by Eva Dameron
Daily Lobo
A slice of New York opened up May 21 in the University area.
Times Square Deli Mart, at 2132 Central Ave. S.E., combines a deli with a convenience store, a typical style in New York.
Helen Nesheiwat, the deli's owner, moved to Albuquerque with her family three years ago but waited to open the deli because the landlord was hesitant about having another food business in an area with so many restaurants.
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The deli makes sandwiches, burritos and French toast. The convenience store sells standard items such as milk, eggs, and cigarettes. She said her family also owns six delis in New York and one in Florida.
"We have the same menu from New York," Nesheiwat said. "We just changed some of the names. We've been in the New York Times for best sandwiches and best delis."
She said she picks prime ingredients for the sandwiches.
"We have to shop about three, four months to find the right bakery, because bread makes a difference in the sandwich," she said. "Imagine you get a sandwich, and you've got the meat in it and stuff like that, but the bread is soggy, or the bread is dry or has no taste. You're not going to like the sandwich."
Business is picking up quickly, she said.
"The first day we did good. The second day we doubled up. The third day we tripled," Nesheiwat said. "When people taste our sandwiches, they come back."
She said she puts all her energy into the deli.
"We are family people," she said. "We finish work and go home. We put all our heart in the business and nothing else. If I take a day or two off, I miss my customers."
She knows her customers on a first-name basis and considers them family. Her deli in New York stood across the street from a high school.
"All the kids there called me mom, and they called my husband dad," she said. "We treat the customers like they're coming home. That's how we know their name, they know our names, stuff like that."
Nesheiwat moved from Jordan to New York when she was 12 years old.
"It's a very peaceful country," she said. "It's like the States."
Her son, Tony, graduated in pre-med from SUNY Purchase and takes classes at UNM. He helps his mom in the store.
"I graduated last May," he said. "I'm just finishing some classes out here, brushing up on a lot of things. I want to go to medical school somewhere."
Nesheiwat's son-in-law, Tom Khalil, said Albuquerque is a good place to invest money.
"Albuquerque's booming. It's growing," he said. "If you look at other states, other cities, they kind of slowed down. They already boomed. Done, finished. Like Phoenix and Orlando - it's not growing anymore."
Nesheiwat said honesty is the strongest priority in her personal life and in business.
"If you are honest with yourself and with other people, I think you'll be OK with your life and your future," she said "You have to be honest and faithful and do it with all of your heart. Otherwise, don't start it."
Times Square
Deli Mart
2132 Central Ave. S.E.
Monday-Friday 7 a.m.-9 p.m.
Saturday 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
Sunday 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
