Surma the Ukrainian Shop

Have you ever ventured into the Ukrainian Shop on East 7th Street next to the famous McSorley's Bar? I did so last week. What a treasure trove !!!
The shop was founded in 1918 and has been  run by the Surmach family for 3 generations. The current owner Markian Surmach took over the shop in 2003 after his father passed away.
The store is stocked full with Ukrainian and Eastern European decorative items, religious paraphernalia, books and of course the famous embroidered blouses and fabrics.
Another mainstay is the high quality and raw honey from the Finger Lakes in upstate New York.
As Markian told me, honey is to the Ukrainians as tomato sauce is to Italians.
In former times the honey was furnished by Markian's  grandfather Myron, who founded the shop in 1918 and kept bees himself.
Another interview and photo can be seen on EV Grieve's blog here .
Check out the store's website here