After 124 years in service, Sahadi’s, a globally sourced Middle Eastern grocer, is expanding its spice trade to Industry City.
The Lebanese-owned grocer’s new store, opening Thursday at 34 35th St., will use its 7,500 square feet to marry their grocery items with a sit-down dining experience. Sahadi’s will offer breakfast, coffee, lunch, bakery items and grab-and-go dinner items, as well as an open kitchen for customers to see their made-to-order saj and pita breads and tapas-like dishes come to fruition.
“We were artisanal before it was cool,” co-owner Ron Sahadi said in a statement. “We’ve always been very particular when sourcing foods from all over the world to put on our shelves. We’re looking forward to sharing our carefully vetted product mix, which include local and imported offerings, with the Industry City community.”
Unlike the food bazaar atmosphere at the initial Brooklyn location, still in Brooklyn Heights, the new Industry City spot is more relaxed. The store will maintain its unique stock of hummus, pita, falafel and spices along with imported olives, cheese and nuts. But the owners also plan to add weekend brunch in the future with za’atar-spiked Bloody Mary’s and a cocktail program.
The Sahadi family immigrated from Lebanon, bringing with them a love of traditional cooking and Mediterranean culture and opening their first store in the city in 1895. They moved to Brooklyn from Manhattan in 1948, where the original owner’s son Charlie Sahadi took the lead.
To maintain the company’s hospitable reputation — employees combined speak between 20 and 25 different languages at the original location — they are working with Industry City’s Innovation Lab to curate diverse representation of Brooklyn communities by hiring people from various Brooklyn neighborhoods and cultures. Those interested should apply through the Innovation Lab or Sahadi directly.
“We’re excited to expand our footprint in Brooklyn … and keep good, solid manufacturing and hospitality jobs in our community,” said co-owner Pat Whelan. “We’ve always been committed to diversity in hiring practices and are looking forward to working with Industry City’s Innovation Lab in the months to come.”
The new Sahadi’s location will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hours are expected to expand in the coming weeks.
