Moe Mart offers a variety of Asian noodles Oct. 28, 2024, in downtown Pendleton.

PENDLETON — A new Asian grocery store has opened in downtown Pendleton.

The store, 63 SE Emigrant Ave., had a soft opening Oct. 18 and a grand opening Friday, Nov. 1.

Moe Mart co-owners Moe Soeum and Whitney Minthorn have their shelves stocked with fresh Southeast Asian vegetables, fruits, natural juices, snacks, sauces and spices.

“People are really excited when they come in,” Minthorn said. “I’m surprised a lot of people know what a lot of stuff is. I know the city has been really wanting a convenience store, too. We have that advantage because we’re able to do a specialty like Asian products.”

The grocery store provides a variety of imported products from China, Japan, Cambodia, Vietnam and more.

Minthorn said one of the benefits for the store is that if the vegetables do not sell fast enough, their adjoining restaurant, Moe Pho, will use the fresh produce for its Asian dishes.

Soeum, owner of Moe Pho and co-owner of Moe’s Tea, has bridged the cultural gap with Asian fine dining and boba tea in downtown Pendleton. He said his specialty market also caters to a community who have to travel to Tri-Cities or Portland to purchase authentic Southeast Asian products.

“We’re always having to travel to get supplies,” Minthorn said. “We know firsthand that there’s a need for specialty supplies. So doing so we’re able to bring our extra supplies back and then make it available for other people that need supplies too.”

The duo said they also keep a log of any products customers request so they can add them to their inventory for their next supply run to Portland.

Minthorn and Soeum were one of four winners in 2024 to receive a forgivable $20,000 loan from the city’s Path to Success program to open a new business in downtown Pendleton. The Forage Apothecary, Herbal by Nature and Lock ‘N’ Nock Virtual Shooting Range rounded out the winners.

“It’s good for us to expand and have new options,” said Anna Cavallo, executive director of the Pendleton Downtown Association. “It’s a great thing to add to the downtown mix. It gives us a little bit more variety and another reason to be down there.”

Soeum said the store is working on making healthy grab-and-go meals, accepting EBT cards and hosting Asian cooking classes to promote healthy eating.

Moe Mart operates Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and is closed on Sundays. The store’s products are available online at www.moemartshop.com, where customers can keep up with inventory and in the future make preorders before stepping into the market.