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Hmart coming to the former Jin Market space?
A (very excellent) source told me that the former Jin Market, which was the last iteration of the grocer that was at 111 Hudson and N. Moore for decades, was sold to Hmart, the Korean grocery chain, and sure enough, city records show that the deed was transferred last July to HK Property Development for $8 million. This is exciting news. I will confirm with the store if possible, but there’s no media contact info that I can find so far.
Jin Market closed last June and has been under construction ever since; the owners only recently restored the sidewalk to pedestrians. For most of the past year, everyone was shunted into the road.
Hmart is the largest Asian supermarket chain in the country with 97 stores across the US. It started in 1982 in Woodside and provides groceries and everyday essentials as well as a full line of Asian foods. From the founder and CEO, Il Yeon Kwon, on the website: “For over 40 years, Hmart has worked its best to provide quality Korean food and service to communities throughout the U.S. We believe the excellence of our products, encourage our fellow Koreans to have profound pride and dignity in the magnificent culture of our motherland, South Korea.”
My main reference for it was the memoir by Michelle Zauner, aka Japanese Breakfast, titled “Crying in H Mart.” (Note that The Times and Zauner call it H Mart, but the founder calls it Hmart on the website.)
There are seven locations in Queens, another three on Long Island plus one in Yonkers. I’ll scope out the Jericho location soon.
The Times wrote about the chain a couple years ago (they mention a store on 110th Street, but that is not on the company’s website): “Il Yeon Kwon, a farmer’s son who left South Korea in the late 1970s when the countryside was still impoverished from war, opened the first H Mart in Woodside, Queens, in 1982. It was the middle of a recession. At the time, only about 1.5 percent of the American population was of Asian descent…[Today] there are 102 H Marts across the land, with vast refrigerated cases devoted to kimchi and banchan, the side dishes essential to any Korean meal. In 2020, the company reported $1.5 billion in sales. Later this year, it’s set to open its largest outpost yet, in a space in Orlando, Fla., that is nearly the size of four football fields.”
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this is a super exciting development, can’t wait!!
Great news!
Jin Market has been missed – and this actually sounds like a nice upgrade
I’m not sure why it’s not on their website, but they do have a smaller HMart on 3rd avenue:
https://secretnyc.co/popular-korean-grocery-store-chain-h-mart-opens-new-outpost-in-the-east-village/
And it looks like there’s one coming to the UES:
https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2023/01/12/grocery-chain-h-mart-to-open-upper-east-side-location/?irclickid=XbS2knVCgxyNUV1SCNVhsWwlUkATJPQBW1zqyM0&irgwc=1&utm_source=impact&utm_medium=af
FYI the buyer here on the deed was “HK 86 Development LLC” with similar LLC name and same officer, office address, and attorney as the 111 Hudson St buyer.
H Mart has 3 Manhattan locations:
-38 West 32nd St. (Koreatown)
-39 Third Ave
-2828 Broadway
Very happy that an H Mart is coming to Tribeca.
So exciting! H Marts have been in Manhattan for several years now…one near St. Marks at 3rd + 10th St, K-town on 32nd St and a slightly new one on the UWS. Perhaps they’re franchises and that’s why they’re not on the website?
This is the best news ever!
Fingers and toes crossed!
that would be fantastic! it would probably look more like the h-marts on 42nd st or the east village than the giant h-marts in queens and nj. aside from from the korean specialties, all hmarts have great produce.
Dumb question – but I couldn’t find the relationship between H mart and HK Development. Are they related?
I don’t know for sure. I got the tip and then checked Acris, and the fact that the unit was sold made me think they are connected. We will see…
The managing member of HK Development:
* has the same last name as the owner of H Mart
* is listed on the deed with the same address and suite number as “Hana Mart Tribeca Corp.”
* was listed with a New York, NY address as an officer of Gmart Westminster Corporation, doing business as H Mart, 5036 West 92nd Avenue, Westminster, CO” in a 2014 Notice of Public Hearing for a retail liquor license
* is listed as a contact for “Hana Mart Columbia Corp. d/b/a
Han Ah Reum Supermarket, 2828 Broadway”
* owns a home in Englewood Cliffs with Kingston Shih, quoted as an H Mart employee in this story: https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2020/03/20/asian-american-grocery-stores-not-short-on-supplies–just-customers
* was deposed in a 2002 federal labor lawsuit as “the daughter of defendant Kwon” and “comptroller and currently as its director of management” where one of the named defendants was
“Han Ah Reum Inc.” — The Times article states, “Mr. Kwon’s first store still stands in Woodside, with a blue awning that bears H Mart’s original name, Han Ah Reum. This is commonly translated from Korean as “an armful,” but has a poetic nuance, invoking warmth and care, as in an embrace.”
Thanks, James!!
We can imagine HMart stands for Hudson Mart.
So excited!!!
Ecstatic!
There is NO WAY, I don’t believe it. This would be amazing!!!
Glad they are coming to the neighborhood but I hope they use the awning for signage and not the ugly H Mart signage they use on 3rd avenue.
Very exciting, have there been any updates?
The Korean owned coffee shop across the street said that it will be an H-Mart! For whatever that’s worth….
Hi – any update? I don’t see any work being done there anymore for awhile
Hi – any update here? It’s taking so long! =)
the sidewalk is freed up – they poured concrete and added steel in the basement to support the first floor.. hoping Hmart starts building out the space soon!