Far Away Places Imports on George Street Closing After 51 Years

A hand-carved wooden chest from China.

A miniature brass elephant from India.

A sterling silver bangle bracelet from Mexico.

A figurine of wandering minstrels from Peru.

The shelves at Far Away Places Imports are stocked with an exotic array of items cobbled together from every corner of the globe.

The bedazzling baubles, curious collectibles, and charming tchotchkes at this shop at 359 George St. transform the mundane exercise of window shopping into something of a fun treasure hunt.

Generations of New Brunswick residents have wandered these aisles in wonder, searching for something they’ve never seen before even as the inventory, if not the very face of the city, has changed.

This mom-and-pop shop, opened by Gian and Rozanne Jhamb in 1972, will be closing its doors at the end of February.

Rozanne, who has helped run the store with her daughter Lyn over the past five years since Gian passed away, said the building needs extensive renovation considering that a previous owner removed the stairs leading to the second and third-floor spaces. 

“I’m too old to handle all the zoning things and get the proper paperwork,” Rozanne.

As signs announcing a 50% off sale have been posted around the shop, longtime customers have begun to file in search of a bargain and to tell Lyn that they are heartbroken at the news.

That’s not surprising considering that many customers who’ve passed through these doors over the past 51 years have become like family - aside from the guy who years ago held up the place with a gun and was chased down a few blocks away by Gian.

So many customers would pour their hearts out about financial problems or ask him for relationship advice that Gian began to playfully refer to himself as The Psychiatrist of George Street.

“I don’t know what he had about him that people would just like to do that,” said Rozanne. “He would sometimes come home and say, ‘I had to give advice to the lovelorn today.’ Or there was the time someone came in and their mother had passed away and so he and the lady cried with each other.”

They probably picked up on the fact that Gian was just an easy-going man with a good soul. He was known to frequently engage his customers in marathon chess matches that were temporarily halted when other customers came to the register to make a purchase.

Far Away Places Imports had become such a central part of the downtown shopping district that two loyal customers – Judee Rasimowicz and Kevin Serentino – held their wedding in front of the shop in 1992.

“Their engagement ring and wedding bands were bought here, and he liked this store so much that he asked if they could have the ceremony here, too,” Rozanne said. “I went out and got some champagne and some cups because I knew they would have guests here.”

Far Away Places Imports was started on a whim. Gian was doing just nicely in his position as a junior executive at Nabisco when got the idea to connect with some associates in his native India who were exporting knickknacks like wooden elephants. Then he made connections with exporters in Mexico.

He and a few partners took the inventory and opened the first Far Away Places Imports in the old Loehmann’s Plaza in East Brunswick.

“Then we found about this space here in New Brunswick, and opened a second store,” Rozanne said. “At some point, my husband quit his job and made Far Away Places his life.”

Importing in bulk gave him enough inventory to grow to five locations, including one near Princeton and two others that Gian had franchised out.

But by 1982, the location in New Brunswick became forever more the one and only Far Away Places Imports.

Rozanne and Gian’s five children were practically raised in the store. When they got older, they would help stock the shelves or put fliers on car windshields.

The shop became a constant through life’s inevitable ups and downs. It's endured recessions, temporary closures due to COVID-19, and even Lyn’s car accident during her junior year at Rutgers.

She was in a coma for five weeks and intensive care for a couple of two months. She had to relearn to speak. She had three surgeries on her knee and three on her eye. The accident has left her with permanent cognitive injuries and a renewed appreciation for life.

“I feel lucky to be here,” said Lyn.

Many of the shoppers on a recent Wednesday afternoon were probably thinking the same.

Since word of the impending closing has spread, they have commented to Lyn how much they loved the store and how much they will miss it.

“It’s nice to hear what the store meant to them, but it’s bittersweet,” she said.

Story & Photo By: Chuck O'Donnell