Maui W.
Yelp
I cannot tell you my excitement a few years ago when we came to Home Depot and saw the, "Asian Market Coming Soon" sign. Hehe it is a little far from where we live but we would drive every so often to see whether they opened or not. One fine evening, the doors were open. They were not open to the public yet, they were still setting up but the lovely Korean family invited us in and made us feel so welcome. I knew right then that this market would be our family favorite.
Every time we are in the area, we make sure to stop here, get the bubble teas and purchase my favorite ingredients. They are the only Asian market in the area that carries my favorite dumpling wrappers so for that alone it is worth the drive. The store is so well stocked with every Asian ingredients you can imagine and it is kept so very clean and organized. It has such an open welcoming feel and every single staff member that I have interacted with has always been extremely nice. Even if they are standing behind the register and I ask them about a certain ingredient I cannot find, they will leave their register, walk with me to the aisle to show me the ingredient! How nice is that!!
Yesterday, my husband wanted to buy several different types of Soju and I was running low on my dumpling wrappers so we decided to make the drive. The first thing my two Elsa's wanted as soon as we entered the store was the, "Bubblegum Tea". They are 3 and just turned two and cannot finish one bubble tea by themselves. If you read my review of "Asian Speciality Products" and how rudely I was spoken to for asking for one bubble tea to be split in two for my little girls you will see why I asked my husband to ask, Jin, who was behind the counter if he could do it for us! My gosh the experience with Jin was the complete opposite. He told us he had no problem splitting my girls drink so I could drink mine in peace. We placed the order with him and went to shop. As we were walking away Jin heard my two year old crying for her, "strawberry bubblegum tea" so he called me back and handed me to probiotic drink for them. Baby calmed down instantly! How thought was that!
As we were almost done shopping, Jin again called us saying our drinks were ready. You should have seen how happy my girls were to see their, "Strawberry Bubblegum tea" . They wanted to drink it right away which they did and loved it. Meanwhile my husband needed some help with Soju so Jin came with us to show it to him. While there, I noticed my little one had spilled her drink on her dress. You should see how Jin took care of her! My gosh I am emotional thinking about it. He ran back to the counter, got a roll of paper towel and so very gently cleaned and dried her dress for her. He was so kind and patient with her and told me he has a little girl too. The kindness he showed my little girl, he truly went above and beyond.
I know this Asian market is a business but the humanity and kindness Jin showed us here, especially after my horrible experience in the aforementioned Asian Market, is one of the reasons I will always shop at La Rice Market and will recommend this market to everyone.
Also wanted to mention I drank my Lychee Boba after I got to the car. Shared it with my husband and both agreed it was so refreshing and delicious.