KEENE, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) A specialty grocery that brought the flavors of more than 30 countries to downtown Keene will close its doors in December, ending a venture that began with big dreams and a mission to connect cultures through food.

Keene International Market, located at 162 Emerald St., announced this week that it will shut down Dec. 6. Owners Chuda Mishra and Jennifer Carroll cited inflation, rising rent, and tariffs on imported goods as reasons behind the difficult decision.

“This wasn’t an easy choice,” the couple shared in a message to customers. “Economic pressures this year have made it necessary…You’ve made our dream of sharing authentic international foods with our community a reality.”

The business has roots stretching back to January 2021, when Mishra and Carroll first began offering international staples out of their home, with customers picking up orders outside Fire Dog Breads. By that fall, the demand was strong enough to open a storefront, transforming the small operation into a destination for global ingredients — from Indian spices and Nepali noodles to Japanese matcha and Peruvian produce.

Born in Bhutan and raised in a refugee camp in Nepal, Mishra moved to New Hampshire in 2009 before eventually settling in the Monadnock Region. His own struggles in finding familiar foods sparked the idea for the market. Carroll, a Keene native and organizer of the city’s International Festival, helped shape the store’s community focus.

Together, the couple curated shelves with products from Africa, the Caribbean, South Asia, Latin America, and Europe, while also introducing locals to Nepali street foods and encouraging customers to share food memories.

At its peak, the shop worked with about 30 vendors and stocked items requested by customers — everything from Lebanese olive oil to Egyptian flour. The store became a cultural hub, even offering a chance to play carrom, a traditional South Asian tabletop game.

But as global supply chains shifted and costs mounted, the challenges grew. Carroll said the store had been expanding steadily until this year, when rent hikes, inflation, and complicated tariffs made it increasingly difficult to keep the shelves stocked.

Despite the closing, Carroll praised the dedication of the market’s small team of employees who plan to stay through the final day. A closing sale — 10 percent off most products — began this week.