The feeling of being close to home just got a little stronger for East Lansing's Asian community as a new convenience store specializing in Chinese, Japanese and Korean foods opens in
Hannah Plaza.
Yiming Shao opened the doors to the Hannah Market at 4790 Hagadorn Road right before Valentine's Day.
"We have lots of store frontage and signage so we're not hard to find," says Shao of the store situated between GNC and Sultan's. "Lots of people go in and out of here every day, so we hope people can find us and get what they may be missing from their home country."
The Hannah Market will offer fresh produce, meats, frozen foods, sodas, snacks, and made-to-order smoothies and bubble tea. Many of the products come fresh from local farms, with Chinese and other Asian products coming from distributors in New York, Chicago and California.
Shao knocked down walls between three previously vacant suites to create the 2,950-square foot store. He also put in new ceilings and flooring and upgraded the lighting. New shelving and high-end freezers and coolers create a clean, bright feel, as do the vibrant green hues that permeate most every inch of the store.
"It's the theme of the store—go green," says Shao. "It ties in with the university campus as well as relates to healthy food, too."
Shao says his emphasis on a clean, well-lighted space reflects his desire to create a nice store with good, solid products that will make people want to come back and shop. The Hannah Market created five part-time jobs. Shao plans to add full-time staff as the store expands and offers more options such as seafood and bakery selections.
Source: Yiming Shao, Owner, Hannah Market
Writer: Ann Kammerer, News Editor
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