A new business featuring South Asian foods recently opened near Lacey, bringing Indian, Nepalese and Pakistani groceries to Thurston County and drawing customers from a variety of backgrounds.
Suman Thapa, one of the owners of Namaste Bazaar, said he normally must drive to Kent to get certain items he wanted and said it was time to make these foods available further south.
The store opened its doors on Feb. 8, 2025. It has many Indian spices, snacks, produce and frozen foods. So far business is good, Thapa said, and they’re getting customers of all backgrounds — not just people from South Asia.
Priscilla Suazo is already a regular customer at Namaste Bazaar, coming once a week to get her favorite items like masala dosa and Nepalese candy.
“I would drive by and I would see them putting it together,” said Suazo. “I saw the posters go up, I saw the shelves go up, and I waited. And now I’m here every week. Well-stocked and polite manners.”
She said she and her husband had plans for a steak dinner, but he asked if they could have Indian food again, so she swung by Namaste Bazaar to get some things.
This is his first grocery store, but Thapa also works in real estate, has a salon in Tacoma, and is getting his master's degree in business analytics. Thapa is originally from Nepal and said the sweets are his favorite thing at Namaste Bazaar.
He chose the location at 7619 Martin Way E because it’s a high-traffic area. In the future he has plans to expand the business in some way, potentially making part of it a restaurant.
First though, he plans to focus on the grocery store.
“There will be a lot of changes in the first year for us,” Thapa said. “For us it’s a first experience big investment-wise. So far, it’s been a great response.”
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Snevets
Welcome and good luck. I look forward to shopping at your store.
Tuesday, March 25 Report this
mawoltjer
I am always glad to see new international grocery stores in our town. I hope that a restaurant is in the works! That is the best way for me to venture into new recipes and ingredients. All best wishes and luck!
Wednesday, March 26 Report this