When Sukran Kramer first came to the United States, she didn’t know where her life would take her or that she would fulfill the “American Dream.”
But years later, she has stood on her own two feet to open a business in York County — she said she’s trying to set an example for strong womanhood.
“I’m a woman, by myself and strong,” she said. “I tell people, if I did it, you can do it, too.”
Kramer came to the U.S. in 1980 after meeting her former husband through the U.S. military in Turkey. After years of working various jobs throughout military bases on the East Coast, she found herself working in housekeeping for the Langley Air Force Base Hospital.
Eventually she quit her job in 2005 and focused on raising her four children. While the work kept her busy, she said there was always something inside that told her she should start her own business.
However, she said she never found support for her dream with her husband and divorced him in 2017. In the years following, she started to realize that she could open her own business and she didn’t need the support of a man to do it.
“I knew it would be a challenge but I took all the money I had after the divorce and put it into this business,” she said.
Kramer opened Sukran’s Bazar in 2019 to sell Turkish products, such as purses and jewelry, and food.
Kramer said her store is different from “international” stores because it offers a much more specialized selection. She said international stores can be overwhelming with their products and that her store provides an “at home” Turkish feel.
There is also seating in the store where guests can enjoy some of the food tastings Kramer offers such as Baklava and stuffed eggplant. Cooking is one of Kramer’s favorite aspects of her work because she loves sharing her culture and passion with guests.
“I just love to talk to people about my food,” she said. “When they love it, I’m happy.”
Kramer said she didn’t want to open a restaurant because she wouldn’t be able to handle that level of work on her own and operating the business by herself was her goal. She said she had to start the business little by little, offering a variety of food tastings for people when she could.
Overall she enjoys telling people over her freshly made Kunefe pastry how she’s proud of what she’s created.
“I try to explain to people that I came from overseas and so [they] can do this too, it’s not going to be easy but you have to be strong,” she said. “I want women to know they can be strong and don’t give up.”
Kramer said she plans to continue growing her selection and customer base at the store. She said she recently created a “Turkish Coffee Corner” as a small area for guests to enjoy coffee and tea. She said she’s going to start preparing breakfast items next month.
In the past seven months her store has continued to sell Turkish-made products and has even started to feature hand-made Turkish lamps.
Her customers are the most important part of her business. She said she feels a sense of fulfillment when customers walk through her door and she can look them in the eye, knowing she’s providing a product that’s fresh and representative of her culture.
Kramer recently started to get regular customers who enter her store with a smile and say “Hey, Sukran!” with joy.
Some simply call her “Sue.”
“I’m so happy, this is my dream,” she said. “My friends tell me, ‘you’ve done it. You’ve always wanted to do this and you’ve done it.’”
York County’s Economic Development will hold a ribbon cutting at Sukran Bazar, 3301 Hampton Highway, at 11 a.m. on Wednesday.
