We bumped into this small business owner while canvassing District 7 as part of our ongoing coverage of November’s supervisorial race.
For many residents in the Inner Sunset, Issam Dabit is a familiar face: For 41 years he and his family have run 828 Irving Market, the grocery store that is predictably located at 828 Irving St.
“They ran out of names, so they called it the address,” Dabit said, referring to the store’s previous owners, who opened in 1950. One photo from that time shows shoppers in suit jackets waiting in line with their carts — and gallon-sized canisters of olive oil on sale for just 79 cents.
“Can you imagine that now?” said Dabit on a recent weekday. Now, a gallon of olive oil retails for $29.99 at the store.
The 62-year-old and his two brothers purchased the store in 1982 for $75,000. It was a lot of money back then, he recalled. The store remains a local spot for basic supplies, including trash bags, groceries and alcohol.
On Thursday morning residents popped in, buying cherries and Gatorade and catching up with Dabit, who manned the cash register and wore blue jeans, a blue polo shirt and a gold cross necklace.
“They call me Sam,” Dabit said. It’s easier to pronounce than Issam, he said.
Dabit migrated to the United States from Jordan some 43 years ago, and set up shop on Irving Street shortly after. Today, he still works at the store seven days a week, at least eight hours a day. “No one said it’s easy, but you’ve got to do it,” he said.
His brother also works there, and sometimes one of his sons helps out, too. If it weren’t a family business, the store wouldn’t survive, he said; the store cannot afford to hire any additional staff.
A lot of Dabit’s time is spent going to wholesale markets to source merchandise; that’s how he is able to keep prices low, rather than relying on a distribution company to deliver products. “We’re extremely reasonable,” he said.
Pacing up and down the aisles, Dabit pointed to the well-stocked shelves and fridges. “The store is healthy, it’s full,” he said. The store also holds a large liquor section and several beer fridges — some for singles, others for six-packs — which brings in significant income, some 20 percent of what the store makes.
When asked if Dabit intends to keep working much longer, he countered that he is planning on retiring soon. “Are you kidding me? Forty-one years is a long time!” Dabit said. “Time to sit back and relax.”
“You can’t keep working forever,” he added.
Issam’s sister Samia and brother-in-law Tony ran my corner store, Pine-Taylor Market, for decades. Their boys helped out when they were old enough. Amazing people. Not surprising her brother’s store is also beloved in his neighborhood.
It has been years and I still miss my daily chats with Samia – a lot of talk about food! I would surprise her with an Arabic word occasionally. Shukran to the whole wonderful family.
مع حب
Hillary
p.s. Issam, Tony finally retired, but could not stop working. He was driving an Uber down at the wharf, spotted us, and took us home to Pine & Taylor.
I have relied on Issam’s shop for serrano chiles, ginger, and the occasional bunch of scallions for about a decade. The produce kept in his refrigerated cases is always excellent. You’d expect me to go to one of the Chinese produce stores, but their quality for certain items is variable, and never as good as 828 Irving Market.
Inner sunset legend!!!