Nazleen Walji, owner of Knox Grocery & Deli
Q: Tell me a little bit about your grocery store. In what foods do you specialize?
A: Initially, I had to open a liquor store, but I didn’t realize I could do more with a storefront. I was not very experienced, but I did have a lot of experience with food. So I decided to make a kitchen in the shop and take American and Indian food and make it into a fusion. That was my plan. Some parts of our food is fusion, and others are just American. I didn’t know that all of a sudden, the Philly cheesesteak would be at the top. People love cheesesteak a lot. We also sell quesadillas, chicken wraps and a chicken egg biscuit.
Q: How did you come up with the name “Knox Grocery”
A: Mainly because it’s in Knox Square. My kids wanted to make the name “Knock-Knocks.”
Q: When did you guys have your grand opening?
A: We had it on Friday, July 18 at 10 in the morning. The mayor of Hoover was here for the grand opening. It was a good event, and my family was here as well.
Q: Why did you choose to open up this store in Hoover?
A: I live across, right in Knox Square. It took about three years to get everything together and open up with all the construction, but I’m here now and ready to grow.
Q: What has been something that has been extremely rewarding upon opening this store?
A: The best part of having this store is the community — good neighbors. I love getting to talk to nice neighbors. All of them are nice. I get to talk to them, and it’s totally different from what I’ve done in the past. The clientele is totally different here, and I just love talking to people. We get to know each other more closely because we have that time to talk to other customers in between. Sometimes it gets busy, and I have a lot of repeated customers.
Q: What is something that everyone looks forward to when they come to the deli?
A: I never knew that Americans would love my fusion Indian food. In the very beginning, people were asking for butter chicken, and it really took me by surprise. I thought butter chicken was only meant for our Indian community. Ninety-nine percent of the American community coming in here are buying Indian food. We sell butter chicken, butter chicken pizza, chicken tikka masala, chicken tikka masala pizza, and then we have a biryani. We also have Indian burgers as well as steak sandwiches.
Q: What gave you the idea to own your own business?
A: I’ve been a business owner for 24 years. I wanted to use that experience again, to get things working, especially in a neighborhood that’s nice and peaceful. I like it. Our mornings and evenings are busy, but I love it.
Q: Has owning a business always been a passion for you?
A: Yes, especially back home where my dad was a businessman. Since then, I’ve always had the ‘I’m going to become a business owner’ mentality. That really pushed me. I’ve worked in a bank; I’ve worked at Sam’s Club, and that really gave me a push. My husband opened a convenience store, and I helped him out quite a bit. After my husband passed away in 2008, I had to take over everything, and so I learned very quickly.
