The faded brown building at Mission and 29th streets, previously a Bank of America branch, is freshly covered in a mural featuring iconic Latin American sights. By the end of the month, it will soon be filled with groceries as it becomes home to the family-owned grocery store, Chaparral Supermercado.
It is the latest outpost in a growing grocery business for owner Ismael Ahmed and his family. Ahmed took over Evergreen Supermarket on Mission near 21st Street in 2021, and his brother, Ayob, purchased the 27-year-old Duc Loi in August 2023 at 18th and Mission streets to rename it the International Produce Market.
The family started in the grocery business with Temescal Produce Market in Oakland, where Ahmed started working at 11 years old. There, he and his brother learned about the day-to-day operations of a grocery store: Stocking shelves, ordering produce, and negotiating prices.
In 2021, when Ahmed and his brothers graduated from college, the family business expanded to San Francisco.
“We have more knowledge and support from each other. We can depend on each other,” Ahmed said. “That’s helped a lot with the growth.”
This year, the family sold its Oakland store to focus on the three Mission stores. They purchased the Evergreen Supermarket building at 2539 Mission St. in June 2021 and, this April, bought the Bank of America space at 3250 Mission St., according to the Office of Assessor-Recorder.
The three brothers, Ismael, Abraham and Ayob, share tasks. Abraham is responsible for the design and construction, Ayob minds the daily operations, and Ismael, who graduated from University of Southern California with a business and real estate degree, is responsible for bookkeeping and scouting new locations.
“It’s something we’re passionate about, and we think we’re good at,” said Ahmed. “I feel like San Francisco lacks a lot of full-service mini supermarkets and we’re trying to address that need, especially when a lot of larger supermarkets are closing.”
Soon, produce will be neatly stacked outside the store at 29th and Mission, and there will be lots of imported products from Central America: Spices, cookies, cheese and liquor, the owner said. Its name, Chaparral Supermercado, may change to El Chavo Supermercado, though, because it is shorter and easier to remember.
Parking, among other things, drew the owner to the location. Smaller Latinx and Asian grocery stores in the Mission don’t often have parking lots, so customers usually struggle to find parking or only go there on foot and by public transit, Ahmed said. Chaparral Supermercado, meanwhile, boasts 29 parking spots right on Mission Street.
The 6,400-square-foot space is also larger than its peers on the corridor, allowing a bigger selection of products. But it will be within blocks of two Latinx-owned stores, El Ahorro and Casa Guadalupe.
Ethnic grocery stores are flourishing in the Mission. Walking down Mission Street, one passes stalls with stacked yuca, plantain and nopal cactus; Inside, there are meat counters stocked with chicharrón, cabeza and chorizo, ready for a stew or a taco night.
They are “significantly cheaper” than Safeway, one block away, Ahmed said, even though these big supermarkets get their products at a lower price.
For smaller grocery stores like his, Ahmed attributes the low prices to its family-run nature. “The whole family works there, which helps drive labor costs down.”
Indeed, all of the Ahmed brothers work six days a week, and their two other younger siblings help when they can. Ahmed’s days managing the stores begin at 6 a.m. The first thing he does is call vendors to order what they need for the day.
He compares prices, checks deliveries and makes sure the store is organized when the store gets busy around 4 p.m.
His favorite part of the job? “Meeting neighbors,” said Ahmed, who has lived in the Mission on 22nd Street for three years.
In his family’s Oakland store, most customers were commuters who “are just in and out really quick.” But here in the Mission, “everyone knows each other and it’s a close-knit community.”
“When customers have parties, they bring me food, which is always a good thing,” he laughed.
The family’s grocery business may continue to grow. “So far, with these three, we are going to be pretty busy,” Ahmed said. Nonetheless, “the sky’s the limit.”
The supermarket, located at 3250 Mission St., is planning to open around the end of October, and will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day.