The following article appeared in the 10/26/22 edition of The Charlotte Observer:
Prominent Asian Corner Mall supermarket in Charlotte to close, new developer says
By Gordon Rago and Catherine Muccigrosso
International Supermarket at Asian Corner Mall, which became one of North Carolina’s largest Asian markets since opening about 20 years ago, will close by the end of the year, a developer told The Charlotte Observer Tuesday.
But a second Asian market on the property will remain open.
The closing of International Supermarket comes as Beauxwright, a Charlotte developer, bought up about 40% of the mall property, with its most recent purchase in September.
Owners of the International Market at 4520 N. Tryon St. contemplated selling the building and grocery store a couple years ago as they planned their retirement, according to Cooper Morrison of Beauxwright.
The developer’s plans for the site remain unclear. Beauxwright has not disclosed its plans yet.
The former property owner is Viet-My Corp. The N.C. Secretary of State website lists the company’s president as Myduyen Nguyen.
“We at Beauxwright thank the Doan and Nguyen families for all they have done for the Asian Corner Mall and the whole Charlotte community,” Morrison said in a statement to The Charlotte Observer. “We congratulate them on their retirement and wish them well on this new chapter of their lives.”
While not an owner, Lac Doan is the husband of one owner and is involved with the market, according to the developer. No one answered the phone at International Supermarket after repeated calls Monday and Tuesday, and efforts to reach Nguyen were unsuccessful as of Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the New Century Oriental Supermarket, which sits on the northern edge of the property closest to North Tryon Street, will remain open, Morrison said. A parcel that includes that end of the building remains under different ownership, according to Mecklenburg County property records. Beauxwright has limited details to share but Morrison said New Century will remain a long term part of the site.
POPULAR BANH MI SHOP STAYING
Another business at the Asian Corner Mall also will be sticking around. Le’s Sandwiches & Cafe will reopen in Beauxwright’s new space next year, according to Morrison, who did not go into details about the firm’s plans for the property.
Beauxwright has been working with the popular banh mi shop’s owners, Tuan and Emily Nguyen, Morrison said. Le’s has been a mall tenant since 2004. In March, Le’s said it would not renew its lease and planned to move, Charlotte Five had reported.
ASIAN CORNER MALL BACKGROUND
The Asian Corner Mall dates back to at least the early- to mid-2000s, according to Observer archives. It was formerly known as Tryon Mall and came to house two of Charlotte’s largest Asian supermarkets: International Supermarket and New Century. They offered Asian ingredients from Indonesia and the Philippines and sold fish in big tanks.
A trio of sisters started International Supermarket in the early 2000s, helping to revive the old mall, according to Observer archives. Officials with Bell Moore Group, real estate management company for the mall, did not respond for comment. There are few other businesses at the mall. Workers at Truc Vietnamese Cuisine and TN’s Beauty Salon hng up on an Observer reporter Tuesday.
MALL OWNERSHIP DETAILS
In September, Beauxwright bought just shy of 10 acres at Asian Corner Mall for $8.5 million, the Observer previously reported. The firm now owns a little over 11 acres for a cost of $10.2 million. The mall property totals around 27 acres.
Beauxwright, which develops projects from office to mixed use to apartments, said it is encouraged by the momentum of projects in the area. The light rail’s Sugar Creek station is less than a mile to the south. The Independent Picture House sits behind the mall along with a project called The Pass, a 260,000-square-foot adaptive reuse by Atlanta’s Third & Urban. The Pass, which is under construction, will include office, retail and apartments.