Homesickness is a familiar feeling. Whether you’re craving a meal your mom used to make, a snack from childhood or a friendly face, these two Gainesville ethnic markets can cure your longing or open the door to a new culture.
From African spices to Eastern European sweets, these markets offer more than food; they share identity and belonging.
African Unique — International Marketplace
Representing West African countries like Cameroon, Nigeria and Ghana, African Unique offers staples like gari, palm oil and fufu, along with clothing, jewelry and cosmetics.
“It’s like a miniature African consulate,” said Victor Okorochukwu, the market’s 68-year-old Nigerian owner.
Okorochukwu supplies products from regions all over Africa, but most are from West Africa.
He caters to student clientele, creating a sense of family for young people away from home, he said.
“I always like to tell them, ‘I’m your uncle now,’” he said.
Influenced by his African culture, everyone is family to Okorochukwu. Taking care of others, like a homesick student, is not just part of the job but a part of his life, he said.
He gets many American customers curious about African food. He recalled an American customer who lived in Kenya, looking for the dishes they were accustomed to.
The store carries products made in Africa, such as hair care and skin care infused with shea butter, and women’s dresses and accessories like jewelry and wigs. Its African menswear is perfect for the hot weather, Okorochukwu said.
Every product stocked on his shelves is tied to custom. His handmade bags line the walls. One holds cultural significance to him, a handbag from Cameroon used to hold kola nuts.
In African culture, the eldest male in a household will welcome his guests with kola nuts.
“He who brings kola, brings life,” is a well-known African saying, Okorochukwu said.
The custom consists of praying over the fruit and breaking the kola between the host and the visitors, he said. The prayer includes everyone connected to the household or community, even if they aren’t physically present.
Marie Stewart, an Alachua County resident, has been a regular at Okorochukwu’s store for about six years. She came to buy attieke, a couscous-like dish made from cassava and a popular food in Côte d’Ivoire, her homeland.
“We’ll find everything here from our country,” Stewart said.
She felt welcomed by the owner, she said, noting that if you are looking for something specific, Okorochukwu will order it for you.
She used to buy from Okorochukwu when she ran her African restaurant, and she and her family still shop there, she said.
Euro Food Basket & International Market
Euro Food Basket & International Market transports visitors to Ukraine with its candies and Russian tea. Apart from food, the market features knickknacks like Russian nesting dolls and Polish ceramics.
Ukrainian owner Tatiana Gromova sees her store as an opportunity for nostalgia. People come in looking for food they grew up eating, she said. She witnesses them reconnect with their childhood memories at the market.
Her own memories fill the shelves. Running the market was a fantasy of hers from a young age, often pretending she owned a food market. She remembers asking her mom to make pelmeni, a Russian dumpling she keeps stocked in her store.
“They have bonded to the taste, the food, the experience,” Gromova said.
She calls her store a warm welcome into your childhood.
The unique products she offers make her stand out, Gromova said. Customers come in looking for specific, hard-to-find ingredients, only to stumble upon them at her market.
Gromova sells individual candies so customers can mix and match. She sells Vzletnaya candy, which was given to passengers on flights in the Soviet Union to stop their ears from popping during takeoff, she said. The name itself means “takeoff” in Russian.
Gromova periodically changes her stock to adapt to available products and fill shelves when items run out. It ensures customers are never bored and can keep exploring new flavors, she said.
“Who cares that I cannot order something that I had before?” Gromova said. “I have something new, something interesting, exciting.”
Danna Fowler, a Gilchrist County resident, said she makes “a special stop” to visit the market. She lives an hour away from Gainesville but stops by the market to purchase its sprats.
“My husband loves sardines, but he said these are even better,” Fowler said.
Contact Allison Bonnemaison at abonnemaison@alligator.org. Follow them on X @allisonrbonn.
Allison is a journalism and international studies sophomore. She is the Summer 2025 food reporter at The Avenue. In her free time, she enjoys drawing and finding new music to listen to.
