Designation Detr@it
Shalom, Amigos!
Fienman family's longtime market adapts to ethnic
changes in southwest Detroit neighborhood.
Keri Guten Cohen I Story Development Editor
David Fienman and
his siblings are the
third generation at
E & L.
4
June 21 . 2012
They needed help here," he said
hat's a nice Jewish fam-
simply. And I wanted to be more
ily doing running a well-
stocked Hispanic super-
hands-on instead of into books. This
market in the heart of
is where I want to be."
This was in the mid- to late-1 970s,
Detroit's Mexican Town?
and a large Hispanic community was
Well, they were actually there long
growing in the area surrounding the
before their Hispanic neighbors.
store. Ben had the idea of building
In 1948, World War II vets Edward
a tortilla factory, so he bought 14
Fienman and Louie Linawicz opened
nearby houses and built a factory to
a small grocery store in southwest
make authentic tortillas. After several
Detroit. When a large chain supermar-
years, he sold the
ket moved in
factory, but it still
two blocks away
supplies the store
in the 1 960s,
with thousands
they were forced
of freshly made
to close. Un-
flour tortillas
deterred, they
daily.
moved one block
Ben also
closer to the
expanded the
supermarket and
original meat
opened a small
market, adding
meat market on
a full kitchen,
Vernor Highway
grocery sections,
called E & L Meat
additional regis-
Co.
ters and a large
Their choice
produce section.
meats drew a
Then, in Au-
following in this
gust 1999, he
Hungarian and
launched
Polish neigh-
E & L Supermer-
A youngster inspect s his painted
borhood and
cado in a new
beyond. When
face at the store's C inco de Mayo
28,000-square-
the neighbor-
celebration.
foot building set
hood shifted to
back from Vernor
Hispanic in the
Highway behind the original meat
1970s, E&L's owners went with the
market. Supermercado means super-
change and began bringing in what the
market in Spanish, and is aptly named
customers wanted.
because Hispanic goods and foods
Edward Fienman's son, Ben, of
abound, along with standard fare.
Bloomfield Township began working in
Shoppers can find a vast selection of
the meat market when he was about 5.
tortillas, salsas, sauces, spices (even
He recalls getting nice toys for work-
house blends), Mexican avocados,
ing, and says he enjoyed the company
chiles, tomatillos, fresh herbs, tortilla
of his father and serving customers.
chips made in-house daily, Mexican
When it was time for college, Ben
baked goods, and prepared foods like
went to University of Detroit-Mercy
tamales and guacamole.
to study dentistry, but that was short
"I have lived in the neighborhood
lived.
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