cooking,” Ullah said, as he walked up and down the neatly-stacked aisles. “If we are missing something, we will try to get it for you. I talk to people in the neighborhood who come in, and they’re telling me what they’d like to see here, and thanking me. They tell me they’ve been waiting for a fruit and vegetable store here. They say ‘What took you so long?’ to get here,” Ullah said. Each day, he also gets a delivery of fresh breads and baked goods from J&J Bakers in Willowbrook, as well as fresh milk and eggs. The grocery caters to many tastes, with different types of Italian pasta and sauces alongside packages of Mexican tortillas and beans, a variety of rices and Oriental sauces. The store is “a work in progress” Ullah said. He plans to add a fresh fruit and salad bar and a juice bar. He also hopes to begin putting together fruit and vegetable platters, as well as fruit gift baskets. He is looking to carry more “green market items” and plans soon to visit the market in Lancaster, Pa., to get ideas and broaden his inventory. Ullah, 41, owns and runs Evergreen Island with his wife, Sadia. The couple moved to Staten Island 11 years ago, from Brooklyn, where Sadia’s family owned a fruit and vegetable store. They settled in Willowbrook because of the schools in the area. Their five children, who also help out in the store, attend the College of Staten Island, Susan Wagner High School, and Laurie Intermediate School. (Evergreen Island is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Parking is available in the rear of the store.) © 2010 SILive.com. All rights reserved.
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