New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
After years without a grocery store, Chester Hometown Market opens
One might call it synchronicity. A customer’s comment and a vacant storefront resulted in Chester gaining the first grocery store the town has seen in a decade.
Adam Muammar fell in love at first sight with Connecticut at a wedding. He’d made the trek from New York City, where he owned and ran several convenience stores with family members. Throughout the nuptials, he found himself struck by a feeling. “To me, Connecticut felt like happiness,” he said.
Acting on those feelings, Muammar moved to the state in 2019 and expanded the family business by launching HomeTown Market in Moodus and Veggie World in Newington.
One day, the wish list Muammar keeps by the market’s register had a request that stuck with him. “It sure would be great if Chester had a grocery store like this,” a customer wrote. When Muammar passed through Chester on a hardware supplies run, a for rent sign at 56 Middlesex Turnpike caught his eye. Perhaps this was another request he could fulfill from the wish list.
Fifty-six Middlesex Turnpike has gone through various iterations over the years. In the 1930s, it was Christensen’s Garage. Later, it became L&I Garage. Around 2012, the building embraced a new role, Organon, A Market at Chester, which sold organic produce and prepared foods.
Organon wasn’t Chester’s first grocery store. Friendly competitors A&P and Checkers once stood side-by-side on Main Street. Then came Lyman’s Village Market, followed by Basic Goods, which closed in 2001.
On Jan. 7, five months after Muammar first spotted 56 Middlesex Turnpike, Chester Hometown Market held its grand opening and became the only grocery store in town. Word spread quickly in Chester.
Muammar said the Chester Hometown Market carries, “good stuff. What everybody needs, you know.”
Social media has been buzzing about the whole chickens. Already gaining a following are the grinders and sandwiches prepared by Muammar (the market’s head chef ) and Lulu Shehu, whose kitchen skills Muammar lauds. Boar’s Head Deli is available, along with homemade, ready-to-go food like meatballs, chicken cutlets and salad, prepared by Muammar’s family. Fresh produce is another draw and something Muammar hopes to expand with offerings from local farms.
“Chester Hometown Market will positively impact the community,” Mandy Carroll, the general manager for The Merchants of Chester said. “I’m impressed by the selection of items and competitive prices. The location is great, parking is convenient and their hours are long. It’s a win all the way around.”
As for a wish list, yes, there’s one by the register. Requests for gluten-free items are already being checked off. “We’re here to serve the people, Muammar said. “Anything you need, we’ll get it for you.” That extends to those who have difficulty paying for food. “Anyone who’s hungry and doesn’t have money, come, we’ll feed you.”