Kickstarter Campaign for Dupont Indian Grocery

Pansaari, an organic Indian grocery store try to set up near Dupont Circle, has started a Kickstarter campaign.

"My trouble is cost overruns with construction," says Pansaari's aspiring owner/operator Rano Singh on her Kickstarter appeal.

Pansaari seeks to open at 17th and Q Streets

Pansaari seeks $20,000 in pledges before the Kickstarter campaign ends on January 22. As of January 1, it has $2,235 in pledges.

Premiums on offer for low-level contributors include Pansaari mugs, aprons, and tote bags, plus free servings of chai and a chance to visit the store prior to its official opening. At higher levels, enticements include sit down dinners for six or eight, or recipes and tables at the establishment named in the contributor's honor.

On her Kickstarter appeal, Singh says: "The location is perfect, but the space is not. The space has been vacant for 4 years, and the costs of providing basic heating, ventilation, cooling, plumbing, and electric upgrades are far greater than my original estimate from a contractor. I am hopeful my landlord will reconsider, and help with making this a useable space."

If funding comes together, Pansaari will open in April in the basement of 1603 17th Street NW, in a mixed-use building at the corner of Q Street. The last tenant was the Club Chaos nightclub, which closed in 2008.

Rano Singh announced her intention to open Pansaari at a meeting of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2B/Dupont on November 13, 2013. See the SALM blog post of November 15, 2013, for more information.