By Dahlia Liwsze
Many immigrant-run shops and restaurants in Centretown once catered to their own niche communities, but now other Canadians are increasingly frequenting their businesses.
Harvey Dhillon runs an Indian fabric shop on Bank Street. More of his customers are people who have never worn a sari.
“People are looking for fusion,” says Dhillon, the 25-year-old manager of Silky Touch,
which imports fabrics from all over Asia and Europe.
He says his products stand out from other fabrics in North American markets. “It’s unique, and the colours are richer than what you get in western countries. They’re much more vibrant.”
Specializing in fine and designer fabrics like silk and sheers, Dhillon also carries saris, jewelry and fashion accessories.
“Indian fashion, fabric, culture is really popular right now,” he says.
This is confirmed by the diversity of his clientele, most of which is non-Indian.
When Dhillon’s father, Tejinder, opened the original store on Merivale Road in October 1990, his focus was different.
“We started off selling more Indian ready-made clothing and naturally progressed to selling more international fabrics,” Dhillon says.
When he moved to Bank Street in 2001 he began targeting trendier shoppers.
While most of his clientele shop for clothing fabrics, Dhillon says sari sales vary depending on the time of year and the number of weddings.
Starting from $20, saris increase in price depending on their level of intricacy, fabric content, print qualities and embroidery.
“We provide a western culture focus business with an Indian twist to it,” he says. “We know certain styles appeal to people here, so we have to stay in that margin.”
Just down the street, Thana Stores owner Roger Guna says staying in the margin means providing Sri Lankan food to Bank Street folk that appreciate exotic fare.
He says many of his non-Sri Lankan clients at Thana Stores want a speedy yet different dish like basmati rice. The nutlike flavour of the rice goes well with curry. Other popular items are curry paste and curry leaf.
Specifically catering to Sri Lankans was not Guna’s intention for his business when it opened nearly 10 years ago.
“When we opened, we didn’t have much of a Sri Lankan community,” he says.
At the time, less than one-quarter of his clientele was Sri Lankan. Now they are the majority.
Tracey Vibert is not from the Middle East, but she aims to give her customers a taste of Arab culture.
The 35-year-old owner of TAV Creations has been teaching belly-dancing since 1998.
“It’s got this exotic twist to it. So, people will, you know, say, ‘Oh, I’m taking belly dancing,’ and everyone will go, ‘Oh, wow. That’s so cool,’” Vibert says.
At most, she has had two Arab students per session at Hopewell Public School for her Tuesday class or at the Old Ottawa South Community Centre on Bank and Sunnyside.
“They’re always dumbfounded by, why is it all these white people are doing belly dancing?” she says with a laugh.
But Vibert agrees there is mystery surrounding why so many of her non-Arab students are drawn to the dance.
“I’ve had people come up to me after class and go, ‘I don’t know. There’s just something about this where I feel like something more is happening than just the dancing,’” she says.
What drew Vibert to belly dancing in 1994 was its low impact nature.
“It felt right because I love to dance, but I didn’t like the heavy-disciplined ballet…. belly-dancing is much more individualized,” she says. “I just fell in love with it.”
A year later, she began performing under the name “Halyma” and says the energy she exudes when she dances is due in part to dressing up.
Dhillon, who sells fabric to belly dance teachers, says he is not surprised by the Ottawa’s adoption of immigrant culture.
“It just reflects Canadian society in general. People are looking for change, something different.”