Shhhh...Moody Street is the bomb
Don't tell anyone...I don't want my rent to go up
from Boston Globe

Someone else apparently noticed that you can get everything from Guiness to Halal meat to pork rhinds to quesadillas w/chorizo all within about 3 blocks on Moody St. I'm telling you, this place is taking off.

Walk a few blocks of Moody Street and you'll cross four continents. Nearly a dozen ethnic markets now complement the diverse mix of restaurants on downtown Waltham's main drag.

''In the past 10 years, they have blossomed tremendously there," said John Peacock, executive director of the Waltham West Suburban Chamber of Commerce. ''Moody Street is a popular place. Success draws people."

Read the whole article below.

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http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2004/04/08/walthams_world_on_a_street?mode=PF

Waltham's world on a street
Ethnic markets offer diversity

By Emily Sweeney, Globe Staff, 4/8/2004

At La Chapincita Market, the cashier and customers are gathered around a counter, glued to a Spanish soap opera on TV.

Across the street, drum beats resonate inside the African Market, where the Ugandan flag hangs in the back, and goat meat and fried corn are sold along with brightly colored clothes and CDs from African artists like Ragga Dee.

A few doors down, a haze of incense smoke fills Botanica San Miguel, where statues of Jesus, Mary, and assorted saints line the shelves.

Walk a few blocks of Moody Street and you'll cross four continents. Nearly a dozen ethnic markets now complement the diverse mix of restaurants on downtown Waltham's main drag.

''In the past 10 years, they have blossomed tremendously there," said John Peacock, executive director of the Waltham West Suburban Chamber of Commerce. ''Moody Street is a popular place. Success draws people."

Since 1980, the number of Waltham residents born in Asia, Africa, and Latin America has more than tripled, according to the US Census. Meanwhile, the number of European natives has fallen.

Paul Ursino, owner of Salem Delital Italian Food & Specialties, has had a front-window view of the transformation. Ursino opened his shop 29 years ago.

Wearing a white apron, his grayish-blond hair slicked back, Ursino pummels cutlets wrapped in wax paper on a huge wooden block, as he hums along to a young Tony Bennett crooning on the radio: ''I found my way . . . for love came just in time. . . . You found me just in time."

Two small Italian flags stand atop the deli counter, the glass cases below filled with salami, sausage, and countless kinds of cheese -- sardo, locatelli, Romano, parmigiano reggiano, gorgonzola, and of course, mozzarella. Rows of chocolate eggs wrapped in colorful foil await Easter baskets.

''I don't do great business from the sidewalk, street traffic," said Ursino, 55. ''Most of my customers come from all over, the other side of Waltham, Newton, Wellesley, Weston, Watertown."

His father opened the business in 1964 on Salem Street in the North End.

''I can't picture myself doing anything else," said Ursino, flashing a smile.

While Salem Delital is one of the oldest ethnic markets here, Indus Valley is among the newest, having opened just four months ago.

Wearing a button-down navy blue shirt and gray pants, Suraj Ponniah unpacks wooden boxes of South Indian goods. Large white freezers preserve frozen mango slices, tapioca with fish curry, and shredded coconut. Metal racks are filled with boxes of Masala Khari biscuits and cloth bags packed with rice.

The 28-year-old entrepreneur received his master's degree in business from American College in Madurai, India, and moved to the United States in 2000. He lives in Framingham with his wife, Grace, and their 3-year-old daughter, Rina.

Ponniah said his customers come from as far away as Maine and Connecticut.

''These are specialty products that make customers feel at home," Ponniah said. ''We still work hard to keep ourselves a specialty store, where people can buy rare products."

Behind the counter, next to the videos and DVDs produced in South India in Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, and other languages, Ponniah pointed to the rows of colorful plastic cards hanging behind the counter. ''And phone cards. Everyone has phone cards."

Emily Sweeney can be reached at esweeney@globe.com.

Moody Street highlights

1. Dragon Connection Martial Arts Supplies

337 Moody St.; 781-899-2227

Specialties: sells martial arts uniforms, weapons

Where to find: nunchucks and throwing knives

2. K-2 Market

359 Moody St.; 781-891-0235

Specialties: Pakistani and Indian groceries

Where to find: banana nectar; bags of spices such as fenugreek seeds and papdio kharo

3. Waltham India Grocery

393 Moody St.; 781-899-6016

Specialties: Indian groceries, fresh vegetables

Where to find: luggage

4. New Apna Bazar

395 Moody St.; 781-893-4816

Specialties: Indian, Pakistani, and Bengali groceries

Where to find: Shahi sandalwood talc

5. La Tienda

420 Moody St.; 781-547-6729

Specialties: Spanish snacks, CDs, magazines

Where to find: jars of Napolitas tender cactus

6 & 7. La Chapincita Markets

(two separate stores)

424 & 428 Moody St.; 781-894-9552

Specialties: Latin American food and gifts

Where to find: piatas, sombreros

8. Indus Valley

South Asian Groceries & General Goods

434 Moody St.; 781-893-6688

www.indusvalleyonline.com

Specialties: South Indian food and movies

Where to find: frozen entrees such as tapioca with fish curry

9. Salem Delital Italian Food & Specialties

468 Moody St.; 781-893-9874

Specialties: Italian products, bread, cookies, pastries, deli meats and cheese

Where to find: baccala (salted cod fish, a Sicilian dish)

10. African Market

481 Moody St.; 781-736-9008

Specialties: music, clothes, jewelry, and food from Uganda

Where to find: large loofah sponges, even bigger pumice stones

11. Botanica San Miguel

Articulos Religiosos/Consultas

707 Moody St.; 781-647-0425

Specialties: religious statues, candles, incense, and oils

Where to find: good luck candles

posted by prof_booty | 12:01 PM