“You on the other line, Boo?,” asked a store clerk after answering the telephone.
The “Boo” in this case is Sam Goswami, owner of the Super Giant Food grocery on Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway. It’s the sole supermarket within a four-mile radius of Bankhead, a low-income community just west of downtown Atlanta. Since buying the grocery in 2003, Goswami has sought to expand nutritious offerings in a neighborhood that’s been defined as a “food desert” — a geographic area where fast food or unhealthy products outweigh the ability to purchase freshly grown foods. Such lack of access can lead to illnesses like diabetes and heart disease. It’s an issue that Goswami, a hotelier by trade, has addressed as a grocer.
Q: I read that you wanted to offer more fresh produce in your store. What progress have you made?
A: We added a 36-foot produce case to the store as part of the remodeling. This addition has added more variety of salads, spinach, fruits and vegetables. We are 40 percent complete with our remodeling efforts. We replaced our old meat cases with triple-decker meat cases, and we replaced our entire food section. We replaced our lighting with LED lighting. The remodeling has added healthier variety to the meat products, as well.
Q: What produce sells the best?
A: For the current season, it's been collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, celery and sweet potatoes.
Q: Are you pleased with your purchase of the store?
A: These are tough times. Due to a loss of a lot of the community in the neighborhood, our customer base has decreased.
Q: What’s caused the population decline?
A: We had three HUD communities here, and they closed them down. I would say that was almost 2,000 apartments or more. That is hurting me a good bit.
Q: How important is the garden to your overall mission as a grocery store owner in the Bankhead area?
A: The garden helps my mission of educating the community about growing and eating nutritionally rich foods as well as the importance of a healthy diet. It helps in my mission to bring the community together for a good cause.
Q: Has the community been receptive?
A: Things are not moving as quickly as we expected, but they are coming along. People are beginning to get involved in the activities we offer. I have hope.
