Import Emporium — Local services in Tyler

I've been a customer for years. Great selection, fresh oriental produce......market days vary, ask ahead for leafy veggies. Essentially, this is a big city oriental store that bulges at the seams.

One of the cool things that you can do is talk to the Woman who owns the place. They go to Houston at least once a week. So, if there's something you want, she might be able to help you. There's frozen seafood all over the store.....where ever there's a power outlet😂

I used to drive to Dallas for my Oriental food ingredients. No need anymore. Another thing is the rice selection. Seriously. 25 varieties or so.....in Tyler, Texas. You want Korean Hanwei? Yep. Lots of Jasmine and Basmati as well. She tries to represent most Oriental styles, but leans towards Filipino and Thai. Noodles galore, and that ain't kidding. Lots of Korean food......Kimchi? You bet......fresh from Houston.....pretty good.....but here's the catch....best find out when they're making the Houston run. Elsewise Kimchi eatin' vultures will swoop in and clean her out. The gallon jars are great. When I have time and the inclination, I ferment my own. Yep, she's got ALL the necessary ingredients, including salted baby shrimp. All kinds of frozen fish snacks.

The following comments are directed at Oriental foodies.....she stocks galangal root, fresh lime leaves, all kinds of hard to get veggies and such. Yep, she has frozen tuyo (smoked, salted Filipino herring that are a serious addiction), all kinds of frozen fish and seafood.

Yeah, a lot of Oriental Women shop there. With good reason. At certain times of the year, she sells all kinds of seeds to grow fresh Oriental veggies. I reckon I got in on the ground floor, if you will. It's been cool to watch her grow the business. I explained to her that she needed to stock in the spaces of the aisles. You know, just like in New York.

Once a person gets used to Thai level hotness, well, it's an addiction. Yep, she's got the cure for that as well.....Thai fried chili paste in oil, for starters. Yeah, she sell fresh Thai peppers as well. Basically, she stocks whatever the locals will buy. So, if you know what you're looking at, you can get a good idea of the local...

February 14, 2025: I needed some items from Import Emporium today and I am continually impressed with their offerings! This store is small, but mighty! They had chunjang today (Korean black bean paste) and I had never seen that for sale there before. This store is head and shoulders above the other two Asian food stores in Tyler, no doubt. Now, I'm dreaming about them selling Ttukbaegi one day!

December 2, 2024: I went here December 2, 2024 to buy vegetables for kimchi. I needed Napa Cabbage, but they didn't have that. I also had not been here in a good while. However, when I entered the store on December 2, 2024, I was pleasantly surprised!!

The last time I went into the store, it was pretty cramped, but this time the aisles were clear and uncluttered, and I realized this was because they had expanded into dry cleaners that used to be next door. Therefore, more space for more inventory.

What really made me happy was the fact that they had Korean Radish (Mu!) I went to three Asian grocers that day, and they were the only one that had Korean Radish. Their Daikon also was a lot more beautiful than one I purchased at the Asian grocery store near Sprouts.

Seriously, they have a LOT of stock, produce and otherwise. If it's Asian (at least Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese and Chinese) you will probably find it here. This is my favorite Asian grocery. It may look like a small store, but it's...

Okay, first time here. They have pretty much everything I needed. Being an Asian in East Texas is really hard to find a good Asian market.

Being part Asian but not looking Asian has always been interesting. Went in with my daughter who is mixed and looks nothing like an Asian girl. One thing I've learned about Asian markets is not to use your ATM's card there. I had cash on me and went to pay but was short $4. So I had my daughter run out to the car to grab the change.

I was waiting for my daughter to walk back in, literally my car was parked right in front of the door. The customer behind me started complaining in her language. She was sayingI was just some poor trash that couldn't even afford her items. I let her n the cashier talk amongst themselves while I patiently waited for my daughter.

Once my daughter returned with the change that I needed, I paid the cashier turned towards about her and the customer behind me and said in their own language that just because someone doesn't look like them, don't assume they don't understand what you're saying. I have plenty of money but I refused to use my bank card in a store like this because of prior theft...