Asian grocery chain H Mart is coming to Dallas
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H Mart, which got its start in New York City in 1982, currently has two locations in North Texas. Photo: Tasha "Frequent Shopper" Tsiaperas.
H Mart will open a location in Dallas, after the City Council approved $3.5 million in incentives last week in support of the popular Asian grocery chain's arrival.
Why it matters: Until now, many Dallas residents have traveled to Carrollton or Plano to shop at H Mart. The New Jersey-based chain's expansion to Dallas will keep those tax dollars in the city.
- The project could bring other nationally known Asian chains to Dallas' Koreatown, similar to burgeoning developments in Carrollton and Plano.
Details: The chain plans to convert an old shopping center on Royal Lane into a roughly 74,000-square-foot grocery, along with other retail and office spaces.
- The two-story project is estimated to cost $28 million, per city documents.
- Dallas' incentive package for the project includes a $2.5 million economic development grant and a sales tax grant up to $1 million over 10 years.
State of play: Dallas' Koreatown, which stretches for several blocks around Royal Lane and Harry Hines Boulevard, is widely known as North Texas' original Koreatown.
- Some of the street signs have both English and Korean text, and state lawmakers recently approved an official Koreatown Dallas designation for the area.
- This Koreatown is filled with wholesale and retail businesses and restaurants — but grocery stores are hard to come across.
The intrigue: Dallas officials have worked for seven years to bring H Mart to Koreatown Dallas, Council member Omar Narvaez said during Wednesday's council meeting.
- "H Mart is not just a grocery store. H Mart is an experience. They have other stores inside H Mart — not just the grocery, but they typically have banks, shoe stores, hair salons, gadget stores, boba tea. You name it, they've got it inside their stores," said Narvaez, whose district includes Koreatown Dallas.
What they're saying: Several City Council members extended their welcome to the H Mart team after approving the incentives on Wednesday.
- "This is economic development 201 … I love that we're taking an old shopping center that could have gone into decay, and we're actually using resources to bring an amenity here for the community," Council member Chad West said.
What's next: Construction is scheduled to begin in January 2024 and end by December 2025, per city documents.