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Business & Tech

CORRECTED*: New Indian Market Opens in Waltham

Waltham India Grocery still open.

The economic downturn is not stopping one local merchant from taking a risk.

Waltham India Market, a second location of the still operating Waltham India Grocery at 393 Moody St., has opened a few doors down at 315 Moody St. 

Store owner Yosuf Raheem said he does not yet know what he will do with the former spot.

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For now, Yosuf is focusing on staying competitive. He said he moved into the new location to stay competitive, but is not trying to corner the market for Indian groceries.

"We want to serve competitively," he said.

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The new 9,000 square foot store features six aisles-worth of fresh produce and spices, as well as a butcher and 20-lb. bags of rice.

Then the Kabab and Tandoor Indian restaurant, now at 699 Main St., as well as a food court is expected to move into the lower level by next month, said a spokesman for Raheem, Jamal Siddiqui. The store's official grand opening also will be held in January, according to Raheem.

In addition to Indian items, Siddiqui said the new location offers "a little bit of everything" -- for example, Chinese okra for $1.29 per pound and dairy products, such as milk and cheese. 

Raheem's challenge is succeeding in an increasingly competitive market for ethnic groceries. Since he opened his first Waltham market about 18 years ago, competition has moved in, including the Indian market at 425 Moody St. The New Apna Bazaar, a Pakistani and Bangali grocery store, is another competitor.

Raheem says competition and increasing demand for Indian groceries have motivated him since he opened his first location. The first Waltham India Market  was at 333 Moody St., which is currently the Metro PCS cell phone store. Soon after the first store opened, Siddiqui said, the Patel store moved in with a bigger store, so the original Waltham India Market moved a couple doors down into its 393 Moody St. location. 

Despite the competition, this is not the Raheem family's first crack in the business. Further afield, Raheem's extended family owns stores in Worcester, Braintree and Shrewsbury.

So far, the new store appears to be successful. Spokesman Siddiqui said that even though Waltham doesn't have a sizable Indian community, his customers also come from neighboring communities, such as Lexington.

The store is also something of a personal achievement, in another way, for Siddiqui himself: a student at Boston Architectural College, he designed the inside of the store, as well as the lower-level restaurant and food court. This is his first grocery store design and so far, he said he is happy with the layout. How do customers like the new location?

"They're falling on their heels [with satisfaction], " Siddiqui said.

[Editors Note: This story has been revised. An earlier version incorrectly reported that the market's former location is now closed. In fact, the location, at 393 Moody St., is still in operation.]

 

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