Located in between the El Sobrante Post Office and Mike’s Appliances, at 521 Appian Way, you will find Kumar Food Mart. This convenience store, as owner Pawan Kumar likes to point out, provides relief for the driver dealing with the traffic congestion that often develops in the triangle area of Appian Way.
At one time this property was United Gas & Food but Pawan isn’t interested in selling gasoline. Though he does sell propane, Pawan is totally focused on providing a quick stop for cold drinks, munchies, lottery tickets, beer and wine. He also carries things you may not expect to find. I was able to find cranberry sauce on a Thanksgiving day that I couldn’t find anywhere else.
Growing up in India, Pawan specialized in electronics repair but really wanted more opportunity, so he moved to Italy to work and live with a cousin for 10 years. Later a brother-in-law encouraged Pawan to come to El Sobrante, where he came to work at J&A Market for Renjit Babu. When the opportunity arose to set up his own store at his current location, he jumped on it.
When he opened his doors for business a few years ago Pawan he turned a shell of a building into what it is today. And he is continually looking to improve things. Whether he’s resurfacing the floors or making changes to the building facade, he’s always working on something.
Pawan lives in El Sobrante with his wife Prem Lata, son Rohit, daughter Mitu, and his mother Radha Rani who has recently moved here from India. Congratulations to Pawan Kumar for being the Business of the Month for May, 2019.
