Entrepreneur Thampipillai Thilakarajah, or "Thampay," says he found a "sweet spot" with his 10th boutique grocery store, the Alki Urban Market.

"Every day I hear from the neighborhood that I have the right stuff," says the 44-year-old Sri Lankan-born man, enthused with an unintentional pun.

His eye was on that spot at 2820 Alki Ave. S.W. since 1998 when, he says, he offered to buy the existing Alki Market for $300,000, but the owner walked.

"The building was real old," he recalls. "Then they tore it down and built this beautiful new building with a market. That market had charm, but I think it did not carry the 'right' items for this neighborhood." That was his polite way of saying "not up-scaled enough." He also viewed it as "too large, with too much overhead."

That market closed. The building divided into three rental spaces, and the Cactus Restaurant opened on the corner, followed by All the Best Pet Care.

The 1548-square feet of space offers upscale food and drink, and is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. Some staples like bread, cereal, milk, and fruit surround the center island of wines. The dessert counter boasts gourmet chocolate truffles, pettifores, and cheesecake slices. The deli offers fresh sandwiches, salads, and of course, coffee is served. There is seating, and an automatic teller machine, too.

"My father was a big-time tomato and potato grower and wholesaler in northern Sri Lanka," said Thilakarajah. "I learned the import business from him, then from a mentor, an Irish man, who was my boss where I worked in wholesale in New York City. I flew to Yakima to export apples back to Sri Lanka."

He says the local folks he dealt with in Yakima taught him a lot.

"They made me so excited about the business. I learned so much."

He also met his wife during that time, but not in Yakima.

"In 1997 my parents sent me a photo of her, and I thought she was beautiful. I flew back to Sri Lanka to meet her for the first time, and an hour later we were engaged," he says with a grin. "She helped me get started in Yakima. We lived in a Motel 6 for the first month."

Their business blossomed, but then faded several years later, when New Zealand, China, and other countries began exporting their apples to his native country, he says.

Not to worry. They now live with their two sons, 5 and 10, in fashionable Medina,

When you enter the Alki Urban Market, managers, Yong Youn, and his wife's sister, June Kim, both from Korea, will probably greet you. Youn ran a drycleaner in Enumclaw, and Kim was a poker dealer in Las Vegas. They plan to be partners with Thilakarajah once they learn the business.

Sonny Abila, who works a few doors down at the Bamboo Bar & Grill, is becoming a regular customer.

"All the people at our bar are real excited to have a place to walk to for lunch, or even just for a bag of chips," he says.

Baby sitter Jessica Schiewek takes care of twin one-year-old girls nearby.

For more information, check out www.seattleurbanmarket.com

Steve Shay may be reached at steves@robinsonnews.com