With more new Canadians arriving in Saskatoon, there's also an increase in the number of specialty grocery stores.
The need to fulfill specialty food requirements is a small part of the bigger picture for those people who now call Saskatoon home.
The Open Door Society of Saskatoon tells CTV News that Chinese, Indian and Filipino newcomers are the largest groups of new Canadians. Ukrainians are also represented.
Slavianka Ukrainian Store, on Eighth Street, was started by Nataliia and Igor Garmasar who came to Canada eight years ago with only $1,000 and four young children.
Fulfilling their Canadian dream was what drove them to open the store that primarily specializes in Ukrainian, Polish and Russian items. They are known for their imported Ukrainian and European chocolate.
They also pride themselves in being a meeting place and familiar meeting place for new Ukrainians to our city.
"Lots of people meet in our store and they become friends so it's interesting to see the connections," Nataliia Garmasar told CTV News.
They have a bulletin board in the store which has community events and other important information useful for those unfamiliar with the city.
They are just one of the many cultural stores in Saskatoon ranging from Middle Eastern to Asian, African and Mexican.
There are huge benefits to having stores like this in Saskatoon, according to the Open Door Society's Shabnam Chowdhury.
"It maintains the ties to their culture. It's also a place where they can gather and connect to their homeland. "
