Lex Liss has lived in the Haughville neighborhood near 16th Street for about five years and said he’s seen a lot of positive change.
The streets have been improved, there’s more art and residents seem determined to protect the community they’ve built.
But he said the improvements did not help one important element of his and other residents’ lives — where to get groceries. There are few options in the neighborhood, mainly convenience stores or large chains like Dollar General and Kroger with limited selections.
Now, a new small business is trying to change that.
Building off its success in the We Care neighborhood, the Super Jams Neighborhood Market is hoping to become an oasis in Haughville’s food desert by offering healthy food options catered specifically to neighborhood residents 24 hours a day.
Learning what the neighborhood wants
Super Jams Neighborhood Market, at 2802 W. 16th St., sells fresh and frozen produce, meat, snacks and other food products catered to Haughville residents. It opened in late spring.
The store also has a bakery, a small restaurant, an electric vehicle charging station and other amenities.
In addition to common American brands, the store also offers an array of Latin American products familiar to the neighborhood’s growing Latino population.
“We’re very close to our customers,” said store co-owner Paul Kumar. “If a customer comes in and communicates to us that we don’t have a product, we get it. We treat our customers the same whether you’re spending $1 or $500.”
Super Jams employee Pedro De Jesus, 38, prepares an order for a customer. Credit: Enrique Saenz / Mirror Indy 
The Super Jams Neighborhood Supermarket is at 401 S. Warman Ave. Credit: Enrique Saenz / Mirror Indy 
The new store is in the heart of a food desert on the west side. Credit: Nate Pappas for Mirror Indy 
Electric car charging stations at Super Jams Neighborhood Supermarket. Credit: Nate Pappas for Mirror Indy 
Malanga coco, or taro root. Credit: Nate Pappas for Mirror Indy 
Votive candles. Credit: Nate Pappas for Mirror Indy 
Various fruits. Credit: Nate Pappas for Mirror Indy 
Frozen veggies. Credit: Nate Pappas for Mirror Indy
For Liss, what sets the store apart from competitors is the selection and the fact that it is always open.
“Coming here and being able to grab anything you need at any time is convenient,” Liss said. “Other stores more or less just have mainstream items, whereas this has more variety and caters more to the community.”
Kumar and many of the store’s employees speak at least two languages, English and Spanish. He’s using that link to customers to improve his store daily. He will soon begin adding more Haitian varieties due to customer demand.
“I’m proud (of the store), but not satisfied. I know we can do more. As the funds come in, we’ll make it better for the community,” Kumar said.
A different type of store
Kumar was born in India and later moved to Spain, where he grew up. That’s where he was exposed to the concept of a local store that served a neighborhood. When he came to the U.S., he saw that most areas only had convenience stores.
“We’re just trying to bring the same idea here for the community and its people to live healthier,” Kumar said. “I’m actually a health freak myself, so I want people to actually experience a better quality of life than just eating honey buns and soda.”
Kumar knows a lot about convenience stores. He apprenticed under several convenience store owners for about a decade before earning enough money to open his own store in 2022, called Jams, at 2504 W. Washington St.
Later, he and his brother made enough money to open the Super Jams store at 401 S. Warman Ave., in 2023. It was so successful they thought about expanding almost immediately.
They bought the property at 2802 W. 16th St., formerly a pawn shop, and converted the store. If all goes well, it won’t be their last. They’re looking to build another store somewhere near downtown.
“We’re looking to expand in all the areas where food deserts are,” Kumar said. “The people are supporting it, so we keep expanding.”
Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.
Mirror Indy reporter Enrique Saenz covers west Indianapolis. Contact him at 317-983-4203 or enrique.saenz@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on Bluesky at @enriquesaenz.bsky.social.
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