The Yak N Yeti International Market, 6385 Wadsworth Blvd., previously the Sultan Middle Eastern Market, has gone through a transformation.
“I came in one day and all expired food, that’s not good,” Bhattarai said. “I wanted to give people good quality and put in fresh items.”
Once a small, dark, struggling business along Wadsworth Boulevard, is now a cleaned-up, bright, open, steady business and extension of the Yak N Yeti brand.
“He has had the restaurant for a while and was looking for another business opportunity,” Yak N Yeti Brewmaster Adam Draeger said. “He knows Indian food, so it seemed like a logical business jump.”
Opened in the latter part of October, the international market offers a myriad of ingredients, Middle Eastern clothing, Nepalese gifts, pipes and more. Since opening, the market, the only Indian grocer in Arvada, has seen a steady increase, nearly double, in both the amount of customers and variety of items they’re offering.
“The market is different because it’s a Middle Eastern and Nepalese items, we keep it what people want and need,” Bhattarai said. “I want to know what people like, so I make lists, and bring it in — we keep changing.”
The Yak N Yeti brand has become a staple throughout Arvada. With an Indian restaurant at 8665 Sheridan Blvd., a restaurant and brewpub at 7803 Ralston Road, now with the International Market on Wadsworth, Bhattarai has added a third location as an extension of the Yak N Yeti brand — something he hopes to broaden and continue.
“I bought it because he, (the previous owner), wasn’t taking care of it,” Bhattarai said, “We might expand into a bigger Indian supermarket. I want to make it a success, and when you work hard, it becomes that.”
The Yak N Yeti International Market is open daily 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.