Syriana Market Just The Start For Ambitious Halifax Family From Syria
HALIFAX – Rafat Harb, along with his mother, father and six siblings, first came to Halifax in 2016, after spending years in a crowded refugee camp. One might think Rafat would take his time to settle into his new surroundings after such a dramatic change in his life. But Rafat had a different mindset altogether. Two weeks after landing in Halifax, he took a job shoveling snow, even though he had never seen the substance until he moved to Canada.
“There was a lot of snow that year,” said Rafat, who sometimes worked 16-hour days during that particularly snowy winter.
He also began volunteering at food banks and other places. He wanted to give back to the community and to learn as much as possible, as quickly as possible.
“I volunteered everywhere just to learn English and to know about the Canadian culture,” said the 22-year-old.
“It was very hard and difficult; we don’t speak English; we don’t know about the Canadian culture.”
Now, just five years after shoveling snow and trying to learn English, young Rafat owns Syriana Market, which is being touted as the largest international grocery store in Atlantic Canada.
This great, fast, work ethic comes part and parcel with being a Harb. In 2013 the entire family had to flee Damascus during the Syrian civil war. The war had made Syrian’s capital city uninhabitable.
“Like everything, it closed; there’s no water, no power, no bread-nothing, for three months in Damascus,” recalled Rafat.
The Harb family spent three years at the Al Zaatari Refugee Camp in Jordan before coming to Halifax. During their difficult stay, the family kept themselves as busy as possible. They operated a shop stand, and Rafat’s father, Mohammad, taught communication to the youth in the camp. Rafat’s mother, Gawher Aljanadi, also volunteered to teach inside the camp.
“It was not easy; it was very hard…but we tried to make it easy,” said Rafat. “We are an active family.”
In 2017, Rafat and two friends started a small business together called Piece of the East. The friends would set up shop at the Saturday markets and sell homemade goods, like jams and desserts.
The young businessman moved fast in achieving his goals. By June of 2018, he opened Syrian Meat Shop in downtown Halifax (he would close it in August of 2020). Rafat always wanted to make his shop bigger and better. So, in March of 2020, he began working on his vision for Syriana Market, but the pandemic really slowed down the process.
“Everyone was working from home; getting all the permits was not easy,” said Rafat.
In between opening the Syrian Meat Shop and starting the Syriana Market, Rafat and his family kept themselves busy. In 2019, they all passed their citizenship tests and, in December of 2020, Rafat graduated from NSCC, where he did Adult Learning and studied business administration.
Finally, on February 11, 2021, Rafat’s vision became reality, with the opening of his rebranded Syriana Market. Success has come quickly with the new market, as the multicultural city of Halifax enjoys getting a variety of international goods at one shop. The Strawberry Hill location, which employs 13 people, also includes a dine-in restaurant and VIP room.
Rafat’s father, Mohammad, spent much of his life as an architectural engineer, so he did the interior design of the new market.
“We have the most special decorations, in all of the Atlantic region,” said Rafat. “The decoration is very different.”
The market also got a large publicity boost on March 3, when Halifax MP Andy Fillmore came to tour the new market. So far, all is well with the new, bold, business venture – despite Covid-19.
Rafat’s dreams don’t end with Syriana Market, however. When asked what his future goals are, he didn’t hesitate in saying he wants his business to become a franchise. When asked why he and his family have had so much success in Halifax so soon, Rafat gave a lot of credit to the community.
“People here are so friendly, they like to support…I get support from the Halifax customers and Nova Scotian customers.”