Immigrant Entrepreneur Award Narrative for Rajiv Gurung

Gurung Bazaar

From Exile to Empowerment – A Refugee Entrepreneur’s Story of Rebuilding and Belonging

Rooted in Resilience

In a modest storefront on South Grand—lined with sacks of rice, bright spices, and snacks from faraway homelands—you’ll find more than groceries. You’ll find a story of quiet strength, family devotion, and a dream reborn through resilience.

Rajiv Gurung’s journey began in Bhutan, but unfolded across borders and decades. Displaced as a child, he spent 16 years with his family in a refugee camp in Nepal—growing up in limbo, but never losing hope. In 2008, the Gurung family resettled in St. Louis through the U.S. refugee program. They brought little more than determination, work ethic, and a desire to rebuild.

A Lifeline Through Business

In 2010, Rajiv opened Gurung Bazaar, an international grocery store named in honor of his family’s name and cultural heritage. It quickly became more than a store—it became a lifeline. For newly arrived immigrants and refugee families, it offered not just ingredients from Nepal, Bhutan, Africa, or the Caribbean—it offered belonging. A place where you could speak your language, be seen and understood, and find comfort in the familiar.

Rebuilding After Tragedy

But in 2014, tragedy struck. Gurung Bazaar was destroyed in a fire during civil unrest following the Ferguson protests. For Rajiv, it was not just the loss of a business—but the loss of everything he had worked for since arriving in the U.S. Yet once again, he did not quit. He rebuilt. Shelf by shelf. Brick by brick. Community support—and his own resolve—carried him through.

Creating Community, One Customer at a Time

Today, Gurung Bazaar stands as a cornerstone for Dutchtown’s immigrant communities. It is a vibrant business, but also a social connector, a place of mentorship, and a resource hub. Rajiv has quietly supported new arrivals, young entrepreneurs, and families in need—through jobs, referrals, kindness, and steadfast presence. His story is not only about surviving hardship—it’s about turning hardship into a home.

A Celebration of Spirit and Strength

As we present the 2025 Immigrant Entrepreneur Award to Rajiv Gurung, we honor more than a business owner. We honor a community builder, a cultural ambassador, and a living testament to the power of refugee-rooted entrepreneurship. His life reminds us that starting over doesn’t mean starting from nothing—and that hope, paired with hard work, can create spaces where everyone belongs.

Award Certificate Wording

Immigrant Entrepreneur Award 2025

Presented to

Rajiv Gurung

Founder & Owner of Gurung Bazaar

In recognition of your extraordinary journey from exile to entrepreneurship—rebuilding from a refugee camp to create a business that nourishes, welcomes, and uplifts the immigrant communities of St. Louis. Through courage, resilience, and care, you have built more than a store. You have built belonging.

Awarded by the Neighborhood Innovation CenterDecember 10, 2025