Do you want to go to a local event that supports small businesses near you? Souq Social, affectionately nicknamed The Souq, is an event that happens two times every month. One time in Dulles Town Center, which is located in Sterling, and another time in Lorton VA, this event began on July 12th, 2024. The word Souq originates from the Arabic language translating to market, and of course, the second word speaks for itself: bringing it all together creates Souq Social. Highlighting small businesses that sell clothes and food in Virginia is their specialty. According to their website, souqsocial.com, Souq Social was born “to create a dynamic and inclusive marketplace that brings together diverse vendors, artisans, and service providers to showcase [the Muslim] community’s unique foods, products, and services”.
One of the many vendors that promote their business at The Souq is SLICED. They are a family business that sells halal cold cut, nitrate free, deli meat. They operate their business in a commercial kitchen located in Chantilly, usually taking orders online. The owner of SLICED was inspired by “the origin of paypal as they didn’t like how people were making payments, just like how we didn’t like how people were selling deli meats”. At local events, they sell their deli meat along with exclusive sub sandwiches of your choice. Their menu first consisted of tandoori chicken, herb crusted chicken, roasted beef, and turkey, but as their company grew, so did their menu. “People should come to SLICED because we put quality and care into everything we make,” said Qandeel Wasim, one of the workers at SLICED.
Another vendor that often sells their delicacies at the Souq, is a small business named The Sweet Spot. They make their sweets upfront and fresh with a portable fryer. Selling mini donuts with many flavors, toppings, and drizzles is for what they are commonly known. According to one of The Sweet Spot owners, “It’s the kind of food you want to snack on no matter the time of year or day.” However, they also have many flavors of freshly squeezed lemonade for you to try, such as their original, strawberry, watermelon, and raspberry.
One of the latest additions to the Souq is a small business named Khayal Apparel. Khayal Apparel is meant to appeal to Muslims teenagers, but all people who have interest in their clothing line are welcome to purchase and wear the apparel. This business is run by two college students who make streetwear apparel with Arabic words that have strong meanings and connections to the owners. The word “Khayal” translates to “imagination” from the Arabic language, resonating the fact that these two Muslim college students hope to make a name for themselves. “I’ve always wanted to start my own business; so when the idea came, I went after it, and doing it with one of my closest friends made it even better,” said Nebel Chohan, one of the founders of Khayal Apparel.
Social media has its ups and downs, but for local small businesses like these, it’s very useful. Through the use of social media, businesses such as Souq Social are able to constantly stay engaged with the community and events happening in the Northern Virginia area, ensuring value through customer interactions and product. For instance, The Sweet Spots customer engagement had skyrocketed because of this social media. At first, they started off as a small donut business, trying to sell their delicacies and make a name for themselves into a well known business Using the the social media presence of The Souq Social helped grow their business, so the owner of The Sweet Spot “would definitely recommend it for anyone who is planning to start a business”. Souq Social use social media to keep the Northern Virginia community updated on other upcoming social events, such as food trucks or stalls that will be in the area and when. 
Souq Social has many people who attend and return regularly of all ages and backgrounds. Every element about Souq Social is what makes it special and makes people who attend want to come back. There are many activities for small children at The Souq and usually there’s a field behind the stalls where some kids play soccer or run around. The engagement between the customers and business owners alike is apparent. Therefore, this bi-monthly event captures the significance of what it means to come together as a community and what it means to support one another.
Photos taken by Aahil Lodhi.
