Mayor Brown spotlights North Monroe market and new restaurant; ARPA-funded sign credited with drawing customers

Mayor Lisa Brown and Council Member Kitty Klitzy on Thursday visited a market and newly opened family restaurant on North Monroe to highlight how a city-funded storefront sign has helped the small business attract customers.

Nasir Mushwani, owner of the market and restaurant, said the market opened about three years ago and the family launched the restaurant two months ago. “We opened the market about 3 years ago, and then, we were thinking about starting a restaurant… And so we opened the restaurant about 2 months ago with my family, and we've cooked authentic food. It's always fresh, cooked to order. So it's a different variety to Spokane,” Mushwani said.

Kitty Klitzy, the city council member for the district, said the sign was paid for with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) relief dollars allocated to help businesses recover from the pandemic. “We had some ARPA relief dollars to help businesses recover from the pandemic, and one of the applicants was to have this sign for this business so that they can attract more folks from the street and have people know that they're here,” Klitzy said.

Mayor Brown described seeing the sign as the prompt for her visit. She said she and her husband noticed the sign advertising Afghani food and stopped to buy baked goods, rice and produce. The mayor used the anecdote to illustrate how visibility from the street can convert passersby into customers.

Mushwani said the sign has helped customers find the store from a distance, particularly when driving. “Some people when they come in, they say they saw the signs or they came in,” he said, adding that visibility from both sides of the street matters because the storefront lacked signage on one side.

Council Member Klitzy also highlighted recent street improvements and neighborhood events on North Monroe — including the ‘Meet Me on Monroe’ program — as part of a broader effort to support economic development in the corridor. She recommended residents try the shop’s freshly baked bread.

The visit concluded with Mayor Brown stressing that one-time federal ARPA dollars can be used to support small businesses and local business districts, and with thanks to Mushwani for speaking with city officials.

The city did not announce any new grants or formal actions during the visit; the remarks were presented as a local-business spotlight rather than a policy decision.