Submitted by the Belleville Downtown District BIA
The newest business to open in downtown Belleville is Indra Grocery, a specialty grocery store that features an extensive assortment of Indian packaged foods.
Owner Vishal Shah came to Canada from India in 2016 to study in Toronto. He traveled to Belleville in 2019 to visit a friend and realized there was a need that wasn’t being fully fulfilled in the area. “During my visit to Belleville I attended a small gathering at Loyalist College, where students shared their experiences,” explains Shah. “Students mentioned they missed having a store where they could get a wider variety of spicy snacks and other items. From there I got the idea to open a grocery store.”
Situating in downtown Belleville was strategic. “After conducting some market research I decided to open the store in the downtown core because of the accessibility from Loyalist College, the environment and the proximity to residential buildings.”
Indra Grocery carries Indian spices, snacks, ready to cook curry, frozen naan and parathas, lentils, different types of flour, Indian sweets, and dairy products. They will be adding green vegetables, and bakery items, like breads, shortly.
