Thursday, June 20, 2002

Beef, Beer and Brotherhood

Fellowship at the Pinellas Point Meat Market and Grocery fuels the soul.

By Marc K. Hébert
Points South Staff Writer

PINELLAS POINT-Seeking refuge from the blistering Florida sun, residents in southern St. Petersburg descend on the Pinellas Point Meat Market and Grocery like camels galloping toward a watering hole. They come not only in search of drink but dialogue as well. The small convenience store is a focal point in the neighborhood for friendship and gathering.

Anyone passing through Pinellas Point who may stop at the grocery to grab cigarettes or a snack would think it is an average place. Teen-agers play on bicycles in the largely vacant parking lot. Hand-painted yellow and white colors proclaim the store’s lengthy name. A young man with two tennis rackets in his hands hits a green tennis ball off the grocery’s back wall.

The front windows are littered with posters and advertisements announcing cigarette sales and various drinks. But to those who live in the community or wait, rather than dash out the door after placing their change on the counter, would uncover part of the soul and life of Pinellas Point.

The air conditioners blow a cold breeze across the store from the back wall above the beer- and soda-stocked refrigerators. The shelves of the store are lined with beef jerky, canned soup and black undershirts. Bright yellow baseball caps hang high on the wall, and cartons of cigarettes line the shelf behind the counter.

Two employees representing distinct cultures in the neighborhood serve the wide selection of food and beverages to store patrons: one is a longtime resident and the other a recent immigrant to the community.

James Thomas’ bright white T-shirt contrasts with the redness of meat dangling in clear plastic bags from each of his hands. Large gold chains around his neck make him look even more foreboding. His commanding presence dissipates into a welcoming grin when he asks customers whether there is any other meat he can provide. If you are looking for fresh ribs or plump chickens, the Pinellas Point Meat Market and Grocery, at 2208 62^nd Ave. S., can fill your culinary cravings.

Samer Hamed, 24, manages the store. He arrived in Pinellas Point from Ramallah, Palestine, four years ago. His uncle Tony opened the grocery after the previous owner was killed, according to Hamed. "It didn’t scare me because I come from a country in which people are killed every day." Hamed speaks with a colorful accent that would signal to grocery store patrons that he is not a native to the community.

"I like the customers," Hamed says as he tells a patron the total of his grocery bill. He likes his neighborhood but does not see himself staying in the area as long as Thomas. Hamed misses his land, family and friends back in Palestine. He hopes to return one day and enjoy the rolling hills and Mediterranean waters.

Thomas, on the other hand, spent most of his life in Pinellas Point working as a butcher, starting at age 15. He has been at the Pinellas Point Meat Market and Grocery store for four years. He enjoys being a butcher because "it’s an inside job." He points with his large index finger to the intense heat lurking through the windowpanes and smiles that his job is not outside.

He stays in the area because of its proximity to his family. Not only do most of his five brothers and seven sisters live in the community along with their children, but his wife and her family also live in the neighborhood. Thomas estimates his family reunion, planned for July Fourth, should draw more than 400 of his relatives together.

Trenton Johnson, a butcher at Perfect Seafood in northern St. Petersburg, is one of the regulars at the grocery store. He routinely comes into the store to catch up with his friend, Thomas.

Felicia Jackson, a full-time mother said, "It’s good we got a store in the area…it’s closer [than the other grocery stores]." She jokingly complained that 9 p.m. is too early for the store to close, but it opens early enough to please most people.

The Pinellas Point Meat Market and Grocery is a place that offers not only food and drink but conversation and culture. Discussing the latest happenings in the neighborhood with Thomas and learning about what is going on in the Middle East with Hamed are some of the many things that Pinellas Point residents can encounter every day. All they have to do is spend a couple of extra minutes shopping.