Produce merchants say lease at West Side Market was unfairly not renewed
CLEVELAND (WJW) — Aiman Ebrahim has been selling fruits and vegetables at the West Side Market in Cleveland for 40 years. For the last 20, his wife Maha Mikhael has been by his side.
They said it's a business that has allowed them to earn a living and put their kids through school.
At the end of April, they'll have to clear out of their produce booth after their lease was not renewed.
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They said they're being targeted for being outspoken about certain issues at the market since the Cleveland Public Market Corporation took over leadership of the West Side Market from the city of Cleveland.
As that transition was happening, the merchants were switched from their year-long leases to month-to-month leases.
'Month-to-month lease — legally, they can put anybody out. It happened to be me because I always stand up for the right stuff,' Ebrahim said.
He and Mikhael don't want to leave the West Side Market and aren't sure how they'll survive moving forward.
'I feel like I'm going to have a heart attack soon. I [haven't slept] for one week. I have very bad anxiety, depression,' Mikhael said.
'Like hey, your career here is finished and go find a new way,' Ebrahim added. 'So, it's not easy.'
They said part of the reason they were given for the lease not being renewed was because of poor customer reviews through a program market leadership used called Snapshot.
However, Ebrahim suggested that they were targeted through that program for being outspoken. He added that they were docked for being closed for more than a month while Mikhael received treatment for a breast cancer diagnosis.
They added that any normal business will have some bad reviews, but they've successfully been there for decades without any problems.
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West Side Market's Executive Director Rosemary Mudry spoke to FOX 8 News about the lease for King Quality Produce not being renewed.
Mudry noted that it's not their policy to share any private information related to any of their merchants, and also acknowledged that change is difficult for anyone.
She said that they review every lease when it's up just like any normal landlord would.
'First and foremost, our role is to ensure that the market is as strong as it can possibly be and ensure that we are a home to merchants who are providing high quality customer service with great feedback,' Mudry explained.
She said all merchants have received feedback from the Snapshot program to get a better understanding of what's been observed in the first year under the Cleveland Public Market Corporation's leadership.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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