Angela Anderson stands outside Cousins Supermarket. | BRIAN NELSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS
Cousin’s Supermarket was busy on Eid al-Fitir.
Last Friday, shoppers squeezed through metal bars designed to prevent cart theft as attendants scrambled to assist in hauling groceries. Thru-running traffic from Germantown Avenue crisscrossed a crammed parking lot. Inside the store, families perused aisles as customers haggled with butchers.
General Manager Adeeb Ibrahim was sitting in his office behind the customer service desk, door cracked open just in case he was needed or saw an old friend.
“I like to think of our store as a supermarket where you can get great value for your money,” Ibrahim said.
Adeeb Ibrahim, general manager, inside Cousins Supermarket. | BRIAN NELSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS
Ibrahim’s uncle, Steve Cousins, a Palestinian American, founded the store in 1976. They’re celebrating 50 years of service this year.
Cousin’s currently operates three locations: two in North Philadelphia and one in Camden, New Jersey. Their offerings range from Halal deli meats to Puerto Rican yellow rice, reflecting the diversity of their customer base.
“We’re a very diverse supermarket, a majority of our clientele is Hispanic and African American,” Ibrahim said. “All of our stores are in higher poverty, food-desert areas.”
Food insecurity prevalence is as high as 30% in some North Philadelphia zip codes, according to a July 2023 study by the National Institute of Health.
Katie Good at the entrance of Cousins Supermarket. | BRIAN NELSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS
Ibrahim grew up on Master Street and has seen the area shift in recent years.
“The neighborhood has changed over the years, but we still welcome our new customers,” Ibrahim said. “We were here before a lot of the gentrification happened.”
North Philly resident and longstanding customer Angela Anderson has seen these changes firsthand. For her, Cousin’s has stayed consistent.
“I love coming here, just about every day,” Anderson said. “I’ve been coming here since ‘95. Everything is fresh and they have reasonable prices.”
Other shoppers felt the same, appreciating their selections and prices.
“Everything is good here, prices and everything,” said Jose Soto, who lives nearby.
Philadelphia’s Muslim population is a key constituency served by the grocer. Twenty-five years ago, the store launched a new policy to accommodate the growing community.
“We decided that we didn’t want to sell pork. We wanted to become a Halal store,” Ibrahim said. “In the deli, we have turkey, chicken, beef and no pork. We tried this as a concept and never looked back.”
Various meat products in Cousins Supermarket. | BRIAN NELSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS
While it isn’t exclusively Halal, Cousin’s boasts one of the largest pork-free delis in the city of Philadelphia. There is a walled off area that sells pork—technically functioning as a separate store from the rest of Cousin’s. The main portion of the supermarket includes a large produce section, flanked by the deli towards the back and aisles partitioned into ethnic divisions, which are further categorized into Latin and Middle Eastern fare.
The demand for Middle Eastern goods such as dates rises dramatically during the Islamic holidays, Ibrahim said.
“We ramp up prior to Ramadan, and we source our dates straight from Jericho,” he said. “We bring in all types of Middle Eastern food, pastries, cookies, all just for the holidays.”
The Middle Eastern Isle inside Cousins Supermarket. | BRIAN NELSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS
The practice of consuming dates to break fast during Ramadan has been popular for centuries, as it is in accordance with guidelines in the Qur’an. Muslims from across the city flock to Cousin’s to stock up for Ramadan and Eid.
Cousin’s especially relies on Philly’s immigrant community for business; Ibrahim himself is the son of Palestinian immigrants to the United States. Recent U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations have indirectly impacted the store in the last year.
“When ICE started their campaign, a lot of people weren’t sending their kids to school. They weren’t going to work, and they weren’t shopping either,” Ibrahim said. “I haven’t seen ICE, but we did see a decrease in sales.”
Cousin’s fills the role of the traditional supermarket in disinvested sections of greater Philadelphia. The Camden location took the place of an abandoned ACME—which itself provides insight into Ibrahim’s ethos.
“I would say to somebody that wants to be an entrepreneur, ‘Why don’t you take over that ACME?’” Ibrahim said. “Take it over, create your own store, and serve the same community. Yes, it may be harder to do business, but people are people, and people need to eat. If you treat people well, they will treat you well.”