Vishnu Dutt Sharma, fashionable former owner of Cedarhurst clothing store, has died

Vishnu Dutt Sharma, a devoted father and husband who left his native India and opened a women’s clothing store in Cedarhurst as part of a decades-long career in New York’s apparel industry, has died.

Sharma, a resident of the Kensington neighborhood of Brooklyn, was surrounded by family when he died Thursday at Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital in Oceanside from complications of coronavirus infection, relatives said. He was 84.

The married father of three children is remembered as a man who loved his family very much and instilled in them a robust work ethic and a never-give-up attitude.

“He was a very loving father. He showed his affection very clearly. He loved to hug others and was … an even more loving grandfather,” said Gan Sharma, Vishnu Sharma’s eldest son.

Vishnu Sharma was from New Delhi, India, and, according to family members, attended Kurukshetra University, where he studied philosophy.

After completing his studies, he married his wife Shanta, 86. The two met when she was visiting a cousin in Sharma’s hometown, the family said.

“When she saw him, she knew immediately that this was it,” Gan Sharma remembers his mother saying. But Vishnu Sharma needed more.

When he saw her walking down a street, he decided to accompany her home. They were married for 62 years and had two other sons – Adhi, 56, and Ami, 53 – in addition to Gan Sharma, 61.

Vishnu Sharma later received a visa to the United States – his philosophy degree was considered “extremely desirable” at the time, the family said.

And so, in 1969, with only $8 in his pocket, he left India and headed for New York City. On his second day in the United States, Sharma saw the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in person, according to his relatives.

During his first days in New York City, Sharma lived in a YMCA in Manhattan, then in a studio apartment in Brooklyn with a roommate. And one Fourth of July, he brought his then family of three from India: two young sons and his wife, and eventually moved them to Kensington. The couple’s youngest son was born in the United States.

Sharma took on several jobs but eventually found his place in the garment industry. He was well-dressed and noticed when a garment was poorly made or a suit was badly cut.

“He always dressed very smartly and was very fashion conscious, so it just seemed to be his passion,” said his middle son, Adhi Sharma.

Vishnu Sharma eventually began working as a wholesaler, selling goods to department stores such as Lord & Taylor and Bloomingdale’s, the family said.

Sharma eventually opened Vingami’s, a women’s clothing store in Cedarhurst. He named the store after the names of family members. The store sold blouses and dresses, among other items.

He opened two similar stores in Manhattan – one on the Upper East Side and another in the Financial District.

The businesses were somewhat successful, but were eventually closed and Sharma retired.

One of his greatest accomplishments was putting his three sons through college. Gan Sharma is retired from the tech industry. Ami Sharma is an advertising and marketing consultant in San Antonio, Texas.

Adhi Sharma, president of Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital in Oceanside, described his father as “strict but with a big heart.”

“We’re all very family-oriented. I think that comes from both my parents and that was always a central core of our time with him,” Sharma said.

In addition to his wife and three sons, Vishnu Sharma also leaves behind grandchildren. The funeral took place on Sunday in Ronkonkoma. Sharma was cremated, his family said.

Education: Howard University

Tiffany Cusaac-Smith joined Newsday in 2023 after working as a race and history reporter at USA TODAY, where she wrote business and headline articles examining how the past shapes the present. Previously, she worked as a race and justice reporter at the USA TODAY Network of New York, covering issues such as criminal justice reform, housing, environmental justice, health care and politics. At The Journal News/lohud.com in Westchester County, she covered Yonkers, the state’s third-largest city. She also worked at The Associated Press in Atlanta.

Awards and prizes: Criminal Justice Reporting Fellowship from the National Press Foundation; New York News Publishers Association Award for Outstanding Investigative Reporting; contributed to reporting for the Best of Gannett award; member of Table Stakes, a program to transform local news funded by the Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund and administered by the American Press Institute.