A new African Caribbean specialty convenience store, that has recently opened in Shrewsbury, is gaining immense popularity, both in ethnic population and otherwise.
The store called Hibiscus opened in St John's Hill, Shrewsbury, just a few weeks ago. Since the inauguration, it has been seeing people from all over the county and of all backgrounds come through its doors.
With an aim of bringing the taste of home to people of African and Caribbean descent in Shrewsbury, the shop stocks everything from different types of meat and fish like goat and cod to vegetables including plantain and okra as well as a range of spices and herbs.
Behind the unique store is a doctor couple- Adrian Crawford and Reem Fathelrahman.
Crawford who grew up in Gloucester, told a local media outlet, “We initially thought we'd be providing more of a service to people from Caribbean or African descent but it's turned out, over the first week or so, that we've actually provided more of a service to the broader Shropshire community.
“We've probably had more non-African and non-Caribbean people in the store the first week than Caribbean and African people.
“I think it’s just the excitement and the want to try something new.”
The couple, who moved to the West Midlands for work in August 2023, said they had struggled to find ingredients for dishes from their respective cultures in Shrewsbury.
It led Crawford to think about opening his own space, which would ensure that people from their communities felt like they were also “a part of Shrewsbury”.
Similarly in early February, British musicians Casyo Johnson and Karl Wilson, known in the music world as Krept and Konan, opened a new store of their own after being fed up of not being able to find the culturally diverse products they need.
New 15,000 square foot supermarket, Saveways, opened on Feb 1.
In Croydon, south London, where about 40 per cent of residents identified as Black or Asian in a 2021 census, the rapper duo say many of those communities are underserved by small local convenience stores and that the "world food" aisles in some of the major grocery chains often lack in product variety - a gap that they hope to fill with their new store.
Saveways' shelves are stocked with hundreds of spices, different types of beans, rice and cooking oils. Shoppers will also be able to bulk-buy halal meat, exotic fish and fruits, as well as ethnic hair and beauty products.
There is a prayer room and a comment box near the checkouts where shoppers can make requests for new products.
The idea to open a "one-stop-shop" with products tailored to Black, Asian and ethnic communities was pitched to Krept and Konan by their business partner, Kaysor Ali, who has known the rappers for more than 15 years.
