Many years ago I would take my babysitting money to Wilharm Drug located on the corner of 38th and Chicago Avenue. It was a place to go scour over magazines like Tiger Beat and Sixteen and penny candy, trying to figure out what I should spend my earnings on. So when the store closed around 1987, I lost a piece of my childhood. 
Who would have known that at the time Wilharn Drug was closing, a young Samir "Sam" Abumayyaleh graduating from suburban Park Center High in Brooklyn Center, would end up leasing the building after sitting vacant for two years. Exercising an option to buy in 1989, Sam became the owner of Cup Foods, the longest standing tenant to date on the crossroads of 38th and Chicago.
I sat down recently with Sam to talk about his business. He told me that like many new business owners, when he first opened the store he worked days and nights. His hard work and efforts have not come without trials and tribulations. During the past twenty years he's gone up many times against the City, and frequently and perhaps most importantly, the neighborhood. He held strong and stayed to fight every battle. Sam created more history and talk within the community then any business in my memory.
Over the years, many in the neighborhood blamed Cup Foods for the crime that occurred in the neighborhood and tried to hold Sam and his business personally responsible. I remember many years ago, even churches were getting involved, organizing members to picket the store in the hopes of shutting him down. As much as some people hated his business, they were never successful in shutting him down.
At times I was among those that wanted him to fail, believing that without his business safety would return to our neighborhood. Cup Foods was notorious for attracting drug dealing and shootings that occurred on that corner. It was labeled dangerous and new neighbors were warned to stay away from Cup Foods.
However, I'd like to believe that when I am wrong, I can own up to it. As I have grown older and hopefully wiser and more involved, I've come to see Sam differently. I believe he's a good person who had become a victim of circumstance. I don't believe he had control over that corner, any more than any of us can control what happens on the sidewalks of our own homes. I have seen it many times as cars stop on residential streets, make deals and drive away.
I know that we would all like to blame businesses for problems that exist outside on public sidewalks, and on the crime plagued Northside, some are quick to hold businesses responsible for dope sellers outside on the public walkways, moving responsibility from law enforcement to private citizens.
For years, the much-maligned Skyway Theater at 711 Hennepin was blamed for the criminals that gathered daily outside the business to harass pedestrians passing by. One long time former employee told me that the MTC bus stop was really the magnet for crime, dropping off and picking up passengers from several major bus routes at their doorstep. Criminals saw an endless stream of prey and eventually killed the once prosperous business. Even though the business finally closed its doors, the crime downtown didn't vanish. Criminals moved to the City Center, then to Mall of America and some simply crossed over to Block E. Using the same rationale, one could say a successful Shout House Dueling Piano Bar, Applebee's, Jimmy John's, Starbucks, or Coldstone Creamery attracts crime to downtown.
A Toledo Ohio blog has written about the problems many convenient stores face. The blogger cites Sam and Cup Foods for being able to come out the winner by working with the City. http://glasscityjungle.com/wordpress/?p=2890
To think problems do not happen in high-end restaurants, bars, or any place else is delusional. Sam seems to have done everything required of him to show he cares. His persistence is now paying off. He has come full circle, and now has the store of his dreams, offering us a real grocery store. He's added fresh meat to the store, including fresh cut beef, chicken and lamb. He has an on sight butcher, which is the only one I know of locally that has that besides Everettes Foods. With Sam hiring an on sight butcher it allows people to order there cuts the way they want if need be. He's now carrying a full line of fresh produce. His prices are comparable to others, if not better. Check out the deli, the selections I've tasted were delicious and reasonably priced. The convenience combined with the quality makes it worth the trip.
One rarity in businesses these days is the good the customer service Cup Foods provides. Employees are efficient, friendly, and really takes the time to get to know customers. It reminds me of what we've lost in our neighborhoods when large chains moved in to the city. How refreshing to see a business reversing the trend by encouraging staff to get to know neighbors.
When Sam opened the store twenty years ago, he had employed two or three family members. Once in a while he hired a few people from the neighborhood. The expansion of the store has allowed him to hire more people. Beyond his family members, Sam now employs fourteen employees from the neighborhood.
Sam says he has seen a lot of positive changes on the corner. He is gracious and welcomes other businesses to prosper in the neighborhood. It has taken a lot of teamwork and community action. He's also installed security cameras and made calls to the police. He's doing his share to be an asset to the community.
Sam has come a long way from being considered the enemy, to become a friend of the neighborhood. As head of the 38th Street Business Association, he is always willing to get involved or donate what's needed. Sam has become an anchor at 38th and Chicago. I would recommend anyone to stop by and be prepared to purchase a few items. It's clean and safe. So if you're not already a regular, make sure you check out Sam's new Cup Foods on 38th and Chicago. I think you'll be going back for more!
