GREENFIELD — When war and civil unrest came to their home, they found new hope and life in the Midwestern U.S., the Albanian-American family said. Now they have a chance to live out their own version of the American dream, they said.
Since he moved to the U.S. 16 years ago, Mahi Shaqiri was always on the lookout for the perfect spot to run a restaurant with his family. He had his eye on the city of Greenfield for many years, but it was never in the cards for them to take the leap and move, he said. But now is their time, he said.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
Click here to purchase photos from this galleryThe Shaqiri family held the grand opening for the Greenfield Family Restaurant Wednesday. The warm greeting from its residents the past few days has made them feel right at home, said owner Mahi Shaqiri.
Formerly known as Riley House Restaurant, the eatery at 1020 W. Main Street was a popular greasy spoon joint in Greenfield for many years. In March 2015, the State of Indiana shut down Riley House Restaurant indefinitely following allegations that the owner Kimberly Lawrence had owed more than $350,000 in taxes dating back to 2006. The Riley House Restaurant had been operated illegally since 2012.
The Shaqiri family bought the building a few years later to open the Greenfield Family Restaurant. Run by Mahi, his wife, Hirmet, his daughter, Blerina and his son, Arbin, their All-American style restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with a menu featuring a little bit of everything, including a few Albanian-inspired dishes to offer Greenfield the same kinds of treats his grandma used to make, Mahi Shaqiri said.
“From my side, I’ll tell this: The Greenfield citizens, they give us a chance. They give us a chance, they see us, and they understand and know this is a family,” Mahi Shaqiri said. “I just wanted to find a place where I could settle with my family, and I always liked this place. I looked at other spots in other places like Bloomington, but (Greenfield) is my favorite town.”
Mahi Shaqiri said he has the US to thank for his business opportunities here. But he also has this country to thank for his life, he said; after the Kosovo War broke out in 1998, Mahi quickly began to see violence and destabilization come to his home country of Albania. A U.S.-led NATO Force, KFOR, or Kosovo Force, deployed to the region with a mission of suppressing hostility and threats against Kosovo by Yugoslav and Serb forces.
“Probably 20 years ago, I would be dead, if it was not for Americans,” Mahi Shaqiri said. “They saved my life, okay? That was 17 years ago. And after 17 years ago, and after 17 years ago, here I am in the states over here with my family, and all of us are American citizens.”
Mahi said in the years following the NATO occupation, he wanted to return the service. Thanks to his language skills, he was considered an asset for the NATO presence in the area, and he joined the U.S. Army Kosovo Force in the late 1990s, serving as a linguist and civic affairs specialist.
“The Americans wanted to make sure that the weak survive too, not just the strong,” he said.
Mahi Shaqiri obtained his VISA and eventually his citizenship through his service with the US Army. He was a citizen for 16 years till rest of his family finished the process of gaining citizenship themselves. The Shaqiri’s opened up their first restaurant in Harrison, Ohio, after they finally moved to America five years ago. But Harrison felt kind of like a dead town, said Mahi’s daughter, Blerina.
Harrison only had 7,000 people, so in comparison, Greenfield feels like a big city, Blerina said. After moving here, she’s enjoying working in a city that feels more alive, she said.
“If you want to be something or someone in the US, you have to love to work,” Blerina added. “Everybody works in here, but not everybody loves to work. I love working as a waitress for my family. And I like this town.”
Now that they’ve seized the opportunity to start business in Greenfield, things are looking up for them, said Arbin Shaqiri. Places like Greenfield and Harrison aren’t exactly New York City, so he tells his friends back home that America isn’t usually what they’d expect from the movies, he said with a laugh. There’s a lot more corn and soybeans than skyscrapers, he said. But there’s still plenty of excitement and opportunity.
“It was his dream to get this place,” Arbin Shaqiri said. “We’re all excited to see this place up and running again. We love that we’ve got a chance to continue the family tradition and let this place run for years and years.”
“I always say, I leave it to destiny,” Mahi Shaqiri said. “Wherever is for you, you’re going to end up there. This town I loved it before. Six years ago, I wanted to buy this place, but then was not my time to take it. But now’s our chance.”
