New faces behind the counter at Lakes Market

Owners seek to settle in Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE — A lot of Ravi Singh's friends and family are in the gas station business.

So taking over Lakes Market on Broadway in September wasn't much of a stretch. Ravi and partner Satnam Singh bought the business and officially launched Sept. 11.

"I had an idea, so I was looking into this kind of business for a while," Ravi said. "Finally, we found this. It was a good location, a good town."

It's also the kind of business a person can stay busy in.

"This is something to interact with people," Ravi elaborated. "It doesn't get to be repetitive. Every day is a new day."

Originally from India, Ravi lived in San Jose, Calif., for about eight years, then spent two to three years in Seattle.

"We moved here when we bought the business," he explained. "It's right on the freeway, beautiful town, lake, and kind of not too small, not too big. Plenty of activity and close proximity to both Seattle and Spokane."

Ravi and Satnam are from the Punjab region in northern India. As a Sikh, Satnam occasionally wears a turban as an article of faith, Ravi explained.

Ravi hopes the business can be a "settling down" thing for himself. While Satnam moved with a wife and child, he is single.

Since taking over, the new owners have done some cleaning, and want to increase services and options, including a different coffee selection and expanded product lines. Ravi hopes to build friends within the community.

Responses are positive since the new owners took over.

"As they get to know us, it's becoming more and more interactive," Ravi said.

Satnam and Ravi employ three people.

"We just want to welcome (customers) here," Ravi said. "We would like them to feel comfortable coming in here. We'll try to do our best. We're trying to achieve what customers expect from us. So far, it's been wonderful. It seems like we've been here for a longer time."