My Experience So Far Running an African Grocery Store in the U.S.

If you told me a few years ago that I would be running an African grocery store in the United States, I probably would have laughed. Who knew that I would become part grocery store owner, part customer service representative, part inventory manager, part delivery coordinator, part social media manager, part therapist, and occasionally part detective… I probably would have laughed harder.

And yet, here we are. 😂

Not because I didn't believe I could do it. But because I had no idea just how many things come with running a grocery store that nobody puts in the business plan.

You plan for inventory.

You plan for rent.

You plan for employees.

You plan for marketing.

You plan for customers.

What you don't plan for is standing in your store wondering why a product that sold out in three days last month has suddenly decided to sit on the shelf for six weeks.

Or realizing that the thing your customers have been begging you to stock is suddenly the thing nobody wants once you finally get it.

Or learning that importing African food products can sometimes feel like a group project where nobody gave you the syllabus.

Welcome to my life running Riia's African Market.

And honestly?

It's been one of the most challenging, rewarding, confusing, hilarious and educational experiences of my life.

First, let's talk about the good stuff.

There is something special about watching someone's face light up when they find something from home.

This is probably one of my favorite parts of running an African grocery store.

Someone walks into the store casually, starts looking around, and then suddenly:

"WAIT. You have this?!"

And now we're both excited.

I've had customers tell me they haven't seen a particular product in years. I've watched people walk around the store pointing out things they grew up eating. I've had customers tell me that finding certain foods nearby saves them from driving hours to another city or asking family members to ship things from somewhere else.

And that's when I remember why this business matters.

We're not just selling food.

We're selling convenience.

We're helping people find a little piece of home.

We're introducing people who didn't grow up eating African food to products they've never seen before.

We're creating a place where someone can walk in and immediately think, "Oh, they get it."

And that feeling is priceless.

Then there are the customers who have become part of the Riia's community.

Running a small business teaches you very quickly that customers are not just numbers on a spreadsheet.

You get to know people.

You know the customer who always comes in looking for the same fish.

You know the person who calls before coming because they're hoping something is back in stock.

You know the customer who says, "I'm just looking" and somehow leaves with three bags of groceries.

And then you have the customers who tell their friends about you, tag you online, leave reviews, recommend products and genuinely want to see you succeed.

Those moments mean a lot.

Because small businesses don't grow in isolation.

They grow because people decide to support them.

But let me tell you about the other side.

Running an African grocery store in America has taught me that "just order more" is not a business strategy.

This one has humbled me.

You see a product flying off the shelf and naturally think:

"Okay, we need MORE."

So you order more.

And more.

And MORE.

Then suddenly you are staring at boxes of inventory thinking:

"Maybe everybody was actually done buying this."

Inventory management has probably been one of my biggest learning curves.

African grocery products are especially interesting because demand can be seasonal, community-specific and sometimes completely unpredictable.

Something can sell out immediately because somebody posted about it on TikTok.

Another product can sit there looking at you for three months.

And you start taking it personally.

"Is there something wrong with you?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

Shipping has also given me character development.

If you've ever wondered why imported products can sometimes cost so much, let me introduce you to:

Shipping.

International shipping costs.

Tariffs.

Customs.

Transportation.

Delays.

Exchange rates.

Supplier price increases.

And about seventeen other things that somehow affect the price of the bag of food sitting on your shelf.

One of the biggest lessons I've learned is that the price you see from a supplier is absolutely not the final cost of getting that product into your store.

By the time it arrives, the economics can look completely different.

And that has forced me to become much more intentional about pricing, margins and which products actually make sense for the business.

Because loving a product does not automatically make it profitable.

That was a lesson I had to learn.

Then there are the customers who make you rethink everything.

Most customers are wonderful.

But running a business also means occasionally dealing with complaints, misunderstandings and situations where someone is genuinely unhappy.

And honestly, these experiences have probably taught me more than the compliments.

We've had situations involving missing items, damaged products, shipping issues, product substitutions and customers expecting something to arrive exactly as they imagined it.

Sometimes we were right.

Sometimes the customer was right.

And sometimes the real problem was that we didn't communicate clearly enough.

That last one is probably the biggest lesson.

Communication matters.

A lot.

If a product changes, tell people.

If packaging changes, tell people.

If shipping is delayed, tell people.

If something is out of stock, say so.

If something is frozen, make sure the customer knows before they order.

A customer shouldn't have to figure out what happened after their package arrives.

And I've learned that even when something seems obvious to us because we're behind the scenes every day, it may not be obvious to the person placing an order.

That's something we're continuing to improve.

I've also learned that you cannot be everything to everybody.

When we started, there was a temptation to carry EVERYTHING.

Nigerian products.

