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September 19, 2003/Elul 22 5763, Vol. 55, No. 56
Segal's celebrates 36 years
JESSICA BARBER
Staff Writer
David Segal, general manager at Segal's Kosher Foods, offers a cookie to Chezka Gelber during his visit to the store.
Photo by Tegwin Winterhalt
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In February 1967, Zalman Segal and his wife Pearl packed up their five children and left Omaha, Neb., to open the only kosher food store in the Phoenix area.
Zalman, an Israeli-born shochet, or ritual slaughterer, performed his craft in Chicago, and later Omaha, before hearing of a kosher store for sale in downtown Phoenix. Discouraged by the suffering meat-packing industry in Omaha, Zalman flew to Phoenix to determine if the store was a good fit.
"My father flew out on a January or February afternoon," recalls Zalman's son, David, who now works full-time at the store. "He left 16 inches of snow and frigid temperatures. In Phoenix, it was 75 degrees without a cloud in the sky. In 20 minutes, he had done the deal, bought the business, called my mother, and told her to start packing - we were moving to Phoenix, Arizona."
This month, Segal's celebrates 36 years of offering kosher foods to Phoenix residents, as well as its growth and success despite increased competition from many new kosher stores.
"We have seen many kosher food stores come and go, but none of them have lasted as long," says David. "I think we have been successful because we provide the finest quality and the best service. We have a very loyal client base. They have kept us in business all these years."
In fact, David enjoys seeing the children and grandchildren of customers that visited the store's first location on Fifth Street and Washington in downtown Phoenix - opened when David was only 5 years old.
"We started off as a very small place," David recalls. "But we have increased sales every year. As the community grows, so do we."
The store shortly outgrew its first location and relocated to a larger facility at 16th Street and Thomas Road in 1970. The original building was torn down and that space is now occupied by the Phoenix Civic Center parking lot. In 1984, Segal's moved to its current location at 4818 N. Seventh St.
With each move and expansion, Segal's managed to keep its loyal customer base while adding more customers along the way. The store's employee team has also increased. Owners Zalman and Pearl Segal and employee Elmer Payton were among its original four; today, the team fluctuates between eight and 10 employees.
David, who worked in the store as a teenager during summer vacation and holiday breaks from the Phoenix Hebrew Academy, joined the company full-time in 1983, shortly after his college graduation from Yeshiva University. Throughout the years, he and his father worked to offer what other stores didn't - even with large grocery store chains adding kosher products to their shelves.
"We have a kosher bakery on the premises, we have a little restaurant where we serve lunch and dinner, we do delicatessen, we do frozen and refrigerated groceries, dry goods and a little catering," David says. "We do a little of everything, including supplying some kosher caterers in town. I think that's why we've maintained a success rate over the years."
The store is supervised by the Greater Phoenix Vaad Hakashruth and gets its supplies from Israel, the East and West coasts and a kosher food distributor in Minnesota.
Segal's makes Jewish community organizations a priority, and commonly donates services or money to synagogues, day schools and charitable institutions, says David.
"All the Jewish charitable organizations call on us, and we respond," says David. "We have contributed to the Jewish Federation (of Greater Phoenix), Jewish National Fund and Council for Jews with Special Needs, to name a few."
The company will celebrate not only 36 years in business, but also customer appreciation throughout the month of September. Turkeys for the High Holidays will be sold for 67 cents a pound to commemorate its opening in 1967.
"Its not an anniversary as much as it is celebrating our customers," says David. "Without them, we have nothing."
Although David looks forward to working at his father's store for years to come, he does not have plans to take over the business any time soon.
"As long as my father is healthy and well, I want him to continue his role as principal of the business," he says. "I just want to continue to grow and meet community needs."
Contact the writer at jessica_barber@jewishaz.com.
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