By: Sam’s Caribbean Marketplace

What if you could cash in on a ticket to paradise without the cramped seating, long security lines, and jetlag? Upon entering Sam’s Caribbean Marketplace, you’ll feel like you’ve stepped into the heart of the islands. From a vast selection of traditional items to the warm hospitality that can only come from the charismatic charm of the Caribbean, customers are greeted like old friends and one sentiment rings reassuringly accurate — home is not a place, it’s a feeling. 

For over 30 years, Sam’s has been more than just a grocery store. It’s a bridge between past and present, a lifeline for Caribbean Americans longing for a taste of home, and proof that small businesses don’t just sell products, they keep cultures alive.

Staying true to its humble roots and authentic values, the business is also changing with the times, updating its e-commerce website to bring a taste of home to its local community and beyond. 

It All Started With a Leap of Faith

Like good things often do, it all began with a risk.

In the late 1970s, Andrew and Jean Morris arrived in New York with just $50 each (that’s as much as the then Jamaican government would allow), carrying little more than determination and a deep love for their Caribbean roots. Life in America offered opportunities, but something was missing—the flavors of home. Andrew, working a stable corporate job, noticed how difficult it was to find the spices, sauces, and staples that defined Caribbean cooking.

So, despite having no retail experience (other than being a shopper himself), Andrew took a leap of faith, fueled by a longing for home and a determination to share it with others. Sam’s Caribbean Marketplace was born with a small storefront, vision, and sheer perseverance—a tribute to Jean’s father, Samuel Bonar, whose name now graces a store built on love, resilience, and heritage.

But something unexpected happened. As the years passed, customers stopped seeing Sam’s as just a store; they saw it as the community’s beating heart. They didn’t just come for the spices or the Jamaican-style patties; they went for the warmth, the familiarity, the piece of home they found in its aisles. And before long, Andrew wasn’t just the owner—he became Sam. He embraced the name, not as a misconception, but as a sign that he had built something far more significant than a business. He had built a community.

And it didn’t take long for others to notice, eventually earning coverage in The Wall Street Journal!

Not Just a Store but a Cultural Hub

People keep returning to Sam’s because it offers more than just a shopping experience. It provides a familiar and welcoming atmosphere that brings people together.

If you were to ask what they miss about their home countries, immigrants would likely list food as one of the things that comes to mind. After all, we can all attest that the way to the heart is often through the stomach.

That’s because food represents far more than sustaining sustenance. It’s a call to gather, a comfort, identity, and memory encased in familiar flavors. Many who leave their homelands stand at a crossroads of striving for a better life while longing for the flavors, aromas, and people that led them to where they are. 

Sam’s became that link, an environment where the past and present exist alongside one another, where a single ingredient may evoke a rush of memories.

The aisles of Sam’s don’t just hold over 1,000 authentic Caribbean products; they hold stories. A tin of callaloo is a reminder of Sunday mornings in Kingston. A bag of tamarind balls is the sweet-and-sour taste of childhood, of hands reaching into school bags for a midday treat.

The community- the people- has been the key to Sam’s success. Customers linger in the aisles, not because they’re browsing, but because they’ve found a familiar face, someone to chat and reminisce with. Some come for a quick purchase and stay to share life stories back home.

And it’s not just everyday shoppers who find comfort here. Former Jamaican Prime Minister Edward Seaga, reggae artists, authors, and Caribbean community leaders have all walked through Sam’s doors, searching for something that no supermarket chain could offer; a feeling of home.

One loyal customer said, “If Sam’s doesn’t have it, you don’t need it.”

Bringing Caribbean Ingredients Home

Before Sam’s, finding Caribbean ingredients in the U.S. could be a challenge. Families held onto their last tin of Milo or stretched their pepper sauce bottle, uncertain when they’d get more. For many, enjoying familiar flavors from home wasn’t always straightforward.

Then came Sam’s Caribbean Marketplace, and everything changed.

People no longer had to rely on care packages from back home. At Sam’s, the shelves were filled with familiar flavors—Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee, Scotch Bonnet Peppers, ackee, callaloo, bammy, and fresh hard-dough bread—each item connected to the past, bringing comfort and tradition back into the kitchen.

As demand grew, so did Sam’s. The store expanded beyond its four walls, bringing Caribbean flavors to homes across the U.S. through sams24-7.com. No matter where you lived, a taste of home was now just a click away. And for those sending love back to family, Sam’s even began delivering door-to-door in Jamaica, helping with food, could keep people connected even an ocean apart.

Why Supporting Small Businesses Like Sam’s Matters

We’ve all been inundated about the importance of ‘shopping local,’ but precisely this localized appeal has garnered Sam’s success. It’s not just local to the neighborhood; it provides a broader sense of local from the Caribbean. Whether online or in-store, it’s vast selection of Caribbean goods transports customers—either back or for the first time—to the locales of the islands, providing insight into communities, customs, and history. 

More than just a supermarket, Sam’s is a steward of Caribbean culture, helping the islands’ dishes, ingredients, and legends are preserved in American households.

If small businesses like Sam’s ceased to exist, cherished staples such as stiff dough bread, Easter Buns, rotis, and other closely-held traditions would slowly fade from everyday life in favor of mass-produced, inauthentic replicas, losing the warmth, tradition, and care that make them unique.

By choosing small, family-owned businesses, you’re not just buying food, you’re helping to preserve an entire way of life.

Keeping Culture Alive, One Ingredient at a Time

Shopping at Sam’s isn’t just about finding the right ingredients—it’s about preserving the spirit of a people while sharing its wealth of tradition, culture, and hospitality with everyone.

It’s a way to help the next generation experience the bold flavors of their heritage. It’s about honoring the traditions and recipes passed down through the years.

One purchase, one dish, one shared meal at a time—you’re not just keeping traditions alive. You’re keeping the Caribbean way of life alive.

Published by Anne C.