TMCnet News
Cotton Street chain doesn't forget the neighborhood: Indian immigrants who own three stores in a seven-block area in southeast Reading offer Polish, Latino and their own native foods.(Reading Eagle (PA) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Mar. 19--There might seem a vast cultural chasm between operating three food stores on Cotton Street and running an auto-parts business in New Delhi, India. But when Balbir Singh Chandhok immigrated to the United States about 15 years ago -- leaving his brother to run the auto-parts firm -- he worked in an Edison, N.J., convenience store. "That gave me the good experience in the food line," said Chandhok, 42, who on Jan. 1 opened his newest venture, Citi Food Market, at 1731 Cotton St. Chandhok, partnering with fellow Indian immigrants Harry Guleria, 40, and Raj Singh, 27, both city residents, transformed the 3,500-square-foot abandoned building -- once an oldtime movie theater -- into what he hopes is an attractive neighborhood market with more offerings than the typical corner grocery store. "We invested about $300,000 in a boarded property," said Chandhok, 42, an Exeter Township resident. "This is basically a bigger place and more variety." Chandhok and Singh also own the 1,200-square-foot Citi Food Market at 1523 Cotton St. in the former Konopelski's grocery store, purchased in 2004. Completing his Cotton Street triumvirate, Chandhok is sole owner of Citi Sub & Grocery Store, 10th & Cotton streets. Why southeast Reading? And why three stores in a seven-block stretch? Chandhok said his first purchase, the sub and grocery store acquired in 1996, just happened to be an abandoned storefront that was available. And the former Konopelski store still makes kielbasa, the Polish sausage sold by the former owners -- a popular offering in a neighborhood with a strong Polish heritage. Chandhok even left the original Konopelski's sign up as a reminder of its pedigree. "We also are immigrants," said Chandhok, adding that people coming to a new country often miss their native foods. The newest Citi Food Market carries a mix of traditional American, Latino and other ethnic groceries, including a few Indian specialties. The store, with frozen foods and a deli department, features brand-name and generic items. The partners said free deliveries are offered to city customers. Chandhok said the building previously had been used by a telemarketing firm. According to "The Passing Scene, Volume 8," by George M. Meiser IX and Gloria Jean Meiser, it was built in 1912 as the 425-seat Rex Theater -- one of many neighborhood movie venues throughout the city in the early 20th century. The theater is believed to have ceased operations around 1938. The partners hope to expand the Citi Food Market concept into other areas of the city and county, turning a profit with new stores while simultaneously improving neighborhoods by revitalizing abandoned properties. "The next expansion plan would be, instead of having our own store, franchising it out," Guleria said. |