Kalustyan’s is a shop located at 123 Lexington Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, that originally sold primarily Middle Eastern spices and foods and, increasingly, an extensive selection of culinary products from around the world.[1] Established in 1944[2] by Kerope Kalustyan, an Armenian from Turkey, it sold Turkish and Middle Eastern spices, dried fruits, nuts, oils and grains, when the neighborhood was largely Armenian.[2][3] In late 1960s and 1970s, when New York become home to a significant number of Indians, Kalustyan’s expanded itself to cater to the Indian market, while bringing out its own brand of chutney and mango pickles.[3]
History
Presidential town house
The building was originally built for Chester A. Arthur, in the 1860s. He was inaugurated President of the United States on an upper floor, and he signed the Civil Service act there. After his death, it was sold to a young William Randolph Hearst, who ran the New York Journal from there. During the 1910s, the inhabitants of the neighborhood became less wealthy and white.
Little Armenia
Kerope Kalustyan came to the US in the 1940s from Istanbul to export steel to Turkey, but the business was unsuccessful. He turned to import food products from the Middle East and India. The location was at the time known as Little Armenia.[4] In the 1920s, about eight thousand Armenians lived in New York City and the center of their community was Lexington Avenue and 23rd Street.[5] With rising prosperity, the Armenian community gradually moved elsewhere, with Kalustyan's the most visible relic. Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral (East 27th Street between Second and Third Avenues) and gold-domed St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral (Second Avenue and 34th Street) still stand in the neighborhood [6]
Emergence of "Curry Hill"
Migration of Indians increased in the late 1960s and 1970s, and Kalustyan's came to be well-regarded as a store for Indian spices.[7] The store became a popular place for Indians to meet. As many Indian immigrants opened their own spice and sweets stores in the neighborhood, followed by Indian restaurants, clothing, art and appliance stores,[3] the neighborhood, known primarily as Murray Hill, was nicknamed "Curry Hill" aka "Little India".[8]
Current business
Kalustyan eventually sold the shop to John Bas, a relative and employee. In 1988 the Kalustyan’s store was purchased by Bangladeshi businessmen Sayedul Alam and Aziz Osmani, who transformed the shop from an Indian/Armenian/Turkish store to one with over 10,000 food products from over 80 countries, and added an eat-in café/deli on the second floor. Bas later founded the Kalustyan Corporation, a New Jersey–based importer.[9]
Kalustyan’s is frequently mentioned by food writers in The New York Times[10] and by celebrity authors such as Martha Stewart,[11] Padma Lakshmi,[12] and Madhur Jaffrey.[13]
See also
References
- ^ Besonen, Julie (December 11, 2015). "Holographic Studios and Kalustyan's Cafe in Kips Bay". The New York Times.
- ^ a b Schrambling, Regina (July 10, 2009). "In Curry Hill, Variety- And Bargains- Abound". Edible Manhattan (6).
- ^ a b c Howe, Marvine (August 25, 1985). "Rising rents threatening 'Little India'". The New York Times.
- ^ Patel, Bhavna (March 17, 2014). "Little Armenia, New York". The Armenite.
- ^ Rodakiewicz, Erla, ed. (1920). Foreign-born: A Bulletin of International Service, Young Women's Christian Association of the U.S.A. National Board. Division on work for foreign-born women. p. 15.
- ^ Sagsoorian, Paul (March 8, 2012). "Growing up as an Armenian American in New York City Between the Two World Wars". Ararat.
- ^ Doctor, Vikram (January 13, 2012). "Kalustyan's, a not-so-Indian shop creates niche clientele among Indians in New York City". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017.
- ^ "Murray Hill - The Peopling of New York City: Indian Communities". Macaulay.cuny.edu. May 14, 2009. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
- ^ Schrambling, Regina (April 20, 2016). "Expanding the Borders of a 'Disney World of Food'". Voices of NY. Archived from the original on June 29, 2018. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
- ^ Ickeringill, Nan (August 7, 1963). "Food: Unusual Grocery; Reminiscent of a Middle East Bazaar, Store Has a Variety of Whole Grains". The New York Times.
- ^ "I Love Shopping at Kalustyan's!". The Martha Stewart Blog. April 27, 2011.
- ^ Killian, Cynthia (September 17, 2000). "Currying Flavor At Kalustyan's". New York Post.
- ^ Jaffrey, Madhur (October 27, 2015). Vegetarian India: A Journey Through the Best of Indian Home Cooking. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 9781101874875.