Neighborhood market bound for Garden Highway in Yuba City

A new neighborhood market is coming to the vicinity of Garden Highway and Lincoln Road in Yuba City. Named G-MART, it could open as early as the end of the month.

The market will be operated by Shalu Bagga, owner of the Cigarettes City shop in the same retail complex, which will be absorbed into the market in the adjacent space, according to Victor Singh, Bagga's husband and general manager of the market.

Singh said G-MART would open at the end of December or the beginning of January.

"Basically, it will be a convenience store," Singh said last week. "It will be a neighborhood store, where people can get a little bit of everything. They can go and grab what they need."

Covering 3,600 square feet,the market will incorporate goods from the smoke shop — cigarettes, cigars, loose tobacco — with the "little bit of everything" of the convenience store: fried foods including chicken, soft drinks, ice cream, coffee, beer, wine, frozen foods, candy, snacks, cleaning goods, medicines such as aspirin, and more.

"You can call it a one-stop," said Singh."We are putting it there because there's nothing else around there."

He made it clear that a metal barrier will be erected to keep underage customers out of the tobacco section.

Asked if he was worried about how a new business would do in a poor economy, Singh said, "Not really, because people spend money — they need stuff."

Five or six workers will be employed at G-MARTat the outset, according to Singh, with more part-timers probably added later.

Baggu and Singh currently run three Cigarettes City stores: on Garden Highway, another on Colusa Avenue, and a third in Grass Valley.

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