Detroit retailer caters to Middle Eastern tastes
Detroit retailer caters to Middle Eastern tastes
DETROIT - Working what he declared "the hardest job of my life," Khalil Saad, owner of Papaya Fruits & Grocery in a Middle Eastern neighborhood, here, gets little sleep. He shops the Detroit Produce Terminal daily for about three hours beginning at 2:45 a.m. for the fruits and vegetables he will sell from his store's shelves each day. But his customers appreciate his efforts and he moves great volumes of produce through his modestly sized store.
Though Papaya has built some strong momentum now into its fourth year of operation under Mr. Saad's leadership, it began on shaky ground. The first and second years in business saw big losses, but "We had to lose to make it," he said. He paid close attention to what his patrons liked and did not and made adjustments to his inventory accordingly. "In the beginning, if I saw something on the shelf not moving, I took it down and put something else." He refined his product offerings and after two years had an established and successful market - but the work was and still is quite a lot to bear. "I spend nights and days. I can't tell you how hard it was."
When Mr. Saad began, he would take his own truck to the Detroit Produce Terminal, shop the market and pick out a paltry two skids of product. They were loaded into his truck, which he said looked foolish because the truck capacity was barely tapped, and he would return to his store and fill his shelves. However, his volumes quickly grew, and now his orders are much larger and are delivered by the terminal suppliers. He said that Papaya typically has about 120 produce items available for sale on its shelves at any given time.
Papaya procures its product from all the wholesalers on the Detroit Produce Terminal. Mr. Saad believes that all the firms have good product to offer, and he thinks it is a good business practice to maintain relationships with all the suppliers. "Even if you have the power of buying, you have to keep all your relationships straight up, and I believe everyone is good."
The store also sources a small percentage of its product directly from growers or through jobbers. That produce - typically fresh dates, pistachios, sour plums and raisin grapes - is grown in California and Canada. These deals are typically seasonal and only last a few weeks, Mr. Saad said.
Papaya's customers are very quality-minded when they buy produce, so Mr. Saad only stocks high-quality product. However, they are also price conscious. The result is that if Papaya stocks an item that is cheap but not of good quality, its customers will not purchase it. Therefore, "If something is cheap but bad quality, we won't do it," he said. "We worry about quality. We try to do both. It may not always happen, but we do our best." He said that if a customer makes a purchase, takes an item home and has a bad experience with it such as poor quality or shelf life, he could lose their loyalty - and competition is fierce in Detroit, he said.
Along with quality generally comes good eye appeal, Mr. Saad said. "The eyes make you buy, so you have to make everything look good." He generally finds that if he sells produce he would want to take home himself and which has a good shelf life, the store does fine.
Some of Papaya's customers are daily patrons, shopping each morning for the day's meals. Others shop once for the whole week.
They also make requests for items not stocked in the store, and Mr. Saad does his best to fill them. "Because there are so many different communities" of differing cultures in the Detroit area, the store has received many varied requests, such as tomatillos from its Hispanic customers, he said.
The store's selection would be improved by additional space, and Mr. Saad has plans to knock down a wall and expand the store "in the future." Papaya currently has a basic rectangle footprint. Produce is prominent in the center and is ringed on the perimeter by grocery items.
The modest size of the store is accentuated on "Wild Wednesdays," when Papaya has its weekly big sale. The lines of eager and satisfied customers can stretch out the door. Produce featured during the weekly sale can be sold "some at cost, some at under cost. It is very competitive." But Mr. Saad keeps his customers happy, and Papaya Fruits & Grocery is enjoying the fruits of his labor.
Though Papaya has built some strong momentum now into its fourth year of operation under Mr. Saad's leadership, it began on shaky ground. The first and second years in business saw big losses, but "We had to lose to make it," he said. He paid close attention to what his patrons liked and did not and made adjustments to his inventory accordingly. "In the beginning, if I saw something on the shelf not moving, I took it down and put something else." He refined his product offerings and after two years had an established and successful market - but the work was and still is quite a lot to bear. "I spend nights and days. I can't tell you how hard it was."
When Mr. Saad began, he would take his own truck to the Detroit Produce Terminal, shop the market and pick out a paltry two skids of product. They were loaded into his truck, which he said looked foolish because the truck capacity was barely tapped, and he would return to his store and fill his shelves. However, his volumes quickly grew, and now his orders are much larger and are delivered by the terminal suppliers. He said that Papaya typically has about 120 produce items available for sale on its shelves at any given time.
Papaya procures its product from all the wholesalers on the Detroit Produce Terminal. Mr. Saad believes that all the firms have good product to offer, and he thinks it is a good business practice to maintain relationships with all the suppliers. "Even if you have the power of buying, you have to keep all your relationships straight up, and I believe everyone is good."
The store also sources a small percentage of its product directly from growers or through jobbers. That produce - typically fresh dates, pistachios, sour plums and raisin grapes - is grown in California and Canada. These deals are typically seasonal and only last a few weeks, Mr. Saad said.
Papaya's customers are very quality-minded when they buy produce, so Mr. Saad only stocks high-quality product. However, they are also price conscious. The result is that if Papaya stocks an item that is cheap but not of good quality, its customers will not purchase it. Therefore, "If something is cheap but bad quality, we won't do it," he said. "We worry about quality. We try to do both. It may not always happen, but we do our best." He said that if a customer makes a purchase, takes an item home and has a bad experience with it such as poor quality or shelf life, he could lose their loyalty - and competition is fierce in Detroit, he said.
Along with quality generally comes good eye appeal, Mr. Saad said. "The eyes make you buy, so you have to make everything look good." He generally finds that if he sells produce he would want to take home himself and which has a good shelf life, the store does fine.
Some of Papaya's customers are daily patrons, shopping each morning for the day's meals. Others shop once for the whole week.
They also make requests for items not stocked in the store, and Mr. Saad does his best to fill them. "Because there are so many different communities" of differing cultures in the Detroit area, the store has received many varied requests, such as tomatillos from its Hispanic customers, he said.
The store's selection would be improved by additional space, and Mr. Saad has plans to knock down a wall and expand the store "in the future." Papaya currently has a basic rectangle footprint. Produce is prominent in the center and is ringed on the perimeter by grocery items.
The modest size of the store is accentuated on "Wild Wednesdays," when Papaya has its weekly big sale. The lines of eager and satisfied customers can stretch out the door. Produce featured during the weekly sale can be sold "some at cost, some at under cost. It is very competitive." But Mr. Saad keeps his customers happy, and Papaya Fruits & Grocery is enjoying the fruits of his labor.
