The opening of the mammoth store in Bellevue was one of many milestones for her and her family. In 1993, she opened her first T&T stores in Burnaby and Richmond, British Columbia, soon followed by dozens of other locations. As she spread her empire, the stores became magnets for Asians living in both Canada and the United States yearning for real Asian food and products. For decades, Asian Americans living in the Seattle area have driven up across the Canadian border to frequent the T and T Markets across the border.
“Finally, I don’t have to drive three hours anymore,” said one Chinese fan on social media.
The opening of their first U.S. branch was fraught with an untold number of disasters. COVID delayed it, as did delay in getting a transformer and other electrical parts. Tina Lee, speaking to reporters at a pre-store opening event on Wednesday, said the minutiae of American tax laws and other regulations required a comprehensive overhaul of their approaches.
She vowed the company will enforce stringent safety requirements for many of its goods imported from overseas, such as sending products to independent laboratories for testing for 300 different heavy metals.
“We’re not afraid of product recalls if they are necessary. Safety is our number one concern,” she said.
So far, it seemed like their bet had paid off. The day before the grand opening, Tina Lee was still crossing her fingers, literally, and telling reporters she hoped people would show up. Plans to open two more stores in the U.S.—one in Lynnwood, Washington, and the other in San Jose, CA—to some extent depended on the success of this one. Boy, was she wrong to worry. As of noon, even hours after their official opening, the outside of the store, painted a bright cheery green, was still throbbing with double packed lines of customers.
Source: Canada’s largest Asian supermarket opens 1st U.S. store – AsAmNews








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