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Article: Little India's merchants seek respect in Artesia.(Originated from Knight-Ridder Newspapers)
- Article from:
- Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service
- Article date:
- November 19, 1995
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1995 Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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ARTESIA _ Vinod K. Bhindi recalls his 1985 passage to what would become Little India.
``This area was dead,'' says Bhindi, whose family emigrated to the United States from Fiji. ``Pioneer Boulevard was mostly empty stores and old houses.''
Today, Bhindi presides over Bhindi Jewellers, the nation's largest retailer of 22-karat gold. His new store at 18508 Pioneer Blvd. rivals the jewelry showrooms on Beverly Hills' Rodeo Drive.
On the adjacent blocks between 183rd and South streets, an area dubbed ``Little India'' by its merchants, more than 100 businesses cater to Southern California's 600,000 Indo-Americans and a growing number of non-Indians.