
Portrait by PHILIP B. POSTON/Sentinel Colorado
AURORA | Religious persecution forced Solomon Gurzhiev from the former Soviet Union into Aurora.
Solomon was an architectural engineer, turned butcher.
Before moving to Aurora, he suffered a traumatic eye injury working as an engineer. He eventually found work as a butcher in Tajikistan.

Photo by PHILIP B. POSTON/Sentinel Colorado
Moving to Aurora in 1989, he became a stay-at-home father before starting his own business. Gurzhiev opened Solomon’s Grocery and European Delicatessen in 2002 — bringing the taste of his old country to Aurora.

Solomon’s Grocery and European Delicatessen has a dessert case packed to the brim with a smorgasbord of tasty sweets. Pictured are a Napoleon and a cookie that is filled with caramel. Photo by PHILIP B. POSTON/Sentinel Colorado
Fresh fish is one of the several options available at Solomon’s Grocery and European Delicatessen. The Havana Street market offers a bevy of sausages, seafood and Eastern European delicacies. Photo by PHILIP B. POSTON/Sentinel Colorado
The Havana Street market sells fresh German breads, a large variety of sausages and seafood, more than 80 varieties of deli meat, pickles, cheeses, Eastern European snacks, and it boasts a dessert case not meant for the weak of heart.
Solomon’s Grocery & European Delicatessen is located in the Havana Square shopping center, at 1939 S Havana St, Aurora, CO 80014.
— Close-up by Philip B. Poston, Sentinel Colorado Photo Editor