Namaste Indian Grocery owner Amal Dev Mahadevan stands in front of his store after it suffered serious fire damage on July 28. Dev Mahadevan will reopen the business later this month at the Woodlawn Plaza in Dartmouth. Photo by Tim KrochakArticle contentAfter overcoming the shock of losing his business to a fire, the owner of Namaste Indian Grocery is moving forward with a new location in Dartmouth.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentOn Wednesday, Amal Dev Mahadevan announced the Indian grocer would relocate to the Woodlawn Plaza, approximately two kilometres from the store’s original home on Gaston Road.Article contentArticle content“My mind was blank for the whole week,” said Dev Mahadevan of the fire on July 27 at the Gaston Road location that also destroyed two other buildings and left several people displaced.Article contentArticle contentWith the help of friend Ribin John, a local realtor, he was able to find a suitable spot to set up shop at the Woodlawn Road location.Article contentWork is underway to get up and running as quickly as possible to help support his four employees and be operational ahead of the Onam festival from Aug. 17-28. An opening date hasn’t been set.Article contentDev Mahadevan said the Woodlawn Plaza location should lend itself to a quick turnaround to house the new Namaste.Article content“It used to be a grocery store, and there is structure already there, like shelving,” he said.Article contentHe said there will be some issues stocking the new store and that customers should expect a soft opening.Article content“Restocking is a hard thing right now,” said Dev Mahadevan. “Everything went up. The container price, the product price is going up, and there’s a shortage of products, too.Article content“It’s not easy from the beginning to order everything and fill up enough, so we are trying our best to cover everything pretty much, but not in a large quantity. We will fill everything when we can.”Article contentArticle contentArticle contentGaston Road location is like homeArticle contentDev Mahadevan said the timing of the fire couldn’t have come at a worse time for his business, which was becoming a hub for the Indian community.Article content“We had been almost five and a half years there. The business was getting the customers and was very successful on Gaston Road,” he said.Article content“We had a lot of walk-in (customers) when we opened the store. At the beginning, there was not much of an Indian community around that area. Right now, you can see a lot of people have moved to that area because of the store.”Article contentDev Mahadevan is saddened to leave the Gaston Road location that he opened at the age of 22. He said that he and his girlfriend, Sona Jose, did most of the work on the old store themselves.Article content“In the beginning, I even slept in the store lot, working the whole night. Gaston is a different feeling,” he said.Article content“The landlord is like a best friend, and I didn’t feel like I’m renting a place. It was like a home.”Article contentCustomers have been supportiveArticle contentDev Mahadevan said he has had support from the community as he prepares the new location for customers.Article content“Adapting to the new location at Woodlawn Plaza is a bit challenging, but it is not too far from Gaston Road,” he said.Article content“Everybody is waiting and has been supportive. We have customers coming not only from Dartmouth, but all the way from Antigonish and Truro. They’re eager for the store to reopen.”Article content
Namaste Indian Grocery to rise from the ashes in new location at Woodlawn Plaza
