A Middle Eastern-style grocery store, which closed last June after its storefront on the 4300 block of Harlem Avenue was sold to a mattress chain, is reopening soon at a new location in Chicago.
Amjad Owaynat, who owns Middle Eastern Flair, has described his business as his “lifeblood.” He left his location in Norridge reluctantly in June 2015, after a judge issued an order requiring him to vacate, according to his attorney, Dan Hogan, who said Owaynat had sued the property owner after his attempt to buy out a lease on the building failed.
On the day of his store’s closing, Owaynat vowed to reopen as a larger, better version of his business, which had become known in the Chicago area for its homemade hummus, Shawarma, falafel and kabobs since it opened in 2009.
A year later, the Chicago resident is close to making good on that promise. Owaynat said he is nearly ready to open the doors to his first customers at 8235 W. Irving Park Road, Chicago.
Boxes of breadcrumbs, olive oil and other food items, which he said he purchases wholesale from U.S. vendors that sell food products imported from countries like Iran, Iraq, Palestine and Syria, are still high in boxes as they await new homes on shelves in the 8,000-square-foot store.
While Middle Eastern Flair will keep its name when it opens, customers will find an expanded selection of grocery items, as well as a full-service dining room, where up to 60 guests can have lunch or dinner, Owaynat said.
The in-house seating area was a central part of the new shop, Owaynat said. With just a few tables set up in the cramped store on Harlem Avenue, Owaynat had a seating shortage when customers began flocking to his store after a December 2014 ABC 7 news segment aired that touted his authentic Middle Eastern cooking.
“The next day, people just started coming in,” Owaynat said. “But the news story made it look like we had lots of seating, so they were disappointed there was nowhere to sit.”
Behind rows of grocery items, an expansive deli counter will serve freshly prepared specialty meats, homemade hummus and dishes like “Oozy”, a Middle Eastern favorite made with rice, vegetables and ground meat wrapped in a pastry sheet.
Owaynat also hopes to eventually make homemade cheese and pickles in a back room. With the help of his Polish wife Lidia Owaynat, the couple also will plan to offer two new dishes with an American twist — the Kofta Kabob burger and taco.
The Owaynat family migrated to the Chicago area from Palestine in 1978 and started a factory in Bensenville that sold homemade yogurt and cheese, pickles and stuffed eggplant, he said.
After high school, Owaynat found his own path and opened a small grocery store along Damen Avenue on Chicago’s west side. Aside from discovering at an early age his passion for the food business, Owaynat said he learned early on that owning a business stood for something much bigger than himself.
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“I don’t work for myself; I work for my five kids,” he said. “What good is an honest day’s work if I’m only benefiting myself; it means nothing.”
The grand opening date is expected to be announced soon.
Natalie Hayes is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.