LYNN — Harshil Patel, a 22-year-old Lynn resident, and his wife, Rossi, eloped last year because they couldn’t afford a wedding.
Now, after purchasing a $1 million ticket from All in One Convenience on Essex Street last month, Patel and his wife are investing some of those winnings into that wedding they missed out on.
Patel, a Lynn English High School graduate, plays the lottery often, or about every other day, but on Sept. 6, he decided to switch things up and purchase a more expensive ticket, a $30 “200X” instant game, with hopes of winning a higher amount than usual.
Patel went into All in One Convenience and purchased the ticket while his wife was waiting in the car. When they got home, he scratched the ticket and revealed the huge prize.
“Trust me, a lot was going through me,” Patel said. “Things were about to change.”
In addition to paying for their wedding, Patel is also planning on investing some of the money into opening up his own business. He’s leaning toward opening a liquor store, as his plans are to be an entrepreneur.
Patel is studying health science at North Shore Community College, and plans to finish up there and transfer to another college as a pre-med student.
He said winning the cash — he accepted a one-time payout of $650,000 — has felt like a huge weight has been lifted off of him.
The couple is planning a trip to go to India. His parents are Indian, but he was born in Africa. He’s lived in Lynn since he was 5 years old.
Patel and the owner of the store where the ticket was purchased agree on one thing — All in One Convenience is a lucky place for lottery customers.
“A lot of people, they win, and they say this is a lucky store for them,” said Padam Gajmer, the store’s owner. “People win a lot of money here. We do good business.”
Gajmer said the $1 million ticket was the first the store sold, but a lot of people win big prizes such as $1,000 or $10,000.
The store will receive a $10,000 bonus for the sale of the ticket, but the winning ticket has helped in other ways.
“Because of the $1 million ticket, we’re selling a lot and doing good business with other items as well,” Gajmer said.
