I guess this would be a good time to talk about what H Mart actually is, since it's probably not a big household name. They're a Korean-focused (but their selection seems to be more generally Asian) grocery store chain based in New Jersey, but for reasons I've never quite been able to figure out, the locations in Washington and Oregon are a completely separate chain that the main H Mart doesn't seem to like to acknowledge, connected in name only. I've heard a few times that our H Marts aren't nearly as good as the ones elsewhere, but this is the only H Mart I've ever visited, so I can't make any comparisons.
H Mart has a pretty large presence in Houston with 3 locations here, but I've never been to one. I didn't realize that the NW H Marts are operated separately than the rest of the chain. The H Marts around here seem pretty nice. Here is one, a Super H Mart no less at least according to the signage, in a wealthy part of Houston that faces stiff competition from the neighboring 99 Ranch Market and also a nearby Krogway, the Kroger of the Villages in Hedwig Village. Link: https://goo.gl/maps/Qpb66NcBNH2t4JMZA
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Krogways, take a look at this former Safeway Marina store in Fresno, CA. Take a close look at the interior photos...specifically the aisle markers. I think I see the Kroger Script decor there! It's a bit odd for a little bit of Kroger decor to make their way into a pretty neat looking old Safeway Marina store! Link: https://goo.gl/maps/WUumEELpQagVRrtv8
It's interesting that Barnes & Noble is at the Pavilions Centre because B&N is in the retail news here in Houston. The W. Holcombe & Buffalo Speedway location here in Houston, which is neighbored in the shopping center by Randall's and it's in a wealthy area of Houston, is currently liquidating and will close for good in a couple of days. B&N is saying that they wished to stay at the center, but the landlord would not renew their lease. Who knows if B&N was lowballing their renewal offer though and the center's owner rejected that. It's hard to say. I think the Randall's at the center will be okay since they just renovated that store to Colorful Lifestyle v2 in late 2020 or 2021, but it's hard to say for sure. I can't imagine the center's owner would want to get rid of a supermarket anchor though so I think Randall's will be okay. But, yeah, with some of the recent Half Price Books closures in Houston, the loss of a B&N now is a tough blow for Houston's bookstore scene.
That store does look nice! I thought this store seemed pretty nice too, but I'm very much unqualified to evaluate Asian grocery stores. 🙂
DeleteThat's a cool store! I believe I've seen pictures of it before, but never noticed the Kroger aisle markers. They must be from a Ralphs, since script decor was pretty common there.
I've been noticing a lot of weirdness with Barnes & Noble lately -- they've opened several new locations locally over the past few years, but also closed quite a few (without an obvious connection in terms of one store directly replacing another). I'm not really sure what's going on with them.
Florida is getting its first H Mart later this year, opening in western Orlando. I don't know what affiliation the Florida H Mart store will take on (I guess with the main New Jersey brand, unless the various far-flung locations tend to operate semi-independently of each other). It seems like H Mart will be an interesting store, as the new Orlando location will be opening up in a former Super Target, so it will probably be quite large!
ReplyDeleteWow, and I thought this store seemed large for what it is! I believe the main H Mart company owns all of them except for the Washington and Oregon stores (H Mart Northwest) and two in Colorado (H Mart Colorado), but I'm not completely sure of that because the various different H Marts don't seem to acknowledge each other.
Delete