Durham Convenience Store Reopens

A Durham convenience store shut down by the state in January reopened last week under new ownership.

The soon-to-be renamed "S and F Grocers" at 24 Main Street opened its doors on March 5, after undergoing some minor rennovations, according to owner Syed Sami. (The "F" in the store name is for his wife's first name, Farhana)

Sami, a native of Pakistan who goes by the nickname "Sammy," bought the franchise from Alliance Energy Corp. of Branford after the previous owner was forced to close over unpaid state sales tax.

"It was a shock. It was my day off. I came down and the store was locked," says Sue, who's worked as a clerk at the store for the past 31 years and was recently re-hired by Sami to work the night shift.

"Some people just swung in and they're like 'So glad you're back,'" she says. "Oh my God, we have the best customers ever."

While some of the changes to the store include a new floor and shelving units, Sami says his focus has always been on the customer.

"I'm stocking [the store] according to what the customer's needs are. If you come in and say 'Hey, I'd like a peach,' I'm getting a peach for you the next day," he says.

The price will always be right too, Sami says.

"I'll compare my prices with anybody. I'm .30 cents cheaper on diesel, .05 cents cheaper on gas, .25 cents cheaper on milk. I'm at the state minimum on cigarettes. The coffee, any size, is 99-cents. That's not a promotion, that's all year long," he says.

The convenience store business is nothing new to Sami. He owns stores in Greenwich and Port Chester, NY, but spends most of his time at Nissan of Norwich, where he is general manager. He expects to be even busier this fall, when the store on Main Street is scheduled to undergo a major rennovation — a plan that calls for the store to be gutted and expanded into a grocery store, convenience store and "some kind of food concession too," according to Sami.

For now, Sue is patiently waiting for one of the store's most popular items — scratch tickets — to come in.

"We'll have 'em next week," she says.