Twelve years later, the store had evolved to include standard mass-market groceries and gourmet/specialty foods alongside the organic, natural-foods fare it carried when it first opened.

Barsamian's was so successful that developers approached him two years ago about opening a second location--a move that proved to be fatal for both stores.

Barsamian decided to open a location in the Cambridgeside Galleria mall after representatives of New England Development, which owns the Galleria and several other malls in Greater Boston, suggested the venture.

Barsamian began to gather his resources. Friends and relatives chipped in. Veteran employees trained the newly hired. Barsamian transferred inventory from the old store to the new.

In the midst of preparations for the new store, Barsamian received some disturbing news about the Lechmere department store, located near the Galleria.

"We started construction, and one morning I'm reading the paper and I see that Lechmere is closing," Barsamian said.

Worried that the loss of Lechmere would cause a drain on the number of customers at the mall, Barsamian consulted his contacts at New England Development. According to Barsamian, they told him they had been unaware of the situation. By now, it was too late for Barsamian to change his mind.