New Asian-American Supermarket Attracts Big Crowds

H Mart, a 30-year-old supermarket chain offering Asian and American food products, has opened to much fanfare in the 37,000 square-foot space on North Central Avenue in Hartsdale left unoccupied by Pathmark.

Huge crowds jammed the store throughout opening day on March 23 and at times caused traffic backups at the Dalewood Shopping Center's entrance.

"We are dedicated to introducing Korean food to America and giving our customers the opportunity to enjoy quality Asian foods in their homes every single night," David Shin, corporate deputy marketing manager for H Mart, told Patch.

"We are so excited to be in the Hartsdale/White Plains region for the first time and look forward to many great years to come," Shin said.

The opening day ceremonies included Korean folk dancing, Chinese lion dancing and Japanese taiko drumming.

The new store offers Korean, Chinese and Japanese food, departmentalized by nationality, and carries many familiar American brands (such as Tropicana orange juice.) It offers a large selection of ready-to serve food and has a food court, a bakery, a live flowers center, a health/beauty and skin care section called Mona's Cosmetics plus a wide selection of Oriental noodles, rice, Korean side dishes, sauces, spices, dried food and prepared food.

A sampling of food items it offers:

• General grocery: A 5-pound bag of potatoes ($1.99) a dozen eggs ($1.50) a bundle of romaine lettuce (69 cents) an 8-ounce package of whole mushrooms (99 cents) an 8-pound bag of Sunkist navel oranges ($4.99) a 5-pound box of Clementine ($7.99) kabocha (79 cents per pound) Danya Edamame soybeans (2.2 pounds, $3.49) baskets of kiwi ($3 each) and a 99-cent pineapple.
• Apples and pears: Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, Grannysmith, Mackintosh, Pink Lady and Korean
• Eggplant: American, Chinese, Italian, Sicilian
• Seafood: Dried shrimp (8-ounce pack, $7.99) live blue crab ($1.49 per pound) live fluke ($13.99 per pound) Illex squid ($2.49 per pound)
• Meat: Beef heel ($4.99 per pound) beef eye round chuck ($4.99 per pound) chicken boneless thigh ($1.49 per pound)
• Housemade Korean rice cake platter ($12.95)
• Choripdong: 4 pounds of wild sweet rice ($3.99) 1.5 pounds of frozen common octopus ($5.99) 8 ounces of dried sliced squid ($5.99) mushroom and vegetable dumpling (buy one pound at $4.99, get second pound free)
• Hajoreum: Red pepper paste ($6.6 pounds, $10.99)
• Ohsung: Noodle soup, 3 ounces,12 in a box ($5.99)
• Samhak: 2.2 pounds of rectangle fish cake (buy 2.2 pounds at $4.99, get second 2.2 pounds free)
• Shirakiku: Imitation crab sticks (buy 1.1 pounds at $6.99, get second 1.1 pounds free)

The chain has 40 supermarkets in 13 states and also operates overseas.  Headquartered in Lyndhurst, N.J., H Mart was started in 1982 in Queens, N.Y.

H Mart is located at 371 North Central Ave. in Hartsdale. It is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. 914-448-8888. www.hmart.com