BY ADRIANA HERNANDEZ
Daily Post Staff Writer
The long-awaited East Palo Alto Korean grocery store, Mega Mart, will open today (Sept. 24).
The Post walked through the store at 1775 E. Bayshore Road yesterday as workers were busily training, stocking shelves, painting walls and putting up signs.
Photos of fish and shrimp were on display in the seafood section, as workers prepared for the store’s grand opening tomorrow at 10 a.m. after a ceremony at 9:30 a.m.
The maze-like store features a Basquia bakery and restaurant called Pogu Picnic when customers first walk in to the former Target.
Pogu Picnic will offer bento boxes that can be customized and made by Michelin-starred Chef Tony Yoo, according to marketing manager Ashley Jung.
Basquia Bakery will offer rice breads, cakes and coffee, along with a dining area for customers to enjoy their meals, Jung said.
The store also features a highly anticipated beauty section.
Anna Bleross, a Redwood City resident, tried to enter yesterday’s soft launch but will be returning when it opens. Bleross has never gone to a Korean store and is excited to have a different kind of store in the area. She is mostly looking forward to having more accessible Korean skin care products that Mega Mart will be selling.
Mega Mart has 150 employees working and 90% of them are East Palo Alto locals, Jung said.
East Palo Alto Vice Mayor Mark Dinan previously told the Post that the store was opening on Thursday, but due to scheduling changes, the opening was pushed to today, Jung said.
Dinan, City Manager Melvin Gaines, Assistant City Manager Shiri Klima, Bumsuck Ha, CEO of Mega Mart and the Menlo Park Fire Protection District will be at the ceremony today, Jung said.
Jung said Congressman Kevin Mullin and Sen. Josh Becker were also invited, but haven’t confirmed they will be attending.
I went on opening day hoping to find fresh produce but sadly, it wasn’t all that fresh, surprisingly for a Grand Opening. The store is huge. They offer many versions of the same item. For example, there are freezers with 20 different types of shaved meats. Prices are variable, sometimes lower than other Asian stores, sometimes not. It’s closer than going to Ranch 99 in Mountain View, which is overpriced. I like going to Hankook in Sunnyvale but it’s nearly in Santa Clara so is more of a drive. Hankook’s produce is super fresh and inexpensive. Great to have this Asian market nearby.