Our Story

Sudha’s Emporium is a globally inspired gourmet, gift, and home decor boutique. The owner, Shanti Venugopal, had a lifelong aspiration of owning her own business. From childhood, she witnessed what is like to own and run a business as well as have a healthy work-life balance by spending time with family. Shanti realized owning a business was in her blood after watching her father own his own medical practice from childhood. 

Shanti got the inspiration for the business idea from something she saw the area was lacking after Shanti and her husband moved to Corning from New Jersey 11 years ago. The young couple would frequently find themselves traveling long distances from Corning to stock up on our favorite ethnic ingredients either back home visiting family or going to Rochester. Parent’s visits to provide sorely missed tastes of home often necessitated them bringing the proverbial “kitchen sink” to make something special in the absence of a convenient nearby location to provide the needed sundries or cultural amenities to help bring that sense of family and warmth to their new homestead. 

After the birth of her second child, Shanti decided that it was time to follow her dream and open a globally inspired gourmet, home decor, and gift boutique.