Ex-Smoke Shop Becomes — Gasp! — Food Market

A Grove Street storefront that used to stock bongs, pipes, and tie-dye shirts is now a market filled with protein shakes, fruit bowls, and sandwiches.

That’s the latest with Audubon Market, a new grocery store at 59 Grove St. that celebrated its grand opening on Sept. 30. The previous occupant of that space was Lifestyles smoke shop.

That means that — despite the seemingly irrefutable law of 21st Century New Haven that all things must become smoke shops — 59 Grove St. represents that trend reversed: a smoke shop becoming a small grocery store.

While Audubon Market replaces a former smoke shop, it’s owned by someone who runs a current smoke shop right around the corner.

That’s Farooq Alwajih, who owns and runs Mist Tobacco & Convenience at 342 Orange St. 

Employees at Audubon Market and Mist confirmed for the Independent that both businesses are owned by Alwajih. State business records also show that Alwajih owns Audubon and Mist, as well as The Market on the Green at 135 Church St. and Westport Convenience on the Post Road in Westport.

Alwajih did not respond to requests for comment by the publication time of this article.

Despite the store’s small size, Audubon Market offers a wide range of non-smoke items. There is an entire shelf for cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, and Clorox sprays right across an aisle of soft drinks. Next to a cracker and chips section is a refrigerator filled with frozen foods, ice cream, and ice. And there’s an aisle of Meow Mix and Dog Chow among other offerings for furry friends.

As for human foods, the market sells everything from waffles and crepes to smoothies and salad bowls.

On Wednesday, Collin Shearman, who lives nearby on Audubon Street, said these food options did not appeal to him. Instead, he swung by the store for a bag of ice.

“I just ran out of ice,” Shearman said about his Audubon Market purchase. ​“And they had ice. So…”

Shearman, who is an architecture graduate student at Yale, passed by the shop before it had opened. He noticed there had been construction for the past month and was curious about what would come out of it. Of his shopping experience, he noted that he liked the layout, pointing out that the people who work there seem to ​“care.”

Initially, Shearman thought that the shop would open nearby in the Audubon Arts District. But he is happier that the shop opened up on Grove Street instead.

“I like this side better,” he said. ​“It’s a little bit more public and open.”

Thomas Breen contributed to this report.