Marketplace Deli is more than just a place to stop for the morning paper

hamburg-For more than seventeen years, The Marketplace Deli on Rt. 23 in Hamburg has been more than just a place to stop for the morning paper, coffee or cold cuts. For many of the regular customers it has become a little piece of home away from home. That feeling is fostered by the owners, the Patel family, who greet customers by their first names and fill orders with the simple question, "The usual?" "We think of ourselves as more than just a deli," said owner Naresh Patel. "Companies leave their payroll checks here to be picked up, customers have UPS packages dropped off for them and some even leave their house keys with us if they are expecting a service call or are having work done on their house." With a good customer base and a reputation for honesty, integrity and passing savings on whenever possible to the customer, Patel decided to expand his business and open Marketplace Discount Liquor right next door to the Deli. "Although this is a new venture for me, I don't feel under pressure because I already have a good customer base, and I feel that the addition of the liquor store to the strip mall will be of benefit to all of the business here already," he said. While all popular brands of liquor, beer and wine are available at Marketplace Discount Liquor, Patel encourages his customers to make recommendations and will do his utmost to obtain hard to get items. "I have been looking for XINGU, a Brazilian black beer, and though Naresh didn't have it he has told me that he will get it for me. Not many places will do that," said Bill Whitefeet of Wantage. "Also, the prices here are great. I would say that I save on average four dollars every time I come in," he added. Patel was born in Uganda, educated in India and lived and worked in England before he came to the United States, where he continues his family's history in the retail business. He lives in Vernon with his wife and two children. As yet there are no established hours for the liquor store. "Legally, we are allowed to open from 7.30 am.-1 a.m., but so far we have worked on the basis that if someone comes in to the Deli at 10 a.m. and wants something form the liquor store, we will certainly open up for them. In the evenings during the week, though, we close the Deli at 8-30. If we are still here and someone comes, we will facilitate them," said Patel. The hours for the Marketplace Deli are: Monday-Friday, 5.30-8-30; Saturday, 6-5.30; and Sunday, 8-3.30. For more information, call 973-827-0111.