Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 8/16/2022
AMHERST – The Mill District’s newest addition brings Indian, Arabic, Pakistani and Chinese foods, spices and other goods to the Riverside Park located at 19 Montague Road in North Amherst.
Big Basket Market opened on Aug. 1 and is family-owned and operated. Riswan Raufdeen and his wife, Fathima Riswan, moved from Sri Lanka 17 years ago to Amherst where they now live with their son, Khaalid and daughters Raeesha and Rafha. The store also sells bamboo plants and Asian jewelry while offering deliveries according to a press release from the Mill District. Deliveries of at least $100 to a 5-mile radius will be free and can be placed by calling the store at 230-3494.
“It’s very convenient for the students, the international students,” Raufdeen said in an interview with Reminder Publishing. “They’re always going too far away to Springfield or like Connecticut.”
Raufdeen said it was also local immigrants and friends and family in the area that were forced to travel long distances for traditional groceries. He said he has also met longtime residents from north and south Amherst that have enjoyed what he offers and told their friends.
“They’ve been very happy to come here and it’s different,” Raufdeen said. “Different spices and very different products. When I opened on Aug. 1, I see a lot of immigrants that like it so much, they love it. They say, ‘We’ve been looking for this kind of store close to here, now we got it.’”
The Mill District was established by ninth generation Cowls family members Cinda and Evan Jones. Cinda Jones, now president of W.D. Cowls and visionary of the Mill District, said that the market brings exciting international tastes and experiences to the surrounding businesses.
“The Riswan family has an incredible selection of spices and foods to try,” Jones said. “My favorite so far is the frozen onion dough pancakes that you fry in a pan and end up with something that looks and tastes like a filo tortilla. It’s mouthwateringly yummy.”
Jones said they have been putting an emphasis on building “a compelling mix of shopping destinations.” She mentioned the General Store and Art Gallery with a variety of items and gifts along with shops like The Closet, Graze Craze, Provisions and upcoming cafés and a cake shop.
“We’re making The Mill District a gourmet foodie destination,” Jones said. “We’re so excited for people to come check us out. Grab a raft and a picnic basket from the General Store, fill the basket up with goodies from our gourmet shops, and head to Puffers Pond for a floating lunch. You cannot beat a day in The Mill District. Food, fun and fashion on the edge of the outdoors.”