Nothing Stops Salahi, The Bodega That Hasn’t Closed in 20 Years

One of the few establishments open on Cortelyou is Salahi’s, the bodega on the corner of Cortelyou and Argyle.

Mo Salahi, manning the counter this afternoon, said they hadn’t closed in the more than 20 years his family has run it, except once for a “little fire.” He wasn’t sure how many times the store had closed since first opening in 1938.

Never closing is, in fact, a bit of a family obsession, he said.

“Salahi don’t stop. Salahi keeps going,” Mo said. “Nothing stops Salahi.”

When asked why they didn’t just shut their doors for what is shaping up as a historic storm, Mo continued:

“We never close. We are working people. We got to work hard. Gotta raise our kids. I got 5 kids.”

The coffee, as ever, was better than you’d expect.