05. Bashas'

The story of Bashas’ began when Najeeb and Najeeby Basha opened a store on Boston Street in 1920.  They had previously owned a store in Ray, Arizona, that had burned three times.  In 1932, their sons Ike and Eddie opened their first grocery store bearing the family name in Goodyear, now known as Ocotillo.  Workers at that first Bashas’ store pose at the checkout counters in the photo at right.

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Cashiers and stockboys take a moment to pose for a photo in the original Bashas' grocery

Bashas’ has always been a family business.  In the photo below, brothers Ike and Eddie stand at the grand opening of Bashas’ #3 in Phoenix in 1956.  The family nature of the business is best demonstrated by the spelling of the company name Bashas’, indicating that the entire family assists in the operation of the business.  Bashas’ is the largest family owned grocery chain in Arizona today.

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Brothers Ike and Eddie Basha, Sr., stand in Bashas' #3 in Phoenix during the store's grand opening in 1956.