JULY 2002

Welcome to a new feature on aboutKensington.com. Each month, in this space, we will highlight a business or citizen of Kensington. For July, we will cover a new business partnership comprised of two well-known fixtures of the Arlington Avenue shops.

MOST PEOPLE FROM KENSINGTON and vicinity couldn't tell you our town's precise borders, but they can easily identify the town by the shops on Arlington Avenue.Young's Market, situated at 285 Arlington Avenue since 1938, and Five Star Video, at 289 Arlington Avenue since 1984, are among the dozen or so businesses that make up the convenient shopping district.

Since it's humble beginnings in the 1920's, the Arlington commercial area has seen businesses come and go. However, in this small town, any kind of business change does not go unnoticed. The collaboration between Young's and Five Star is a big deal.

The entire video store now resides inside Young's Market, along the east side of the building. The inclusion of the video store in the grocery store has been getting ... well ... five-star reviews from the business owners and their collective customers. "Everybody is thrilled we're still here" says Five Star co-owner John Dey, alluding to the video store's struggle to survive in a world where video rental is now only one of many options. "The home entertainment business is changing rapidly and a trip to the local video store may become obsolete." Young's Market owner Khalid Sultan happily notes that "... there is a lot more activity; I think it will help both businesses." Dey shares the same optimism. "There is a lot more foot traffic through here. Plus, it's nice to see people with groceries in a basket and a video tape on top!"

Dey grew up and was schooled in Kensington. He and Gary Roda, adopted the video store from its previous owner who decided to quit the video rental business. The store originally opened in 1984, after plans for a savings and loan for that location fell through. Dey, an employee at the store, starting in 1990, and Roda, a regular customer, took on a shared responsibility for the business in 1993. (There was a third partner, Marina Roelink, but she stepped down that same year.)

Young's Market has a much longer and richer history, and its current owners are diligently trying to ensure a successful future for the store. Opened in 1936, the store was operated by Ben Young and his brother Ralph Young. In 1980, Steve Gaustad (who had been a bagger there since 1972) bought Ralph Young's share. In 1993 Jeff Hammond became a partner in the business.

The grocery store's newest operators, Khalid Sultan and his wife Nazneen Khalid, have owned the store since October 3, 2000.Since then, they have replaced almost all of the older wooden shelves with heavy-duty wire shelving. Dairy products and beverages, previously chilled in open-air devices are now keeping cool in a large refrigeration unit. Sultan says the next project is the flooring system. Anyone who has visited the store over the past few years can not help but notice the many improvements. "We get very encouraging feedback", says Sultan.

Both business operate during the same hours: Monday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Friday and Saturday from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM and Sunday from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM.

By Aaron Gobler  

Additional information for this article was gleaned from Kensington: Past and Present © 2000 The Kensington Improvement Club; and the Kensington Outlook.