R.I.P. Raja and Rana’s

Twelve years ago, Raja & Rana’s pulled in $1.4M in revenue. But last year? Only $350k. What happened? Aren’t there plenty of buyers for palak paneer, potato and pea samosas, popped lotus seeds and the like? Sure, but now there’s a whole plaza of Indian stores across from Burlington High School, and there’s a huge national chain called Apna Bazaar, which just opened in Woburn. Another big chain will soon open at the former Bob’s Furniture location in Woburn.

For Ashwin Rathod and his wife Parul, the numbers just don’t work anymore. Income has dwindled while the cost of doing business has only increased. So the town’s original Indian grocer will close for good April 30, replaced by a Brazilian food store.

This spot is known to Burlington townies for its previous tenant, Dale Pharmacy, the town’s first drugstore.

It became Raja & Rana’s when Dharmesh Rana and his business partner moved into the spot around 2005. Alas, they went broke from their restaurant venture at the far end of the adjacent plaza, near Dunkin’ Donuts. Remember Butcher’s Pride? That’s the spot.

Enter the Rathods, Indian immigrants who had just sold Route 63 Country Store in Hinsdale, NH.

Why did they sell it? Mostly because they were tired of hawking so many cigarettes, even though the money was pretty good. It just felt like selling poison.

So they sold the store, moved to Billerica and bought Raja & Rana’s. They didn’t even bother changing the business cards to reflect their ownership. They’re too frugal and humble for that. The cards still show the original proprietor, who now lives in Florida.

What now? Rathod cannot retire yet. He must own a business in the USA for two more years to satisfy his work visa — or else he’ll be deported back to Canada. So he’s looking for a liquor store or convenience store to buy. He might be able to score a pretty good deal because business is NOT brisk lately. One big reason, he says, is that illegal immigrants aren’t showing up to buy things. They’re afraid of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), so they’re staying home. Their new shyness is not having a huge impact in suburbs like Burlington, but is indeed having a huge impact in cities, he says.