Life & English: Russian shops in Sunny Isles Beach

Sunny Isles Beach is a city located on a barrier island in northeast Miami, Florida, the United States. The city is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Intracoastal Waterway on the west. Sunny Isles Beach is an area of cultural diversity with stores lining Collins Avenue, the main thoroughfare through the city. Sunny Isles Beach are known as destination sites where tourists soak up the sun and enjoy the beach.

In the middle of Sunny Isles Beach, when I was walking and shopping, suddenly I saw Kalinka, Matryoshka and Samovar on signboards and of the shops. Kalinka is the name of a famous Russian song. Matryoshka is the traditional Russian puppet. Samovar is a traditional Russian kitchen device, too; it is a boiler used to prepare large amounts of tea for big parties and family gatherings. They are standing on display at the front of a store that offers an array of Russian products.

Kalinka shop in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida.

The shopping plaza is a home of dozens of Russian-owned businesses. They include delis that serve traditional Russian food, real estate companies, tanning salons, pharmacies, cleaners, beauty salons and various restaurants offering everything from formal sit-down dinners to casual bar and lounge-type atmospheres. Russians have made a home for themselves in here in the past some years.

According to 2010 census data, Russians in Sunny Isles make up 7% of the population. In fact, on several tourist websites, Sunny Isles has been nicknamed “Little Moscow” in Florida.

Quy Minh