Yellowknife adds second store for international foods

A new grocery store, Asian Grocery YK, opened in Yellowknife’s uptown last week.

It’s the second store specializing in foreign products to launch in the past month.

Asian Grocery YK is stocked with selections from the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Taiwan and India. A suggestion book is kept at the cashier desk to note down specific items that can be added to the inventory.

Narender Singh, Kamaljeet Singh and Anmolpreet Singh had been planning to set up business shortly after the trio moved to the city in May last year.

“There’s of course a need for getting these kinds of products here, because you can’t. The Asian community is becoming bigger and bigger,” Narender told Cabin Radio.

“We’re trying to put together whatever the basic needs are at the moment. That’s why we thought it was really important to have something that actually serves the community here in Yellowknife.”

The owners looked at several locations before settling on a space inside Center Ice Plaza. While the mall itself closes at 8pm, a back door allows Asian Grocery YK to remain open from 8am until 11pm daily.

Narender plans to have a special freezer for halal meats, which he said are shipped from Edmonton. Residents usually have to wait at least a week before they can get a hold of them.

Within days of opening, he said some rows inside the store needed to be restocked.

“There was an event going on at the Boreal Kids, so we opened up at 10 o’clock and there was a really big rush,” Narender said.

“We were thinking of just doing an opening ceremony between 10-11am and do sales [after]. But as soon as we opened up our doors, people went just right in.

“When they went back home, they shared the news with everyone else, too, and then lots of people just came through.”