If it hasn’t been made evident by now, we love people here at AAT! We love hearing about their stories and passions for our community, but we also love hearing about what our fellow locals do and why they do it! For example, we have some wonderful neighbors who own/manager some fantastic local businesses and serve our town tremendously by doing so! This fact is why AAT has partnered up with our good friends at B3 Glass, to bring you all “Small Business Fridays!” Each week, we’ll feature a different, local small business and talk with its owner and hear about their journey, their business in general, as well as their heart for their customers and our city!
If you live in or have spent any time in the Spring Creek area, odds are you’re familiar with the Khoury family and their two fresh markets. However, today, we’re focusing on their third, newer location in Carlin! We’re thankful to have Jamil Khoury joining us today to discuss the store and what it’s been like establishing it thirty-eight miles away from their other locations.
Truth be told, we could have spoken with almost any member of Jamil’s family about their third store, such as his mom, dad, uncle, or aunt, who all have equal partnerships when it comes to ownership of the Khoury’s brand. We could have even talked to his cousin, Jehad, who also spends a fair amount of time overseeing the Carlin market. What a great thing to have such a driven family committed to serve the Elko County area!
Thank you for making time for AAT, Jamil! Let’s start by hearing how you got into this whole grocery shop business!
“That’s easy. I was born into the industry! My parents started out in 1982, and since I was young, dad would take us out to the stores to help. All through high school, it was about school, sports, and then work, with a big emphasis on work.
“I left and lived in Las Vegas for about nine years, but in 2011, I came back here to run the small, fresh market out in Spring Creek. Last October [2018], we opened this bad boy up [Carlin’s market], and here we are!”
When it comes to how the Carlin market is run, practically, how does that work with you and your family still residing and having businesses in Spring Creek?
“We have our managers and supervisors, but thankfully, my brother is back from Reno for the summer, and I can’t describe how much of a help he is to me. He allows me to focus on things over here in Carlin while he takes care of things over in Spring Creek. Normally, if he’s not here, I’ll start out here in the mornings and then go over to Spring Creek in the afternoons. Sometimes, when you’re short-handed, it can make for long days; I’ll help open this store at three-thirty in the morning, drive to the other store around eleven AM, and then get home around six-thirty or seven. However, I wouldn’t trade this for anything; I love what I do! It’s not everyday people get to work with their family.”
Did you and your family have much involvement with Carlin before establishing the store?
“I don’t think so. I think there was a year or two period where there was nothing here (shopping wise) except for the Family Dollar or whatever a person could get at the Pilot gas station. I know there was a need, and I’m surprised nobody else came before us because if we play our cards right, this is a home run!”
Interesting! How has the community responded to you all in this first year of having your doors open?
“The community support here in Carlin has been much more than we could have expected. It’s great to see they appreciate us as much as we appreciate them. If there’s anything we can do, moving forward, to get involved with the community and its events, we’ll do it because it’s our way of saying thank you.”
Is there anything else you would like to say specifically to our Carlin readers before we let you go?
“This store is just like all our other locations; we’re a family-run operation, and we’re very family-oriented, not only with our employees but with our customers as well. All of our employees are Carlin locals, our products are always fresh, and I’ll put our deli up against any other, especially our burgers. I don’t think you can get a better burger in town! Overall, we can’t wait for people to come here; if we’ve made someone a regular, then we’ve done our job.”
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See you around, Elko
I am currently Employed at the Khoury’s fresh Market here in Carlin, working with Jamil, & Jehad khoury has been a great experience, they are very kind hearted and are concerned about the wellbeing of their Employees I couldn’t ask for better Employers, they are one in a million.
I feel very comfortable around the Khoury Family, they are Amazing people, and even Better They are 49er fans it couldn’t be any better than that. Thank you To the Khoury Family for Bringing such an amazing store to Carlin, and Great Job Opportunities for our Locals. Sincerely, one Proud Employee, B. Ray.