March 4, 2022

Almost two years after buying an east-side gas station, the owner has converted it into a market featuring Mediterranean groceries with a morning coffee bar, and he’s planning to add a restaurant.

“We decided to bring something different to the community of Sioux Falls,” Hayder Hayyawi said of Neighborhood Market at 4301 E. 12th St. Previously, it was a Shop ‘N Cart.

He has been busy in the past few weeks rearranging the store and adding coolers, freezers, shelving and the coffee bar.

In addition to staples such as canned goods and packages of rice and spices, the market offers fresh produce, dairy products, meat, cigarettes and hookah tobacco and supplies. Many of the items are halal for those practicing Islam.

“I know a lot of people just drive weekly to Minneapolis to buy these kind of products,” Hayyawi said.

In the morning along with the coffee bar, there are hot grab-and-go breakfast items and doughnuts. Customers can find slices of pizza at lunch.

Once the restaurant opens, additional grab-and-go foods will be available for lunch and dinner.

Many customers are happy with the changes, he said.

“People are really excited and happy for it. People coming in, they’re thanking me for bringing something different.”

Hours are 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

The restaurant might be ready to open later this month, Hayyawi said. It will offer Middle East dishes such as falafel, kebab, shawarma and dolma.

The kitchen will be in a former office area, and the dining area that will seat up to 20 customers will be in the former beer cave.

One thing that hasn’t changed is the Sinclair fuel.

Neighborhood Market is next to another business that Hayyawi owns. The First Option Auto Sale dealership is in his fourth location.

It’s a story of achieving the American dream for Hayyawi, whose family had to flee Iraq when the U.S. Army left the country in 2011. His father had worked as a truck driver for the military, and it was no longer safe for them to stay there, he said. They first went to Turkey, where Hayyawi worked as a translator – he speaks Arabic, Turkish and English.

But the U.S. government eventually helped the family come to America, and they moved to Sioux Falls in 2014. Hayyawi got a pharmacy technician degree at Southeast Technical College but started selling used cars and expanding those locations across the city and into Tea.

Now, that he’s getting the first Neighborhood Market established, he’s working to purchase a second gas station and convenience store on the west side of the city.