Splitting the difference: New Asian market cuts customers’ travel
Published 10:45 am Monday, October 21, 2013
Zaw Min Thant, right, owner of Lucky Brothers Market, stands with his brother, Lwin Min Thet, in the isles of the store, which opened in the old Auto Zone building on Oakland Avenue West. — Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
For two Burmese brothers who just opened a grocery store in Austin, business isn’t about dominating the competition or racking up big profits. It’s about better convenience for their community.
Zaw Min Thant and his brother, Lwin Min Thet, of Waterloo, Iowa, opened Lucky Brothers Market in downtown Austin on Oct. 5. For some of the Asian community, which travels long distances to find great deals on Asian foods, it’s a much-closer option.
“This is good for my Asian people,” Thant said. “I can give the same price as St. Paul and Rochester.”
Thant and Thet own another Lucky Brothers store in Waterloo, where many regional customers travel to find the best deals on Asian foods. However, Thant and his family had been eyeing Austin as a potential location for some time, as many Asians have moved to Austin for jobs in the past few years.
Thant said many of them travel to St. Paul to get great deals on groceries. Now, Lucky Brothers can offer the same deals in Austin.
With a store filled with Asian foods of all kinds, Lucky Brothers Market is a place of convenience for members of the Asian community in Austin and the surrounding area.
“It’s cheap,” Thant said. “They come in for a low price.”
The brothers looked around Austin and found the former Auto Zone building as a fitting location. Last month, they began converting the building to a grocery store. They held a grand opening on Oct. 6, when Thant cooked fried rice and welcomed new customers.
The store is fairly well stocked, but has a few more hurdles to jump before everything is set. It carries mostly Thai foods and products, yet more items are on the way.
“I’ve got a lot of stuff coming,” Thant said.
Lucky Brothers Market is located at 103 W Oakland Ave. Employees can be reached at 507-437-0933, or luckybrothersmarket.ia@gmail.com.
