Posted by: Kathy Krywicki
In the February 1995 OSCAR, editor Peter Hecht highlights our main commercial street with an aim to “put the heart back into Bank”. This article features a well-known local business, Savannah Groceteria, at the time located on the corner of Bank Street & Cameron Avenue.
Savannah Groceteria
Joseph and Fahima Nahas and family have been servicing the community for the past 35 years.
Their story begins in June of 1960 when they owned and operated Savannah Grill & Grocery located at 1218 Bank St. Just as the name of the store implies, half the store was a restaurant and the other half was a groceteria.
In 1969, they renamed the store to Savannah Groceteria and removed the restaurant equipment. They felt they could better suit the needs of the neighbourhood by providing a complete line of groceries at reasonable prices.
Disaster struck in 1972 when half the block, including their store burned in a terrible fire. Unwilling to leave the area, they reopened a block north, at the old taxi stand at 1180 Bank and renamed their store to Mini-Savannah, so named because this store was half the size of the previous one. They remained here for 2 years.
After the building was rebuilt in 1974, they moved into the store next to the comer and reopened at 1216 Bank St. (The new comer spot was much smaller than the original comer store). At this time, the store was renamed Savannah Groceteria. They remained here until December 1988 when they moved across the street to 1227 Bank Street. Here, they renovated the store and had a larger floor space. Due to increasing competition in the area, they diversified their store by stocking a full line of Lebanese food products, music tapes and video tapes. They also began offering video conversion, photocopy and facsimile services.
Throughout the years neighbours could always rely on Savannah’s being there when you needed them – open every day, long hours and reasonable prices. You could always find the best tomatoes year-round and a wide selection of flower and vegetable plants in the summer. They are more than willing to share Lebanese recipes with any who ask. But above all, the Nahas’ are good, decent, hard-working and honest people who always greet their customers with a smile.
Joe and Fahima have 3 sons. Taffy, who is married to Sue McKeen, has a 2 year old daughter, Alexandra. He is a practicing lawyer in Ottawa. Norman, who is married to Anjali Wadehra, has a 2 year old daughter, Rani, and a 6 month old boy, Joseph. He is an employee of Canada Post. Mitch, whom many customers must know, worked with his parents until his death in September I994 after a long and hard battle with leukemia. He is greatly missed by family and friends.
An accompanying ad highlights 35 years in the community.
SAVANNAH GROCETERIA CO. LTD.
CANADIAN LEBANESE FOOD CENTRE
35 Years Serving Ottawa South
1227 BANK STREET, OTTAWA TEL: 739-5759, FAX: 739-8073
LOTTO CENTRE, POSTAGE STAMPS, PHOTOCOPIES AND FAX SERVICE, VIDEO CONVERSION (ALL SYSTEMS), GROCERY, CONFECTIONARY AND VARIETY, BULK FOODS, SPICES AND NUTS, OLIVE OIL & CALAMATA OLIVES, FETA CHEESE AND FILO DOUGH, GRAPE LEAVES, HOMEMADE TABOULEH AND HOMMOS, BUS PASSSES AND TICKETS, GREETING CARDS AND MAGAZINES
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK FROM 8:00AM TO 8:00PM