New Asian grocery store location provides diverse selection of products for Columbus area
Tuan Clay began his career in running a grocery store after being laid off by TSYS about four years ago.
Clay, the owner of Oriental Food & Gift at 4508 Armour Road, remembers a conversation he had with his wife, Kim Clay, soon after he received the news that his employment with TSYS had been terminated after 26 years. The two had discussed the possibility of owning their own business; they just needed the right cards to fall into place.
“I had a dream that we’re going to own our own business,” she said one morning, according to Tuan’s account. “And that somebody’s going to retire soon.”
He ran upstairs to his computer and began searching — “just seeing what was out there,” he said to the Ledger-Enquirer. And sure enough, the previous owner of Oriental Food & Gift was planning on retiring.
“And that was the beginning of our business,” Clay said.
Clay and his wife opened their new location on Armour Road on Nov. 6, 2020, where they aim to provide a diverse selection of market goods to the area’s diverse population.
‘Everything you need’ at a new location
Clay beams with energy as he guides customers and reporters through the aisles of the new Oriental Food & Gift location, which was previously a bookstore. It feels like a larger location, customers tell him, even though the square footage (6,000 square feet) is around half that of the original store (around 12,000 square feet), which was located at 3656 Buena Vista Road.
The store sells rice, coffee, fresh produce and even household items such as blankets and coffee cups. The frozen section includes a lobster tank, and nearby massive freshly-frozen lobsters await customers behind the glass doors of a freezer.
A review on Foursquare says the store has “everything you need” to stock your kitchen.
Kimchi is a customer favorite, Clay said, and the noodles “fly off the shelf” due to kids either being home from school or attending virtual learning due to COVID-19. His supplier even has a hard time keeping up with the demand.
The shop’s new location is a prime spot, next to a major intersection of Armour Road and Manchester Expressway. It’s practically across the street from a Chick-fil-A, half a mile from the Peachtree Mall and down the street from two churches.
“The location is in the center of the whole city,” Clay said. “It makes it a little more attractive to the customer. We’re picking up a lot of new clientele.”
That new clientele consists of individuals from various backgrounds and hometowns.
Clay said customers have told him that they prefer his store since it saves them a long drive to Macon, Montgomery, Ala. or Atlanta.
“A lot of folks would think that we’re a Korean grocery store, but we cater to (people from the) Philippines, Koreans, Thai, Vietnamese, Africans, Jamaicans,” Clay said. “A lot of the stuff is very diversified.”
Oriental Food & Gift is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays.
This story was originally published January 21, 2021 at 1:00 AM.
