A taste of home

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This article was published 28/11/2018 (2732 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s nothing like home cooking. Just ask Anna Nabrzeska.

Nabrzeska is the owner of Anna Family Store, a new grocery store located at 755 Henderson Hwy., that specializes in Polish and Eastern European import products. The shop opened in October, and has been doing steady business ever since.

“I’m doing everything myself now,” said Nabrzeska. “But I have to hire someone. It’s quite busy, especially Friday and Saturday. Those are the biggest times for me.”

Originally from Poland, Nabrzeska and her husband Peter have lived in Canada now for nearly 13 years. For 12 years, Nabrzeska worked for another European specialty food store. When ownership changed earlier this year, Nabrzeska decided to go into business for herself.

“It was time for a change,” she said. “We decided to open our own place. It was my husband’s idea. I was a little bit afraid to do something like this, but now we’ve been open almost two months.”

While the doors have only been open since October, Nabrzeska and her husband had been hunting for a space since February.

“It’s hard to find a good location,” she said. “I love this space. It’s a nice, new building. Very bright, very open. So close to Henderson, lots of parking. That’s very important. It’s not a big place, but it’s big enough for me. There’s always something to do.”

Having experience in the industry, Nabrzeska is not surprised there is so much demand for the products she carries.

“There’s lots of European people in Winnipeg, lots of Polish, Russian, Ukrainian people, and we eat almost the same food,” she said.

While there are other stores stocking their shelves with Polish staples and delicacies, Nabrzeska said that Anna’s Family Store has the widest variety.

“There’s always something new. I’m always changing my stock. Customers like new things. If I have more, they’re happy. If I don’t have enough, no.”

Seasonal items are a big hit, though Nabrzeska said staples such as perogies, horseradish, cheeses and sausage are always popular.

“We love this (North American) food, but sometimes you want something from home,” she said. 

Word of mouth has kept people coming through the stores since she opened, but social media also helps keep them connected.

“Customers send me messages on Facebook, on my page, I just send them photos of what we have,” Nabrzeska said. “It’s easier for them to see, they can choose which one they like.”

Anna Family Store is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call 204-417-9499 or visit www.facebook.com/ANNA-Family-STORE-2210750489161719/ for more information.

Sheldon Birnie
Community Journalist

Sheldon Birnie is a reporter/photographer for the Free Press Community Review. Email him at sheldon.birnie@freepress.mb.ca or call him at 204-697-7112

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