Manar’s Fashion & Grocery

This place is MAD GHETTO, no doubt about it, but frankly that doesn’t bother me like it does some folks — a lot of very small ethnic retailers, especially first generation immigrants who may be coming here with limited resources, have to make due with what they have to stay open because their profit margins are very small. Cheap sign, not updated at all, very limited thought put into lay out or upkeep, super cramped and some pretty bootleg merchandise. That said, the owner is a super nice guy, they have lots of jarred and canned Middle Eastern foods (including a variety of olives, fava beans, etc) and some pretty cool Middle Eastern/​Islamic décor (prayer rugs, Arabic plaques, medallions for protection from the evil eye, etc). My favorite thing is the clothes. They sell a very big selection of traditional and modern Islamic, Middle Eastern and Indian influenced garb. They have super cute floor length batik and layered velour skirts (the kind head shops sell for three times the money even when they aren’t fairtrade), embroidered dresses, cheap scarves, etc and the owner will often cut you a deal if you buy more than one piece. Cash only.