By Neal Wong

Due east from the historic Alexandria Theater, on the northeast corner of Geary Boulevard and 18th Avenue, sits Europa Plus, a grocery store serving San Francisco’s Eastern European immigrants with a source of familiar foods, and for many, a cultural lifeline to their homeland.

“Over the years, Europa Plus has become a place of serendipitous reunions,” said store owner Alex Miretsky. “I’ve seen customers run into old neighbors from the (Soviet Union) after 50 years apart.”

Miretsky, who emigrated from St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1988, founded Europa Plus in 2003 after years of importing and exporting food products between the United States and Eastern Europe. His mission extends beyond commerce, rooted in his own immigrant experience of arriving in San Francisco with limited English and minimal resources, while caring for a 2-year-old son and expecting another child.

The store occasionally witnesses unexpected family reunions, with customers discovering relatives they have not seen in decades while shopping for familiar foods.

“We have witnessed family members reuniting unexpectedly, pulling out phones to show family photos while jamming up the checkout line,” Miretsky said. “I have to kindly usher these meetings outside to proceed on the sidewalk to keep the line flowing, but it’s always so precious to see the store function as a gathering place for community members.”

The store provides particular comfort for recent arrivals fleeing current conflicts. Hlibko Stromin, a cashier, came to the United States because of the ongoing war in Ukraine and found employment at Europa Plus after simply walking in and asking if they were hiring.

“It feels like I’m back in my home country,” Stromin said.

Stromin noted that the items sold in the store, and the store’s general appearance, is remarkably similar to stores in Ukraine.

For many long-time customers, Europa Plus represents a consistent connection to childhood memories and familiar flavors. The store also attracts customers beyond its core Eastern European base. Greta Bogref, a first-time shopper taking Russian classes in college, visited specifically to experience authentic Russian food culture.

“I saw a lot of things that I wouldn’t normally see in a Safeway,” Bogref said.

The store operates on two levels, with groceries on the ground floor and Russian-language books and DVDs upstairs, though many customers remain unaware of the second floor’s existence. The upstairs collection serves families working to preserve language and cultural traditions for younger generations.

“We’ve also seen an increased interest in Russian-language children’s books, as grandparents and parents look to preserve a sense of cultural continuity and language for their kids,” Miretsky said. “We work hard to curate classic titles that I myself grew up with back in St. Petersburg.”

Technology has changed how families connect through the store.

“It’s not uncommon to see someone walking through the store on a FaceTime call with their mother or grandmother, who is directing them aisle by aisle in an exasperated tone, searching for just the right brand of pickles or kielbasa. It’s an amusing and beautiful thing to see,” Miretsky said.

The ongoing war in Ukraine has created subtle tensions in the aisles of the store.

“Some customers pay close attention to the origin of a product – whether it’s made in Russia, Ukraine or elsewhere – and make buying decisions accordingly. We respect that,” Miretsky said. While tensions exist, we’ve been fortunate that our customers treat one another with decency. No arguments, just quiet choices made in the aisles.”

Miretsky noted the store has continued to evolve, serving an ever widening and diverse customer base.

“I see younger faces, local food lovers and new immigrants from all over the world – Chinese customers switching from rice to buckwheat and older ladies often asking me for cooking tips. It’s amusing to translate Ukrainian directions on packages together with them, and we share laughs as we triangulate their meaning,” Miretsky said. “It’s not just a business. It’s about making something accessible, honest and dependable for our community.”

Europa Plus is located at 5350 Geary Blvd. and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.