How a small business has brought snacks from around the world to Lincoln Park 

If you walk into any Walgreens, CVS or Target, you are bound to find a handful of different brands and flavors of chips and candy. But, you may not see truffle-flavored Lays, guacamole Takis and strawberry shortcake Kit-Kats. 

Epic Snack Shack, located at 2558 N. Clark St. Photo by Erin Gessert.

For these unique flavors, one would have to stop by Epic Snack Shack in Lincoln Park, located at 2558 N. Clark St. This international snack store’s inventory consists of products commonly sold in China, Japan, Turkey and Canada, and has been open since November 2023.  

The phrase “kid in a candy store” symbolizes the atmosphere of walking into Epic Snack Shack, yet you will find much more than your typical candies. 

Upon entering, one will discover the dozens of unique snacks filling the store with a multitude of colors. Each aisle is dedicated to certain snacks; there are multiple aisles stocked with different flavors of chips, another aisle with chocolates and candies and an aisle with beverages. The unique flavors spark curiosity and pique interest in customers, who wonder, “What do Thai sweet chili chips taste like?” 

Epic Snack Shack sells beverages like Pepsi and Fanta, yet, the flavors are one-of-a-kind, including Fanta White Peach, Pepsi Raspberry, Crazy Grape Fanta from Japan, as well as Skittles-flavored drinks. 

Co-owners Ali Zaidi and Fuaad Ahmed were introduced by a friend to the concept of exotic snacks, which are largely sold through online markets. 

“A lot of people like to feel the products, so we thought it was a clever idea to introduce exotic and international snacks to the retail market,” Zaidi said. 

Combining the interests of unique snacks and anime, Epic Snack Shack also sells Funko Pop! vinyl figures, which line the walls of the business. These collectible figurines feature pop culture characters, such as those found in Star Wars, Dragon Ball Z and South Park, as well as real-life people like NBA athletes. 

Zaidi explained that owning Epic Snack Shack fulfills a personal desire, as he likes to expand his palate by trying new snacks. 

“I’m a big snack person myself, and a lot of us, we don’t really like going to Walgreens or 7-Eleven for the same little snacks and the same experiences, you know. I feel like every day you should have a new experience, so, with snacks, you can walk into a store and have unlimited experiences,” Zaidi said. 

Throughout the initial phases of opening the store, Zaidi described that the biggest challenge was meeting the deadline of opening in November to ensure that the Clark Street location would remain theirs. 

From organizing each item throughout the various aisles to painting the decorations on the storefront, the co-owners expressed that they worked tirelessly to get the store ready for opening day. 

“You sign a lease, you gotta pay the next month’s mortgage, so we tried really hard to open up the store on time,” Zaidi said. “We had a lot of guys working, and we got it done.” 

In the six months since opening, Zaidi and Ahmed have remained committed to stocking the store with different products once an inventory order is ready to be placed. Rather than consistently re-ordering the same products, the co-owners like to expand their inventory by searching online to see what snacks have gone viral and order those. 

Display of snacks at Epic Snack Shack. Photo by Erin Gessert.

“I like that it’s always changing. When things run out, get new snacks. I never knew the world has so many different types of snacks,” Zaidi said.  

Coming up with new and exciting inventory decisions has not been difficult, as customers who may have visited or are from another country often offer suggestions to Zaidi and Ahmed, who take them up on these choices. 

“The biggest advice we get is from customers. Customers tell us what they like. Sometimes, they’ll go to a country and say, ‘Hey, get us some oregano chips.’ I’ve never even heard of oregano chips, so then I’ll try to research where I can get some,” Zaidi said. 

Researching where to obtain specific products online and establishing international connections has been a significant part of owning Epic Snack Shack.  

“Some of these things we go directly to the country where we will find companies that are located locally in that country, establish a relationship and wait two months for the product to arrive to us,” Ahmed said. 

Another way they stock their inventory is by using wholesalers, who may have products from two or three different countries and can guide the co-owners through the various items they can purchase. 

Planning ahead is crucial to placing inventory orders. Delays and month-long waiting periods are common because the products arrive from other countries. 

“It’s just that it takes time for it to arrive. So we have to plan several months ahead,” Ahmed said. 

Zaidi explained that an order from China took longer to arrive once because the country was celebrating Chinese New Year. 

“That delays our order, but eventually it does get here,” Zaidi said. 

However, the wait is worth it. For Ahmed, seeing customers’ excitement when seeing the different products makes owning a small business even more fulfilling. 

“I love getting the reaction from customers, that, ‘Oh my God, what in the world? Holy smoke, they have this, like these.’ That’s just the coolest thing for me,” Ahmed said. 

One Wednesday evening, customer Jackson Schreiber stopped into Epic Snack Shack in search of a unique gift for a friend’s birthday. 

“I thought that instead of just getting the normal candy, this would be just a good wrinkle, something special for a gift,” Schreiber said. “He likes candy a lot with toys. So I thought this would be a good place to check out.” 

After browsing the store in search of a unique candy, Schreiber decided upon Turkish sour gummies. 

As Epic Snack Shack remains committed to providing Chicagoans with one-of-a-kind snacks, the co-owners described their business as a popular talking point within the community. 

“I think it’s just been kind of the best-kept secret in town,” Ahmed said. “Like everybody that comes in here, they’ll tell one next person, next person, ‘Hey, have you heard about that? Check it out.’” 

Header by Sofi Martinez