Habib Mediterranean Market Serves A Special Niche In The Community

After 25 years as a successful business owner overseeing restaurants and liquor stores, Severna Park resident Salloum “Sam” Habib wanted to target a different need in the community: food and household goods for Anne Arundel County’s Middle East and Mediterranean population.

In November 2015, he met that need with Habib Mediterranean Market in Glen Burnie. “I wanted to start a grocery store for Arabic people: Lebanese, Syrian, Moroccan, Egyptian, Indian, Persian, Jordanian, Greek and Turkish people,” said Habib. “They need ingredients for preparing their food. There is no store like this within 50 miles, so it’s good for the community.”

The ethnic grocery store offers an assortment of Mediterranean spices; canned goods; dry beans; halal or kosher meat (prepared according to Muslim or Jewish law); pita bread; olive oil; pickles; grape leaves; fresh vegetables; milk, cheese and other dairy products; juice; roasted nuts and other snacks; and sweets like baklava and chocolate candy. The store also offers Arabic, Turkish and Greek coffee and tea.

In the freezers, shoppers will find kubba, sausage, falafel mix, beef and chicken shish kabobs, lamb, goat, rabbit, quail, duck and seafood. “We have a full inventory, and everything is fresh,” Habib said.

Aside from groceries, the market also carries gifts, books, incenses, coffee and tea pots, tobacco, and charcoal and other hookah accessories.

While customers can peruse the aisles for all of those products, Habib also recognizes that with busy schedules, customers may sometimes need help with their meals. With that in mind, the market can provide catering.

In fact, Habib said that in addition to serving an underserved group of customers, it’s that location between Baltimore and Annapolis that made the shop so appealing.

“I get customers from Annapolis to Laurel to Baltimore to Washington, D.C.,” he said, adding that people who visit the shop will appreciate “the customer service, the personality of the owner, cleanliness of the store and the full inventory that we have.”

Habib welcomes guests to check out his store at 7701 Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard in Glen Burnie during the hours of 9:00am to 9:00pm Monday through Sunday. A photo gallery is available at www.habibgrocery.com. For more information, call the store at 410-760-7500, call Habib’s cell at 410-627-5793, or visit the “Habib Mediterranean International Market” Facebook page.

Shoppers can always check Voice Values in the Severna Park Voice for Habib coupons and discounts. And for articles on essential Mediterranean and Middle Eastern spices, foods to try, and recipes, they can go to the Facebook page.

“We have only the best quality products,” Habib said. “I’m sure that if you visit one time, you will be here always.”