Andrew Morris is the co-founder of Sam’s Caribbean Marketplace, a beloved family-owned business serving the Caribbean diaspora since 1993. Born and raised in Jamaica, Andrew immigrated to the United States in the late 1970s and began his professional journey in publishing. But after settling in Long Island, he noticed a glaring gap—while Caribbean restaurants were on the rise, there were no Caribbean-owned grocery stores offering the authentic products so many immigrants longed for.
With no prior experience in retail but a deep sense of purpose, Andrew and his wife, Jean, launched Sam’s Caribbean Marketplace, naming it in honor of Jean’s late father, Sam. The business quickly became a cultural touchstone for the local community and has since grown into a nationwide resource for Caribbean goods—from groceries and beauty products to books and traditional takeout meals.
Now in its 32nd year, Sam’s continues to evolve, with Andrew’s daughter Melissa stepping into the next generation of leadership and the company’s newly revamped website, sams24-7.com, expanding its reach across the U.S. and beyond. Andrew remains deeply committed to preserving Caribbean culture and creating a home away from home for anyone craving the tastes and traditions of the islands.
Company: Sam’s Caribbean Marketplace
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Andrew Morris: Thank you so much for having me. My name is Andrew Morris, and I’m the co-founder of Sam’s Caribbean Marketplace — a family-owned business my wife Jean and I launched back in 1993, named in honor of her late father, Sam. What began as a small retail shop in Long Island to help Caribbean immigrants feel a little more at home has now grown into a cultural hub, offering hard-to-find Caribbean groceries, books, clothing, beauty products, and more.
I was born and raised in Jamaica and moved to the U.S. in the late ’70s. While I originally planned to return home after finishing college, I ended up staying and building a life here. I started out working in publishing, but I saw a real gap in the market — there were Caribbean restaurants, but no dedicated Caribbean-owned grocery stores in my area. So, I decided to take a leap of faith.
Over 30 years later, Sam’s Caribbean Marketplace continues to serve our loyal customers both in-store and online through our relaunched website, sams24-7.com. Our goal is simple: to keep the culture alive and to be the go-to destination for Caribbean products, no matter where our customers are in the world.
What inspired you to start your business, and what were the biggest challenges you faced in the early stages?
Andrew Morris: When I moved from the Bronx to Long Island in the early ’90s, I realized something was missing—there was no Caribbean-owned store in our area. I’d just gotten married, and as my wife and I settled in Hempstead, I saw a vibrant Jamaican community but nowhere for folks to find the products they loved and trusted from back home.
That spark really hit when a Jamaican Chinese restaurant opened nearby. It was always packed. And I thought, if people are eating the food, they’re going to want the ingredients too. I wanted to create a space where Caribbean people could come, feel at home, and be served by folks who actually understood the products and culture.
The biggest early challenge? Bureaucracy. Just before opening, we were told our permit had been rescinded due to an updated policy we weren’t aware of—despite already completing renovations and spending money on marketing. That unexpected red tape delayed our funding and nearly shut us down before we started. We had to plead with the mayor, navigate the zoning board, and go months without that bank loan we were promised. We were bringing in $100 a day but needed $800 just to break even. But we stuck with it, and little by little, the community found us.
At what point did you realize your startup was gaining traction, and what key strategies helped you scale successfully?
Andrew Morris: I’ll never forget the first time we hit $500 in daily sales. We literally popped a bottle of champagne in the store and left a mark on the ceiling.
But I think the real moment of traction came when we launched our first website back in 2003—on a clunky Windows platform, with zero experience. Still, we got two orders the day after the launch. That site eventually brought in over $400,000 a year in sales. It proved that there was a real demand not just locally but nationwide.
What helped us scale? Staying deeply connected to our community while embracing technology. And persistence—two years of planning, navigating red tape, and a whole lot of learning along the way. We didn’t start with tech know-how, but we had heart and hustle.
How did you approach funding and financial management during the scaling phase? Did you bootstrap, raise capital, or take another approach?
Andrew Morris: We bootstrapped everything. After the initial bank loan fell through due to that permit fiasco, we realized we couldn’t rely on outside funding. So we scraped by—leveraging every dollar, negotiating with suppliers, and putting everything back into the business. It wasn’t easy. But it gave us control. Every decision we made was grounded in survival, service, and sustainability. Looking back, bootstrapping forced us to be resourceful and deeply intentional with our growth.
What role did company culture and team building play in your growth, and how did you ensure alignment as you expanded?
Andrew Morris: Culture has always been central. We’re a family business, literally and in spirit. The store is named after my wife’s late father, Sam, and our daughter Melissa is now taking the reins on our digital strategy. That sense of legacy, of continuity—it’s our foundation. We make it a point to hire people who understand the culture, not just the products. If you walk into Sam’s, you’re greeted by people who know what the scotch bonnet is for, who’ve eaten bun and cheese at Easter. That authenticity fosters trust—and community.
As we’ve grown, communication and shared values have been critical. We prioritize training, storytelling, and making sure our team understands not just the “what” but the “why” of everything we do.
Looking back, what is one critical lesson you learned about scaling that you wish you knew earlier?
Andrew Morris: Hiring is everything. Finding the right people—and vetting them properly—can make or break your business. In the early days, I underestimated how critical it was to build a strong, reliable team. I’ve since learned that you can’t scale chaos. You need structure, you need trust, and most of all, you need people who care about the mission as much as you do. If I could go back, I’d put more energy into staffing early on. The right team turns challenges into opportunities. The wrong one can derail you before you even get started.
