FARGO — John Huynh is going big.
The co-owner of downtown Fargo’s Asian & American Market is promising that the next version of his popular store, now under construction at 1425 Main Ave., will be a crowd pleaser for those who love international flavors.
“This will be the biggest international market in the Dakotas,” Hyunh said Monday, April 18. “We’re excited about it.”
The new grocery store - at 19,500 square feet - will be about three times the size of the current market, which is the centerpiece of a small retail strip center at 1015 Main Ave.
Hyunh estimates that once all of the equipment is installed, he and his sister will have invested about $4 million into the project.
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He promises plenty of parking and a much greater selection of goods at the new location.
“Right now, it’s really tiny,” Hyunh said. “When we have more space, we will have more products.”
Construction began last year with demolition and clearing the new site along Main Avenue and creating the foundation.
Structural steel and some heavy construction equipment arrived on the site last week, though start on the building itself was delayed by the sloppy weather that’s been part of the winter that won’t leave the Red River Valley.
Supply chain problems and other issues caused by the pandemic have also delayed the project, just as they have with just about every other construction project, big and small, in the Fargo-Moorhead metro area.
“It is so behind. It was supposed to be done around May,” Hyunh said.
He expects that if all goes well, the new store will be up and running in September or October.
Fargo-Moorhead's growing population demanded a bigger store, he said.
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“I just want to let them (customers) know … the customers are demanding the space and we listen to the customers. That’s while we’ll be excited to open the bigger one. We’re answering that request,” he said.
Hyunh expects he’ll need to add staff for the new store, too.
“More jobs. We’ll need a lot more employees,” he said.
