DevelopingLafayette.comThe building at 2441 W. Congress St. that began as a convenience store but spent many years as Green Olive restaurant is soon to become Bismillah — what appears to be an Arab grocery and delicatessen. Local website Developing Lafayette reported the news Wednesday. The building's interior has been prepped, the parking lot striped and a sign affixed to the facade, suggesting that the new business will be open sooner than later.
The grocery-deli’s name — it's an Arabic word, the first word in the Quran, and translates as "in the name of God" — was registered with the Louisiana secretary of state’s office in July, and records show a Lafayette resident named Juhi Shah, owner of Juhi Enterprise LLC, as the person behind the new concept. ABiz was unable to contact Shah before posting this story.