A Morning Behind the Counter

In January, two Southside Stories trainees, Destinyi and Micah, spent two Saturdays at Ze Mart with mentor Amy Toensing, cameras in hand and ready for a different kind of challenge: capturing the steady rhythm of a neighborhood store where everybody seems to know everybody. Alongside Ze Mart worker Kelvin Jackson, the trainees photographed customers coming and going, quiet exchanges at the counter, and the regulars the who come by just as often for conversation as for groceries and a slice of pizza.

Ze Mart is more than a convenience store. It's become a cornerstone of community on the South Side, known for its hot food counter, with chicken wings and burgers keeping neighbors coming back, and for Jackson, whose warmth draws people in just to talk. That same spirit shaped the day for the Southside Stories trainees, who practiced building trust with their subjects and working candidly in a busy, ever-changing public space. Jackson already understood that power of photography firsthand. He has built his own photo collage of Ze Mart regulars as a small act of encouragement amid the harder realities his community faces. Their faces visible throughout the store replacing ceiling tiles and portraits on the wall.

A pedestrian crosses South Salina Street toward Ze Mart on a cold rainy morning in Syracuse, N.Y., on Jan. 17, 2026. Photo by: Micah Orieta

Kelvin Jackson stands behind the counter at Ze Mart, a convenience store on Syracuse's South Side, on Jan. 10, 2026. Photo by: Destinyi Fernandez

Portraits taken by Kelvin Jackson hang among the ceiling tiles at Ze Mart, with a patron visible at right, on Jan. 10, 2026. Photo by: Micah Orieta

A woman helps a child reach for an item on a shelf inside Ze Mart on Jan. 10, 2026. Photo by: Destinyi Fernandez

A woman's arms hold an assortment of drinks inside Ze Mart on Jan. 10, 2026. Photo by: Micah Orieta

A man poses in front of the counter at Ze Mart on Jan. 10, 2026. Photo by: Destinyi Fernandez

A man poses in front of a Pepsi cooler inside Ze Mart, opening his jacket to show a chain and shirt underneath, on Jan. 17, 2026. Photo by: Destinyi Fernandez

A woman gives a peace sign for the camera inside Ze Mart on Jan. 17, 2026, as other patrons move through the store in the background. Photo by: Micah Orieta

Teens are reflected in a convex corner mirror inside Ze Mart while waiting at the counter, with a sign advertising coffee and cappuccino visible at left, on Jan. 10, 2026. Photo by: Micah Orieta

Ahmed, known to regulars as "Uncle Ahmed" or "Pops," pauses from cooking in the hot food prep station at Ze Mart on Jan. 10, 2026. Photo by: Destinyi Fernandez

Kelvin Jackson, seen in profile from over his shoulder, interacts with patrons across the counter at Ze Mart on Jan. 17, 2026. Photo by: Micah Orieta

Two children pose in front of the counter at Ze Mart on Jan. 10, 2026, one blurred by motion; an adult approaches the counter at left and Kelvin Jackson is visible in the background. Photo by: Destinyi Fernandez

Kelvin Jackson reaches over the counter at Ze Mart to hand candy to a young boy on Jan. 10, 2026. Photo by: Micah Orieta