Sahady’s Import Company, with its nut bins, spice racks and sweet treats, has been a Brooklyn Heights staple since the 1940s—and now it’s been added to the New York State Historic Commercial Preservation Register, cementing its place in local legend.
“I am thrilled to welcome Sahadin’s ‘Brooklyn Tradition’ to New York State Historic Commercial Preservation Archives,” Assemblywoman Jo Ann Simon said on Twitter as she presented the business with a new certificate. “For decades, they’ve brought the best flavors from around the world to Brooklyn. A legend among those in the know + natives, Brooklyn is blessed and honored!”
Nice to welcome you. @Sahadees “Brooklyn Tradition” to the New York State Historic Commercial Preservation Archives.
For decades, they’ve brought the best flavors from around the world to Brooklyn. A legend among foodies in the know + natives, Brooklyn is blessed and honored! pic.twitter.com/m7DnyQvfB2
— JoAnne Simon Wayne Yally (@JoAnneSimonBK52) December 21, 2022
Simon submitted his business to the registry, which serves as a way to recognize the history, work and traditions of historic businesses – to be nominated, a business must contribute to the Nabe’s identity and demonstrate a commitment to continuity. Old traditions. It was officially added earlier this year, and Simon stopped by the store earlier this month to personally deliver the certificate.
of Sahadi The Atlantic Street location certainly meets these criteria. The store’s first location opened in 1895 in Manhattan’s Little Syria. Fifty-three years later, in 1948, as the local Arab community began to disintegrate and the construction of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel disrupted local businesses, then-owner Wade Sahadi decided to relocate his business. Shop to Brooklyn Heights.
“Other businesses started making their homes here on Atlantic Avenue,” said Ron Sahadi, Wade’s grandson and the business’s managing director. “I think over the years it’s been known as a little Middle Eastern village. Over the years, a very large part of the population has belonged to the Middle Eastern community.
In the 1950s and 60s, Atlantic Avenue was known as the “Syrian.” Shopping center of Brooklyn, Manhattan, and New Jersey—filled with Middle Eastern bakeries, markets, and more. Middle Eastern Christian churches – Our Lady of Lebanon and St. Nicholas Antioch Orthodox Cathedral – moved from Manhattan to Brooklyn to serve the growing community.
Even as the demographics of the neighborhood have changed, Sahadi has remained popular with locals and visitors alike. A lot of the customers are second generation, Ron said — their parents used to shop there, too.
Wade’s son Charlie – Ron’s father – later took over the shop with the help of his wife Audrey and brothers Bob and Richie.
“I graduated high school in ’89, I graduated college in ’93, I’ve been doing this for a long time because I knew this was what I always wanted to do,” Ron said.
His sister Christine Whelan and her husband Pat are in the business – as are their two grown children, Michael and Caityn.
“We’re going down to the fourth generation… In this day and age, it’s rare for a family business to last for generations,” Ron said.
The shelves in Shahadi are stocked with home-grown spices, home-roasted nuts, freshly prepared dishes such as baklava and halva, as well as home-made dishes. Some of the items are new — they expanded their baked goods selection after opening a second location in Industry City in 2019 — but some, like the Nuts and Hams, have been around for decades.
Hot Thursday is Ron’s top tip for visitors, he said. It’s been prepared the same way since they opened the prepared food section in the 80s, and it’s gotten “great reviews from everyone.”
Bulk dried fruits and nuts are fan – and family – favorites.
“We cook some of these nuts here in Brooklyn at Sunrise Park,” Ron said. “In my opinion, we have some of the best almonds you can find in the world – we buy the highest quality almonds from California, we roast them here.”
Before their appointment, the family didn’t even know about the Historic Business Preservation Register – when Christine was contacted by someone from Jo Ann Simon’s office asking if they would be interested in the appointment, the rest is (literally) history.
“We were more than in love,” Christine said. “A lot of elected officials shop at us, they come in. At heart, we’re still a neighborhood store. That is very interesting. [Simon] She thought of us in those circumstances and wanted to put us in the record.
Christine and Ron’s parents, Audrey and Charlie, and their uncle are all retired and in their 70s — but they still stop by occasionally to pick up necessities. She and her daughter Caitlin work together at the new Sunset Park location — her son works with his uncle Ron on Atlantic Avenue.
She said she felt “amazing” when both of her children decided to join the family business, especially because she pushed them to explore other options first to make sure it was something they wanted to do.
“All of us, including them, work very long hours and this must be a labor of love,” she said. “We’re happy to have them with us, and as we get our hours down, hopefully they can run with it and take it in the direction they want to go.”
After more than 100 years in New York City and nearly 75 years on Atlantic Avenue, the family feels a deep love and connection to the area and its customers – and they know how rare it is to feel the love and support they do.
“We’re all here for each other, and Brooklyn is our home,” Ron said. “And we feel blessed to be here going into the fourth generation. With so many places to go these days, it means so much to our family to have that support after all these years… We still feel blessed to be a part of your home after all these years.
