Araz International Grocery Market

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. One morning, as a regular was scanning his groceries, he heard an unfamiliar voice behind him: ‘Excuse me, but I’m pretty sure you left your wallet here last week.’ The man turned around, surprised, and saw an elderly gentleman smiling warmly. ‘Oh no,’ he laughed, ‘I must’ve picked it up.’ The two chatted amiably for a moment before parting ways. From that day on, whenever anyone lost something in Araz, they’d say, “Must be Mr. Wallet’s doing again!”

2. One day, while a delivery driver was unloading boxes of exotic spices, he noticed something odd on one of the bags. Written in bold letters was: ‘Warning: Do not use if you’re allergic to laughter.’ Curious, the driver opened another bag and found himself giggling uncontrollably as he read labels aloud. Soon enough, neighbors came over to investigate the commotion, only to join in the laughter themselves. By closing time, Araz International Grocery Market had become an impromptu comedy club, with everyone leaving with a belly full of jokes—and maybe just a little bit of mystery spice.

3. While browsing through the aisles one afternoon, a regular exclaimed aloud, ‘I thought I saw that lady from the market talking to herself!’ Curious passersby peered over, only to find no one there. Suddenly, an elderly delivery driver appeared from behind some boxes and sheepishly waved, explaining he was just checking his route on his phone. Everyone laughed, realizing it wasn’t a ghost but a humorous mix-up. Since then, whenever someone spots 'the lady,' everyone knows to look for the poor lost soul fiddling with their smartphone.

4. While stocking up on exotic ingredients for her latest recipe, a regular noticed something unusual: every night at exactly 9 PM, a soft voice over the store’s PA announced, ‘Remember to cook with love tonight.’ One day, a delivery driver asked curiously, ‘Who’s cooking with love?’ The voice replied warmly, ‘Why, you are, my dear!’ Turned out it was just the owner’s way of making everyone feel special. Since then, customers often leave little notes in the market saying things like “Today I cooked with patience” or “Love was boiling when I added salt.”