#MyDowntownRochMN featuring International Spice & Grocery

In Rashid's #MyDowntownRochMN story he shared how much he enjoys interacting with the owner of International Spice Grocery Store, along with their convenient Downtown location. So we decided to sit down with Anwar Haq, owner and self proclaimed "cashier" of the International Spice and Grocery Store to hear his story and why he enjoys operating in Downtown Rochester.

Samantha: Hi Anwar, thanks for taking the time to meet with me today. Can you start off by telling me about your role with the organization?

Anwar: Well my family and I run the store together and the business is open 7 days a week from 9AM to 9PM Monday through Saturday and 9AM to 4PM on Sundays, so most of my time is spent as the cashier. We see hundreds of customers each day and they are all very diverse and I truly enjoy communicating with all of them.

Samantha: That's great and Rashid had mentioned that you can speak multiple languages, is this from communicating with all the diverse people in your store and how many languages can you speak?

Anwar: I can speak about 8 languages and most of them I learned from the customers. I listen to them and ask questions to learn their language so I can better communicate with them in the future.

Samantha: Wow! That is so impressive! Can you tell me what product people come in for most often?

Anwar: European products, rice, oversea candies, and teapots. We carry many unique items and over 15 varieties of rice, most popular would have to be Basmati.

Samantha: From walking around your store, I can definitely see why people make it a point to visit here, you have so many great products. What would you tell someone that is interested in stopping in your store?

Anwar: I would tell them to just come in and I will help them find whatever they are looking for. We get new products all the time and I look forward to meeting new people.

Samantha: That is wondering, thanks so much for sharing your story with us Anwar.

Want more #MyDowntownRochMN stories? Check out the links below.

Individual Features

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Disclaimer: the views, comments, and opinions located within this blog are those of the community individual, not those of the Rochester Downtown Alliance (RDA).