The H Mart Asian supermarket set to open at Loop 820 and North Beach Street in Haltom City is closer to reality for the throngs of anticipating foodies, as crews Friday installed the store\u2019s sign on the building.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey still are very confident that they\u2019re going to open prior to Thanksgiving,\u201d Robert Briggs, economic development director for the city, told the Fort Worth Report.<\/p>\n
Supply chain issues delayed the store\u2019s opening<\/a>, but the shopping center where it will be located is already seeing 6,000-8,000 visitors daily to the restaurants and shops already opened this year, Briggs said. The city estimates the complex has received 634,000 visitors, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThat data\u2019s pretty compelling,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The numbers, which the city has collected using an artificial intelligence platform, bear out what Haltom City leaders predicted: The center will be a regional draw, bringing in customers from around the area, Briggs said.<\/p>\n Hao Tran, the Fort Worth restaurateur who owns Hao\u2019s Grocery & Caf\u00e9 on the Near Southside and is preparing to open Hao\u2019s Duong DeVille restaurant in White Settlement, believes the H Mart center will expand the market for Asian foods in Tarrant County.<\/p>\n \u201cIt opens up an opportunity for everyone else to grow, culturally,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been wanting it, we\u2019ve been needing it for our own community. We\u2019ve always had to drive to Carrollton or Richardson.\u201d<\/p>\n Tran doesn\u2019t view the new center, which will have a total 45 restaurants and stores and is 100% leased, as a competitive threat.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re talking about two concentric circles,\u201d she said. \u201cOne is around Dallas, one is around Fort Worth. We didn\u2019t always have that equilateral view, but now we do.\u201d<\/p>\n Like Tran, Kevin Martinez, executive chef at Tokyo Cafe in Fort Worth, thinks the H Mart center can shift customer tastes in Tarrant County.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it allows people to be exposed to things they don\u2019t normally have,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019ve seen it on travel shows, they\u2019ve seen your food shows. Now there\u2019s something out here closer by.\u201d<\/p>\n The new center certainly will present familiar options like ramen, Korean barbecue and pho. But the selection goes beyond that.<\/p>\n \u201cDifferent styles,\u201d Martinez said.<\/p>\n He sees a key customer as being his age \u2014 42 \u2014 and younger, including the ages of his children, 14 and 17.<\/p>\n \u201cI could definitely see that age group being the primary group going,\u201d Martinez said. \u201cYou can go to the shop and pick up a small amount of this, a small amount of that. You can go up there and have lunch.\u201d<\/p>\n H Mart also offers a different range of fish than traditional supermarkets, he said.<\/p>\n Fort Worth chefs may be interested in expanding their menu offerings if they can pick up smaller quantities of certain ingredients at H Mart, Martinez said.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s great for the chefs in Fort Worth, because they can grab some of those ingredients and don\u2019t have to sit on a whole case of something,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The shopping center is already boosting the city\u2019s financial picture. In its 2027 fiscal general fund budget<\/a>, which goes into effect Oct. 1 and pays for most basic city services, Haltom City budgeted $15.9 million in sales tax, above the $15.468 million projected for this year.<\/p>\n The city budgeted property tax revenue at $17.13 million, higher than the $17.119 million projected for this year. Total general fund revenue is budgeted at $46.46 million.<\/p>\n \u201cWe adopted the lowest property tax rate in the last 20 years,\u201d Briggs said.<\/p>\n According to the city, record economic growth and the city\u2019s lowest debt rate in 25 years made the reduction possible.<\/p>\n Twenty-two tenants in the center are operating, including three that are in soft opening, Briggs said. Twenty-three are yet to open. Once it\u2019s fully operating and stabilized, the city projects $1.1 million in gross sales tax collections annually from the center, he said.<\/p>\n The city also is experiencing a surge in interest in other development sites, Briggs said.<\/p>\n \u201cI think this is going to be a catalyst for development.\u201d<\/p>\n Open:<\/p>\n Uncle Tetsu<\/a>, Japanese souffl\u00e9 cheesecakes85\u00b0C Bakery Cafe<\/a>, Taiwanese bakery and caf\u00e9Teso Life,<\/a> Japanese lifestyle retail storeWooga Korean BBQ by Chodang Village<\/a>, server-grilled Korean barbecueHanabi,<\/a> Japanese ramen and izakayaHui Lau Shan<\/a>, Hong Kong mango dessertsDal Pocha<\/a>, late-night Korean pubBandai Gashapon<\/a>, Japanese capsule toy shopKin Pho<\/a>, Vietnamese pho, Lao-Thai dishesThe Kickin\u2019 Crab<\/a>, Cajun-style seafood boilsCafe BomBom & XO Corndog<\/a>, Korean corn dogs, bobaBambu<\/a>, Vietnamese dessert drinks, bobaClaw Mania Kingdom<\/a>, claw machine arcadeClawZania Fort Worth<\/a>, claw machine arcadeMcDonald\u2019s<\/a>, fast food burgers and friesOur Hair<\/a>, hair salon and head spaDia Dental Studio<\/a>, multilingual general dentistryFlossophy Dental Studio<\/a>, dentistry with evening hoursSolidSight<\/a>, eye care and eyewear<\/p>\n Soft opening:<\/p>\n Coming soon:<\/p>\n H Mart<\/a>, anchorKinokuniya<\/a>, Japanese bookstoreMensho<\/a>, Japanese ramenSomisomi<\/a>, Korean soft serve taiyakiChicha San Chen<\/a>, Taiwanese bubble teaCoCo Ichibanya<\/a>, Japanese curry riceMiniso<\/a>, lifestyle retail storeMaht Gaek, Korean home-style cookingSulbing, Korean shaved ice dessertsbb.q Chicken<\/a>, Korean fried chickenTsaocaa, tea and dessertsSuka Omakase, sushi omakaseNigori Sushi & Grill<\/a>, all-you-can-eat sushiTrung Nguyen, Vietnamese coffeeTen Thousand Coffee<\/a>, specialty coffee shopBada Golf, indoor golf simulatorMomo & Bun, Nepalese dumplingKorean Seafood, Korean-style seafood restaurantR&B Tea<\/a>, Taiwanese bubble teaPotobox<\/a>, self-serve photo boothEiswelt Gelato<\/a>, gelato shopHey Yogurt<\/a>, frozen yogurt dessertsTu Chilito<\/a>, tacos<\/p>\n Scott Nishimura is a senior editor for local government accountability and a Fort Worth City Hall reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Reach him at scott.nishimura@fortworthreport.org.<\/p>\n At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n This article<\/a> first appeared on Fort Worth Report<\/a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License<\/a>.<\/p>\n