Ghanaian products.

Guyanese products.

Senegalese products.

Cameroonian products.

East African products.

Caribbean products.

And basically anything that somebody asked:

"Do you guys have this?"

And my answer internally was:

"Not yet, but apparently now I need to."

😂

But inventory has taught me that being useful doesn't mean carrying everything.

It means carrying the right things.

We're still expanding, but we're becoming more intentional about what we bring in, what our customers actually buy, what is profitable, what is difficult to source and what products genuinely add value to the store.

And then there is the non-African customer.

This has been one of the most interesting parts of the journey.

We didn't want Riia's to feel like a store where you needed to already know African food to feel comfortable shopping.

We've had customers come in who have never cooked African food before.

Some are curious.

Some are dating or married to someone from an African country.

Some discovered a product online.

Some simply saw the store and thought, "That looks interesting."

And I love that.

Because African food should not feel like a secret club.

If you want to try something new, come in.

Ask questions.

Read the labels.

Take your time.

We want Riia's to be a place where people can discover new foods while also serving the people who already know exactly what they came for.

One thing I definitely underestimated?

How much of running a grocery store is actually logistics.

I thought about the food.

I didn't think enough about:

Inventory counts.

Receiving shipments.

Expiration dates.

Storage.

Freezers.

Packaging.

Delivery.

Shipping.

Website updates.

Pricing.

Payment platforms.

Customer service.

Online orders.

Social media.

And somehow remembering to actually eat lunch.

😂

A grocery store is an operational machine.

If one part isn't working properly, you feel it everywhere else.

That has made me realize that as Riia's grows, we need better systems.

Better inventory tracking.

Better forecasting.

Better communication between our physical store and online channels.

Better fulfillment processes.

Better documentation.

Better customer service workflows.

And eventually, a team that can help carry the load.

Because one person cannot sustainably be the buyer, marketer, customer service representative, operations manager, website manager, social media manager, accountant, delivery coordinator and occasional freezer technician.

Trust me.

I've tried.

The biggest lesson so far?

You have to listen.

Really listen.

To customers.

To employees.

To the numbers.

To suppliers.

To your own mistakes.

And sometimes to that little voice saying:

"Something about this process isn't working."

Customer feedback has helped us identify products people want, services that would make shopping easier and areas where our communication needs work.

Not every customer request becomes a business decision.

But every piece of feedback gives you something to think about.

What I think the future looks like for Riia's

I don't think the future is simply about having more products.

I think it's about becoming better at serving the people who already trust us while making it easier for new customers to discover us.

That means improving our online shopping experience.

Making delivery more convenient.

Expanding the products that our customers actually want.

Improving inventory management.

Creating clearer product information.

Making shipping more reliable.

And continuing to build a store that feels organized, welcoming and easy to shop.

I also want Riia's to become more than a place where you go when you need a particular ingredient.

I want it to become a brand people recognize.

A place people recommend.

A business that makes African food more accessible.

And eventually, hopefully, a business that can serve customers far beyond our local community.

Am I where I thought I would be by now?

Honestly?

No.

But I've learned that entrepreneurship is not really about following the plan you wrote at the beginning.

It's about constantly adjusting the plan based on what reality teaches you.

Some days you feel like a genius.

Some days you are Googling something at 11:47 p.m. wondering how you ended up learning about international shipping regulations.

Some days you celebrate because you had a great sales day.

Other days you're looking at your inventory thinking, "Okay...what are we going to do about YOU?"

😂

But then someone walks into the store and says:

"I'm so happy you guys are here."

And somehow, it makes sense again.

So, what have I learned?

I've learned that a good product is not enough.

I've learned that customer service can make or break an experience.

I've learned that communication is everything.

I've learned that inventory can humble you.

I've learned that shipping will test your patience.

I've learned that your community can become your biggest supporter.

I've learned that mistakes are inevitable, but repeating the same mistake because you refused to learn from it is optional.

And most importantly, I've learned that building a business takes time. 

Riia's is still growing.

We're still learning.

We're still figuring things out.

We're still making mistakes, fixing them, improving our systems and trying to get better every day.

And I'm excited about what's ahead.

Not because I think everything will suddenly become easy.

But because now I have a much better understanding of what it takes.

The first chapter was about opening the doors.

The next chapter is about building something that lasts.

And hopefully, years from now, I'll look back at this post and laugh at how much I still had to learn.

Because if there's one thing running an African grocery store in America has taught me, it's this:

There is ALWAYS something else to learn.

And apparently, there's always another shipment to unpack.

The beauty of it all, is that I absolutely love what I do and I won't have it any other way.

If you're new here, welcome to Riia's! And if you aren't, thanks for sticking with us on this amazing journey  ❤️