A new mortuary, built with contributions from the Valley's Indian community, has opened near Fowler.

The Shant Bhavan Funeral Home and Crematorium is at 4800 E. Clayton Ave., near Highway 99 and Clovis Avenue. The facility's Indian name means "Peace House" in English, said Harry Gill, a Caruthers businessman and prominent leader in the local Indian community. The consul general from India's consulate in San Francisco attended the ribbon-cutting last week.

Dr. Boota Chahil, a Visalia physician, is the funeral director for the business, which conducted its first funerals earlier this year. The facility is equipped to serve the major religions among the Indian community, including Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists, but is available for people of all faiths, Chahil said.

The main prayer hall has theater-style seating for about 250 people; additional smaller halls can accommodate another 300 to 400 mourners, Chahil said.

Indian residents contributed about $4 million to build the new funeral home, which is modeled after one in Vancouver and others that help provide lower-cost funeral and cremation services for families. "The Indian community was in need here," said Chahil. "We went back and forth for years and finally we did it."

Details: (559) 834-3211.

Groceries and gas

Foods Co has opened another gas station at one of its Fresno stores.

The new Foods Co Fuel Center had its grand opening in February at the southeast Fresno store on the corner of East Kings Canyon Road and Chestnut Avenue.

"We know that our customers are busy and we believe that our new fuel center will provide one more convenience to the one-stop-shopping experience at Foods Co," said Bryan Kaltenbach, Foods Co president.

The fuel center has six gas pumps. It is open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

Customer who fill up on gas can also buy ice, soft drinks, candy and automotive products at the center.

Wine store relocates

The Grape Tray -- a popular wine store in Fresno -- has moved to the Opus One shopping center at the northwest corner of Palm and Bullard avenues.

Store owner Stan Kato moved the store after 22 years at the Gallery Plaza near Fresno and Shaw avenues.

Kato wanted a smaller location and found the Opus One space -- about 1,000 square feet --to be a better fit. His old location was about 3,100 square feet.

While he will continue to offer his customers a wide selection of wines, he decided to close the deli portion of his business, much to the dismay of some of his customers.

"It was not an easy decision, but the food business is very labor intensive, and with food costs going up almost every week, it was getting tougher and tougher," Kato said.

At his new location, Kato also benefits from increased foot traffic, something he didn't have before.

"You see people shopping from store and store and that is great for me and the other businesses," Kato said.