Wagga's Iraqi Yazidi community has given the empty building on Ashmont's Tarakan Avenue a long awaited makeover.
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Hasan Balaseeni ran his own grocery store in Baghdad for many years until an invasion by the terror group Islamic State forced him to flee from his home as a refugee.
After years of displacement, Mr Balaseeni finally has his own shop once more, which will employ other Yazidis and supply the neighbourhood with fruit and vegetables.
Mr Balaseeni said he had been planning to open the new store for the past year.
The shop had its grand opening last Sunday and Mr Balaseeni said it had seen a steady stream of customers since.
Wagga first welcomed Mr Balaseeni in 2017 after he spent four years in a refugee camp in Turkey.
Mr Balaseeni lived in Wagga for a year before moving to Sydney with his family in search of greater work opportunities, as there are more Yazidi community members in the city.
He will now commute between Sydney and the shop in Wagga, where he has employed local Yazidi community members to work.
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The Ashmont store was a fish and chippery and a bottle shop in its previous lives but has been abandoned for years.
It will now sell everything "from a toothpick to a barbecue" at significant lower prices than those at major supermarkets.
"Groceries, vegetable, fruit, everything. Drinks," Mr Balaseeni said.
Multicultural Council chief executive officer Belinda Crain said an Australian-born person would be able to buy their groceries there, even if they might not recognise the brand names.
"I know one of my mum's friends came down to buy stuff," Ms Crain said. "She cooked it for dinner and put a photo [on social media] and said, 'The best fresh vegetables I've ever seen'."
Ms Crain said she was very proud of the Yazidi community.
"Being that 2016 was when the first families arrived, they've made such a difference to the community of Wagga," she said. "They've been proactive. And very, very kind. I think a lot of people have a lot of respect for the Yazidi community members and their interaction with the broader community."
Mr Balaseeni thanked the multicultural council and Ms Crain for their help in establishing his business.
Catie McLeod
Catie is a reporter at The Daily Advertiser covering health and Wagga City Council. You can contact her on c.mcleod@dailyadvertiser.com.au or 0475 819 651.
Catie is a reporter at The Daily Advertiser covering health and Wagga City Council. You can contact her on c.mcleod@dailyadvertiser.com.au or 0475 819 651.
