April 7, 2021

For Pervez Samad, opening the International Mini Market is significant for a couple of reasons.

First, it brings him full circle in the food industry from his first job as a teenager working for the Khorasan Kabob House, which is owned by a relative.

And second, it means he no longer has anyone to report to but himself.

“I just did not want to be bossed around,” the 29-year-old said.

The new grocery store features foods from more than a dozen countries, including Bosnia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Korea and India.

International Mini Market opened in March at 1508 W. 41st St. between Mac Pros and Nick’s Gyros.

Samad is a Washington High School graduate who has lived in Sioux Falls since 2003. At 18, just after graduation, he went to Afghanistan to work for the U.S. Army as a translator and security guard.

He came back to Sioux Falls along with his new wife in 2013, and the couple worked at various jobs before Samad decided he wanted to go back to Afghanistan one more time.

He was a translator for the U.S. Special Forces from 2017 to 2019, and then he came back to Sioux Falls again — this time likely for good.

The couple bought a house last year and decided this year was the right time to go all-in on starting a business.

The goal is to provide shoppers with food items they won’t find anywhere else, whether it’s a type of tea, spices, a special type of flour, dried lentils or varieties of beans.

The market also sells halal chicken, which means it’s prepared in accordance with Islamic traditions. That coincides with Samad’s own beliefs, he said.

“I’m not a typical Afghan man you will meet,” he added. “I’m someone who grew up in America, but I know my religion better than some people that are in my country. I like to call myself an open-minded religious person, accepting humans as my brothers and sisters.”

He encourages people to check out the market, even if they don’t buy something on their first visit.

“Whether you come back or you don’t come back, I bet your trip will be worth it,” he said. “It’s just different products that you may not get in any other store.”