India Market: Flavor a 15 minute walk away

photos and story by Doyle Moeller

doyle moeller / KA LAMAKUA

Owner Shereen Khan takes pride in his market, and intends to expand.

doyle moeller / KA LAMAKUA

INDIA MARKET
2357 Beretania St.
Mon. - Sat. 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Sun. 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
(808) 946-2020

If you lament the lack of spice in your life, a taste of Mumbai is a mere fifteen minute walk from UH Manoa. 

From the moment you walk into India Market on the corner of Beretania and Isenberg, the aroma of curry and exotic spices will surround you. A quick walk around will reveal that the store, while small in footprint, is large in both stock and variety.

Owner Shereen Khan says he takes pride in offering a variety of exotic and hard-to-find goods.

“We have things from mostly India, but also Pakistan, Lebanon, the middle east, Fiji and New Zealand,” says Khan.

Khan had a good reason for choosing the University/Moiliili area as the location for his spice shop.

“There’s a demand here for an ethnic grocery store,” says Khan. He says that students are a big part of his customer base, and with everything being so compact in town, it’s easier to get the customers for a niche store like his.

doyle moeller / KA LAMAKUA

Arabic is a common sight at India Market: about a
third of their imported products are from foreign brands.

Pragmatism may well be Khan’s defining characteristic. Born in Fiji, Khan has been in Hawai’i for thirty-one years, and after opening his store in 2004, he immediately subscribed to the pragmatic theory of business: listen to your customers.

Khan says his customers have a lot to do with what ends up on the shelves. Customers can inform Khan or his wife, who tends to the store regularly, if they would like a product supplied in the store. Khan brings in a test case, and if it sells, he keeps it as a regular item. If not, he sells it to the person who requested it by the case.

doyle moeller / KA LAMAKUA

Indian candy is sold alongside Western
favorites like Snickers bars for a snack bar
that anyone can appreciate.

One would think that this would be enough, but Khan insists on having a variety of goods available, not just those traditionally sold in grocery stores, like exotic clothing, medicine and hygiene products.

India Market even rents out Bollywood DVDs for those who seek variety in all realms of life, not just in their food.

Khan, however, is not just content with what he has now – he has plans for the future. Though he just relocated his store to his Beretania Street location ten months ago, he’s already planning his next move.

“We’d like to open stores on the neighbor islands, and a snack shop here [on Oahu] somewhere,” Khan says.

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India Market is located on the corner of Beretania Street and Isenberg Street (2357 Beretania St.), and is open seven days a week, Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. They can be reached at (808) 946-2020.