ot only that, we have a great selection on the grocery. Most people think they can find what they need at one place.鈥�
At the seafood counter, live catfish peer through the glass at the bottom of the fish display. Portia Antwi, 24, is picking out mackarel.
鈥淚 like it very well, it鈥檚 very nice when you prepare it with stew or soup,鈥� Antwi says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very nice.鈥�
Sung explains he named his store Saraga because it means "living" in Korean.
鈥淪araga means living a life,鈥� Sung says. 鈥淭his is my job, not only money. I feel like this is my mission.鈥�
Grocery aisles separate by continent and region, with rows marked for Asian, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, African, European and American foods.
Saraga also includes several tiny restaurants. The Morse Road store was the first location of the popular Nepalese food stand Momo Ghar, which specializes in dumplings. (Momo Ghar was even on an episode of the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" last year.)
The Cleveland Avenue store will soon be home to restaurants of its own, including Mexican and Asian food stands.
Sung says business continues to grow about 16% a year at his first store on Morse Road. He鈥檚 not sure, though, how quickly sales will develop in Linden.
鈥淪ince Cleveland Avenue store is so close to Morse Road, it鈥檚 the same market, it鈥檚 only three miles apart so I don鈥檛 how the effect will be at Morse Road,鈥� Sung says. 鈥淗opefully we鈥檒l still growing, but we鈥檙e very positive.鈥�
Sung is enthusiastic about Saraga's future, but he's frustrated as work continues at an unfinished store on South Hamilton Road, across from Eastland Mall. When it's finished, it will be Sung鈥檚 third Saraga location in Columbus, and the largest at 100,000 square feet.
鈥淲e have a barbershop, cellphone place, bakery, ice cream, Mexican food, African food, and South American food,鈥� Sung says.
During our interview, several hopeful shoppers like Sue Helber came to the Hamilton Road store, thinking it was open because of an erroneous Facebook post.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a sign out there says opening soon, and it鈥檚 been out there for ages,鈥� Helber says. 鈥淚 said, 'When do they open?'鈥�
Sung says he understands shoppers are anxious.
鈥淎 lot of people mention that this area needs grocery, which is correct, so we take a chance,鈥� Sung says. 鈥淲e start building this store. Unfortunately, it takes so long.鈥�
The problem, Sung explains, is in the back of the store where trucks move merchandise. To help them avoid getting stuck in the mud, he added gravel. But city officials said that was illegal and would block rainwater from soaking into the soil and potentially cause flooding.
Now, Sung has been working on a new site plan to comply with city regulations. He plans to meet with the city in early July.
He hopes soon, all nine cash registers at the Hamilton Road store will be ringing up sales.
鈥淚t鈥檚 over three years now,鈥� Sung says. 鈥淲e pay rent. It鈥檚 kind of hard, really hard. All of the profit we make from Morse is pouring here.鈥�
Editor's Note: This article originally indentified the location of the new Saraga International Grocery as Great Northern Shopping Center, it will actually be located in the Northern Lights Shopping Center.
