The incredible story behind ‘the greatest convenience store in Sydney’ as the owner makes a very bold move that customers are raving about
Most convenience store workers can be mistaken for being too busy to serve customers or even hostile, but that’s not the case for the owner of ‘the greatest convenience store’ in the Sydney suburb of Redfern.
Arguably one of Sydney’s most popular corner stores, the Redfern Convenience Store in the inner-city suburb has become a haven for locals and tourists.
The store, which sells rare and limited edition chips, soft drinks, chocolate bars and PRIME energy drinks, has now been immortalised in a new song.
Owner Hazem Sedda announced a 3:56 minute-long track titled ‘The Greatest Convenience Store on Earth’ was now available on Spotify.
Mr Sedda, who’s become an Instagram sensation for his jubilant personality and boundless positivity, said the electronic pop bop was an instant success.
Hazem Sedda is the owner of ‘the greatest convenience store in Sydney’
‘Since we started playing the song last Friday, customers have walked in and they’ve used their phone to Shazam the song,’ he said.
‘The smile and the reaction when people start dancing to it – it makes me so happy’.
Available to be streamed on Spotify, the lyrics pay homage to the store’s curated product list, like cult American candies, cereals and nearly a dozen varieties of Cheetos.
After immigrating to Sydney from Palestine, Mr Sedda’s father Ali Ata, 60, opened the store in 2001 to support his family. In the store’s 22-year legacy, it’s never missed a day of trade.
‘My dad never thought the store was going to be that famous, so he’s very proud. He’s so happy,’ he said.
‘(When he opened the store) he was actually sleeping in the store, and I was sleeping in the storage above the shop for almost two years after I arrived in Australia just to save time and money on train tickets.’
Mr Sedda was midway through a pilot degree before he dropped out to run Redfern Convenience Store full-time in 2006, allowing his dad to retire.
‘It was more fun to be at the convenience store than flying an aeroplane. That’s when I started wanting to make some changes,’ he said.
The Redfern favorite is a fixture in his local community and he has seen customers grow up, move out of the area and come back to visit him and the store.
He has even had customers celebrate their birthday in the store.
The store’s profile has since won the hearts of more than 305,000 follows, with famous faces including ABC identity Annabelle Crabb, US singer Slayyyter and Australian DJ duo, Peking Duk among its fans.
Redferm Convenience Store owner Hazem Sedda
After immigrating to Sydney from Palestine, Mr Sedda’s father Ali Ata (right), 60, opened the store in 2001
It’s become a destination for international travellers too.
‘I’m really proud of what I’ve achieved. I’ve changed something from a corner store to a destination for people that travel to Australia, not just the local Redfern people,’ he said.
‘It’s become an icon of Redfern and it makes me really happy to think of creative ideas to keep people happy.’
