SALT LAKE CITY — After opening over 100 locations across the U.S, the state of Utah now has its very own H Mart.
Early Friday morning, the popular Korean American grocery store welcomed its first customers to its new building in West Jordan at 1442 West 9000 South, the site of the old K-Mart.
The Utah store is so new, it was not even listed on the company's website as of Friday. Despite not appearing "official" on the internet, the location was packed as shoppers searched for foods not often found in other markets.
This first Utah location boasts everything under the sun from Korean snacks, a variety of kimchi samples, to-go lunches like beef short rib rice bowls, Korean fried chicken and sushi. There's also an impressive selection of fresh fruit like yellow watermelon and golden kiwi. The new store also has a meat and deli area, a selection of notebooks and pens, swag for your pets- just in case your cat needs some cool sunglasses. And if that wasn't enough there's a variety of rice cookers and appliances. You can even find some Hello Kitty Toilet paper.
For West Valley City resident Chrissy Oveson, the opening of H Mart was a special occassion for her family.
"I know there are H Marts located in other cities and not Utah, so coming here and seeing how big this store is, my family and I are ecstatic," Oveson said. "It gives the Asian community more opportunity to see different products that we offer and even other cultures to be able to come here and shop and see what other cultures offer."
H Mart began in Queens in 1982, and has since grown to become the largest Asian supermarket chain in America. Stores features an enormous selection of Asian foods as well as Western groceries.
Stores are known for their innovative food halls, with one expected to open in West Jordan in the next few months. The location will be open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
According to Columbia University, the H in H Mart stands for han ah reum, which translates in Korean to "one arm full of groceries."
