After a year in business, local Indian grocer and take-out establishment Babbli Chan is leaving downtown Georgetown.
Owner Jasvir Sodhi says she's “very sad” to go because of the positive feedback from the community and how much the quaint Main Street reminds her of her former home in Coventry, UK.
“Back home in England, I was used to living in the same atmosphere,” Sodhi said, noting it's been an emotional time for her and the shop's customers.
“I sold it (the business) because I'm so busy with my farm."
Babbli Chan threw a farewell event on Saturday (April 13), which coincided with the Sikh festival of Vaisakhi. Free tea and samosas were offered to anyone who asked.
But fear not. Sodhi says that Babbli Chan will be reborn elsewhere. She owns a farm in the Limehouse area and wants to reopen the business there as a commercial kitchen and farm market.
As someone who juggles many projects, this was a logical step for Sodhi. She does community work with her gurdwara, coaches soccer and runs a care home in Owen Sound.
It's still too early to say with any precision what the new iteration of Babbli Chan will look like. But the community already has some idea about what sort of goods come from Sodhi's farm.
“We have garlic, we have okra, some potatoes, green peppers, Indian vegetables, everything. I have goats on my farm too,” she said.
Some of these items were sold in the Babbli Chan store at 92 Main St. S., but also during last summer’s farmers’ market.
“That was the best experience in my life,” Sodhi said of the market.
She noted her farm doesn't use pesticides and is working on acquiring organic certification.
No word yet on when this transition will occur. Sodhi is in the process of making her nascent business concept compliant with local bylaws, which is always a slow process.
The name Babbli Chan will carry on to the new iteration of the business as it holds special meaning. 'Babbli' was Sodhi's father’s nickname for her growing up, and Chan comes from his name, Chanan Singh Chahal. He was the one who instilled a community-facing spirit in Sodhi, often motivating her to give as much as 10 per cent of her earnings to charitable organizations like SickKids Hospital. This charitable ethos will carry on.
“God has given me enough. I’ll still do whatever I can,” she said.
