Khatri recognized a demand in the city when he took over the grocery store from the previous owners when it was still through Indian Bazaar
Guarav Khatri and Neetu Neetu, a married couple from India, are the proud owners of the Indian Mart on Great Northern Road, currently the only Indian grocery store in Sault Ste. Marie.
Khatri recognized a demand in the city when he took over the grocery store from the previous owners when it was still through Indian Bazaar. “I realized we needed more choice for our customers,” he says. “India has a diverse population; everyone has different preferences,” reported Pipa News.
The store has expanded its range over the months and offers a wide range of food, snacks, sweets, spices, drinks and even hair products from all corners of India. “We have many items that our customers can’t get anywhere else in the Sault,” says Neetu.
As the Indian population continues to grow, Neetu explains that it’s important for people from their culture living in the Sault to know they can still enjoy the familiar tastes and smells of their upbringing. “They feel so at home here,” she says. “It’s a small town, so there aren’t many options for them.”
The owners of the Indian Mart order some of their products all the way from India, while Khatri also regularly travels to the GTA and picks up orders from various suppliers.
“We bring in products at the request of the customer,” says Neetu. “We’re taking feedback from customers to see if there’s anything we can do to make their purchases better next time.”
Khatri and Neetu say their business has grown since last summer, especially in recent months.
But the young couple’s journey to achieve this success was not an easy one.
Neetu was the first to arrive in Canada in January 2019 on a study visa, leaving behind her jobs as a registered nurse, midwife and professor – and for several months her husband and young son.
The family of three gained permanent residence in September 2021 and decided to purchase a property in the P-Patch shortly after. Khatri had actually worked as a manager for the former Indian Bazaar and felt more could be done with the grocery store. He decided to take over the lease on the Great Northern Road location and rename it Indian Mart in July 2022, followed by expansion and refurbishment efforts soon after
“Coming to Canada has been my dream since I was a kid,” she says. “I did my studies at Sault College in the care and administration program. As a student I was busy getting my nursing diploma. There were a lot of struggles I couldn’t have imagined since starting from scratch. There was a point where I wondered, why come here?” It was really hard.
Khatri and their son Hargun came to the Sault in May 2019 and the father fulfilled a number of different roles such as a gas station supervisor, Algoma Steel cleaner, bartender and security guard. Sometimes he worked 20 hours a day to make sure the family made ends meet.
“My husband has been dreaming of buying the grocery store ever since he moved here,” says Neetu. Neetu obtained her nursing license in May 2020 and has been working as an RPN in long-term care ever since. She also got a job as a nursing professor at Sault College and enjoyed working with students again. “Because I’ve taken my previous teaching experience and put it into practice here, I really like it,” she says.
The family of three gained permanent residence in September 2021 and decided to purchase a property in the P-Patch shortly after. Khatri had actually worked as a manager for the former Indian Bazaar and felt more could be done with the grocery store. He decided to take over the lease on the Great Northern Road location and rename it Indian Mart in July 2022, followed by expansion and refurbishment efforts soon after.
Today, the proud owners feel their store has become a fixture for newcomers and Canadian citizens alike.
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