Asian market opens in Mt. Pleasant

Imagine different flavors from different asian countries in one asian grocery store, cool right? Read this article by Susan Field from themorningsun.com and it'll amaze you.

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Hoping to help international students at Central Michigan University and those in the Mt. Pleasant area who have a taste for ethnic food, Angela Mohanrajan decided to open a business.

Mohanrajan opened Shakthi Asian Grocery Store at 2157 S. Mission St. just more than a week ago.

Shelves at the store are currently stocked with Indian food staples, such as basmati rice, curry
leaves, an assortment of pickles, henna, garlic and ginger paste, pure coconut oil, ghee, dried beans, spices and ready-made food products.

Mohanrajan, who is from Mt. Pleasant, opened the business after a friend offered to finance the venture.

She had long wanted to open an Asian market in Mt. Pleasant.

“Our goal is to try to get Indian food as well as other Asian foods,” she said. “We want to supply ethnic foods to international students and people who are driving to Lansing and Saginaw to get the products.

Most international students don’t have cars, making trips to Lansing or Saginaw difficult at best, Mohanrajan said.

Mohanrajan hopes to eventually have prepared Indian dishes. Her business does not have a kitchen, so she is working with the owners of the Flour Uprising in Mt. Pleasant to see if she can make the dishes a reality.

She also is working on getting coolers in the store to carry frozen and refrigerated products.

Near the door of the grocery is a wide variety of Indian flour and rice in bags weighing as much as 10 pounds.

Mohanrahan said rice is a staple in Indian cuisine, especially in the southern region.

Mohanrajan said her goal is to provide Indian food products as cheaply as possible. She is asking customers to suggest products they would like the store to carry.

“It’s a work in progress,” she said, adding that she has already placed orders from the suggestion list. “We’re trying to keep up with what our customers want.”

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