Belleville welcomes a neighborhood grocery store with unique goods to Main Street. Here’s what to know
Update: This story has been updated with a correct opening date.
I have some great news for the foodies and snack lovers in the area.
A new shop, Filipino Sari-Sari Store, is now open at 1017 W. Main St. in Belleville.
Featuring specialty condiments and snacks, Filipino Sari-Sari Store also offers frozen food products, Filipino breads, candy and canned goods.
(A sari-sari store is a neighborhood grocery store, or a convenience store found in the Philippines, according to Wikipedia.)
Co-owner Jeanny Hite said the store opened Monday, April 3, and a grand opening was held Saturday, April 15.
Hite is one of six friends who own and operate the store together. Officially, she is the CEO for the business.
When opening the shop, she said there was “no plan at all” and that the group just decided to start the business.
The next thing they knew, they were in Chicago buying stuff, she said.
Most of their supplies come from Chicago. What they can’t get from Chicago, they get from the Philippines, according to Hite.
In the shop’s first week, she said they already have a variety of customers coming in to check the place out.
Filipino Sari-Sari Store reminds me a bit of the Asian food aisle at World Market, which is always fun to explore.
Instant soups, packets of mixes and seasonings, dried noodle packets, dried fish and bottles of sauces are among the available items.
The shop has a frozen goods section with whole fish, shrimp, pork sausages, spring roll wrappers, and whole steamed Saba bananas (I didn’t even know this was a thing!).
There are also some fun-looking candies and wafer cookies, dried fruits, chips, pretzels and crackers.
I’ve already told the husband all about it. And he is definitely interested.
Filipino Sari-Sari Store is located at 1017 W. Main St. in Belleville.
Hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.
Call 618-698-0453 for more info.
For the latest new yummies available at the store, follow Filipino Sari-Sari Store on Facebook.
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This story was originally published April 25, 2023 at 7:00 AM.
