Sault’s Indian Mart helps international students feel at home
A taste of home can be difficult to find for many newcomers to Canada, but the new owners of the Indian Mart are doing their best to make it easier.
Neetu Neetu and husband Gaurav Khatri purchased the Sault’s only Indian grocery store in August.
Their goal, Neetu said, is ensuring everyone who steps through the doors finds something that reminds them of home.
“We have (an) influx of Indian students from different parts of India,” she said.
“Because India is a huge country, there is a huge multicultural and different religions. Everyone has their own taste so we were trying to build it under one roof.”
Khatri learned the business from the former owner as a store manager for a few months before the purchase was made.
Renovations came shortly after, allowing them to increase the number of items they sell and the variety.
In addition to the wide variety of Indian products, they sell items from Eastern Asia and Africa, as well.
Neetu said the reception to their changes has been great so far.
“Customers even tell us they see a huge difference when they used to come here earlier and then they come now, they’ll be like ‘oh wow you did an amazing job.’”
Monika Khandwal is a first-year student at Algoma University who was excited to hear about the store filled with items from her native country.
“It is really a joyful moment, you can say, to have something Indian which is not available in the city right now,” Khandwal said.
“And it’s our first semester -- we are not used to the things that are available here.”
The couple has even been known to take special order requests from customers, as they did for Riya Patel, another Algoma University student.
“Amul cheese is one of my favourites,” Patel said.
“I told Gaurav to bring the amul cheese for me, and he brought that product and it is over here… I was so excited to see it.”
Inflation has affected the Indian Mart like nearly all businesses.
The price of some items has increased, with others taking significantly longer to ship to the Sault -- as long as five months.
Rising costs came as a surprise to Khatri, but he said the strong customer base they have has helped.
“People are coming here,” he said.
“They are appreciating the business because they find everything that they need.”
The pair said they have fallen in love with the Sault and the residents.
Though adapting to winter is still an ongoing struggle for Neetu, she said they’re glad to be in the city and add to its multicultural fabric.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.
Djokovic needs medical attention after getting knocked on the head by a water bottle at Italian Open
Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after apparently getting knocked on the head by a water bottle after a win at the Italian Open on Friday.