MESA, Ariz. — For close to 10 years, one supermarket has been a cultural staple in Mesa's Asian District. Now the popular store is shutting down for good by the end of the month.
Last week AZ International Marketplace off of Dobson and Broadway Roads announced that it was closing its 100,000 square foot store, putting in 40% discounts to clear out the shelves by December 1.
Frequent shoppers like Michael Vo went in Friday night to shop one last time.
"I'm pretty sad about it, because it's one of the few Asian grocery stores here in Mesa," Vo said. "It has a special place in my heart."
Vo who lives in Mesa said he loved to see what the supermarket had to offer. He also said it brought him closer to his culture.
“Now, with it closing, we have one less store now to carry on the legacy of Asian culture,” Vo said.
It's that culture that also brought Rafael De La Cuesta, the owner of Fatboy Sandos. It's one of two restaurants in the store.
“Mesa has an amazing Asian district for the Asian style food,” De La Cuesta said.
On a month-to-month basis, De La Cuesta would rent a section of the supermarket. Then at the start of November he was told this would be his last few weeks here.
"One month is tough," he said. "No time to prepare, you know, financially, mentally, but mostly financially."
Now he's searching for another place in the Valley to move to all while trying to take care of his seven workers in Mesa.
"Definitely not trying to be negative for the landlords," De La Cuesta said. "[It's a] tough situation for sure."
Some customers did point out there is another Asian Supermarket down the road that they will now go to. Still, they believe the Asian District won't be the same with this closing.
According to AZ International Marketplace's Facebook page, the plaza will be remodeled with two new tenants coming in. 12News reached out to Mekong Real Estate Investment Group for comment on the closure but did not receive a response at this time.
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