It was nine years into the 20th century when the son of an East Indian indentured labourer decided to set up shop along what would later become the bustling main street of San Fernando.
At a time when trading was dominated by persons from mainly the European countries, Nandlal, hailing from the village of Kaylass in south Trinidad, leased a plot of land for the princely sum of 15 dollars from Mr Robertson on May 10, 1909. Some 115 years later, the department store which he founded and which still bears his name, stands proudly along High Street, San Fernando, and became a household name to not only residents of the southern city but to customers living in Trinidad and Tobago.
With large industrial centres in the south of the island and limited shopping options outside of the main centre of San Fernando, shopping on High Street continued to serve communities in the south. The initial demographic of shoppers extended across the low-middle-high income categories. High Street was a hub of business, with a range of additional services such as banks, national companies (eg TSTT, WASA), groceries, nursing homes and hospital, cinemas (x2), taxi ranks and schools generating foot traffic to businesses on High Street.
We would like to celebrate the legacy of Nandlal & Sons by honouring those who made it a household name throughout the islands of Trinidad and Tobago – Balgobin Nandlal, Phyllis Nandlal and Dave Tikasingh – and we aim to bring Nandlal & Sons into the digital age with the addition of our online presence at Nandlals.com
Come and Visit us in store and online! We are always happy to see our loyal customers!