Illustration by Adrian Walker
The New Grand Mart off Midlothian Turnpike is a celebration of nationalities near and far. The international grocery store has become a haven for transplants to Midlothian from other countries, and for Richmond-area natives looking to embrace different culinary customs. It is one of many signs of a change in demographics within Chesterfield County.
As you enter the market, you hear Top 40 American pop music playing loudly on the speakers. A cooking supplies section featuring plates, bowls, pots and pans is to the left. Nestled among familiar wares are tortilla presses, rice spoons and bamboo steamers — items a little harder to come by at traditional retailers. Beyond that lie mounds of papayas, mangoes, yuccas, June plums, fresh cactus leaves, Korean radishes and sunchokes, interspersed with apples, bananas and iceberg lettuce. Rows of shrimp crackers, Vietnamese rice paper and fruit-flavored beef jerky mingle with Snickers bars, Eggo waffles and name-brand tortilla chips. Also tucked in the grocery store is K-Town, a Korean restaurant selling soups and stir-fry dishes.
“I go there for the fruit selection, and I also love the Asian candies,” says Mario Dawson. “A lot of families can’t find what they crave or need anywhere else.”
Dawson and his family own and operate La Sabrosita Bakery, a wholesale business based in North Chesterfield that specializes in a variety of international pastries, breads and other items. The company’s products line the bread aisle of New Grand Mart.
New Grand Mart on Midlothian Turnpike offers an array of international goods. (Photo by Ash Daniel)
Many Mouths to Feed
New Grand Mart is one of many businesses with an international influence that have opened and expanded in the past decade in concert with Chesterfield’s population growth, which includes a large contingent of immigrants.
The county's population has more than doubled since 1990, from 209,000 to a projected 341,000 in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Since 2000, the Hispanic population has increased more than threefold, from 7,617 to 22,864. The Asian population has increased by 68 percent, from 6,265 to 10,495.
As these numbers grow, a way of life has grown around them. Places of worship, night spots and grocery stores have popped up to meet the needs of the expanding and changing population, often breathing new life into areas that had fallen flat.
“The redevelopment of Cloverleaf Mall is one of the ways we’ve reinvented how people live in the area,” says Karen Aylward, assistant director of Chesterfield County Economic Development. “The mall met with decline years ago, and we saw an opportunity to create something very exciting to serve the new residents.”
Mario Dawson (left) hands one of La Sabrosita's tres leches cakes to a customer. (Photo by Ash Daniel)
Stonebridge is a mixed-use development that has taken the place of Cloverleaf Mall. It is filled with American staples such as Chipotle, AT&T, and Starbucks, though the customers might often speak English as a second language. Elements, a luxury apartment complex behind the shopping center, already has hundreds of units filled. Boyd Homes plans to add hundreds more.
“We’ve seen an incredibly diverse increase in business activity,” says Danna Markland, president of the Chesterfield Chamber of Commerce. “It’s not just the ethnic or international diversity of businesses, but there is also a diversity of what those businesses actually produce or the services they provide.”
Chesterfield County is becoming less of a suburb of Richmond and more of a destination all its own, Markland says. Creative new businesses such as Steam Bell Beer Works and UK-transplant BGB Technologies are signs that the area is coming into its own and attracting new businesses. The international presence has a lot to do with this, she adds.
Cultural Cornerstones
Along with new grocery stores, eateries and housing, businesses have invested in creating a social environment where a variety of cultures can thrive. Local restaurants such as La Milpa on Hull Street Road and San Su Korean Restaurant just down from New Grand Mart turn into watering holes and nightlife spots after dinner. El Tropicabana and Mexico Lindo Mini Mart and Restaurant, both on Jefferson Davis Highway, feature traditional styles of mainstream Latino dance music, rumba, salsa, Tex-Mex music and beyond.
South Side places of worship catering to an international audience continue to open and grow, ranging from the Filipino American Community Church to a Baptist congregation on Midlothian Turnpike and the Chinese Baptist Church of Richmond off Elkhardt Road. The latter began as a Bible study group in 1977 and has grown over the years to include services and events in English, Mandarin and Cantonese.
“It’s amazing the things we can find alike and that bring comfort to us.” —Mario Dawson
Along with New Grand Mart, other international grocers include Rangoli Indo-Pak Grocery and Jerusalem Market and Deli, both at Hull Street Road at Turner Road; Petra Food International on Midlothian Turnpike in North Chesterfield; and Arco Iris Latino Market, on Midlothian Turnpike at Old Warwick Road. Many of them carry breads and pastries from La Sabrosita.
The company began as a wholesale bakery, but realized the community needed something more. “We wanted to create a ... bakery that could serve a lot of different cultures,” Dawson says. “We started off at Hull Street, but moved to this area because we saw a greater variety of cultures who would want our products. Now we have regulars who come in for very specific items you can’t get anywhere else.”
Some of the most frequently requested items include Salsa Lizano, a Costa Rican condiment used for marinating meat; quesadilla, which is a sweet Salvadoran bread, not the grilled cheese tortillas most of us know; and a variety of candies.
“It takes people back to their roots,” Dawson says. “I even have Vietnamese and Indian customers who buy our cakes because they remind them of their own versions back home. It’s amazing the things we can find alike and that bring comfort to us.”
The bustling bakery has expanded its wholesale business while nurturing the newer local community storefront. La Sabrosita supplies nearly 250 stores in Virginia and will begin selling out of state via a new relationship with 7-Eleven, says Dawson.
Jiwon Hyun, son of the owners of San Su (Photo by Chet Strange)
The Next Generation
At San Su in Chesterfield Square, a few doors down from New Grand Mart, the fusion of cultures in Midlothian is obvious. The restaurant is owned by a Korean family who are on-site every day. In the kitchen are two Hispanic cooks. The menu items are split between traditional Korean and Hispanic dishes. Jiwon Hyun, son of the owners, says he prefers the burritos over the Korean dishes most days.
Dolsot-bibimbop from San Su (Photo by Chet Strange)
“We knew we had something [special] in the cooks here, so we let them create the Spanish menu items themselves,” says Hyun. Unlike his parents, he has no sign of a Korean accent. He often speaks on their behalf and acts as a liaison to the non-Korean community.
“There are several largely Hispanic neighborhoods across the street and down the road, and we wanted to make sure we represented that in the menu,” Hyun says. “I just want everyone to be comfortable when they walk in, no matter who they are or what they’re coming to eat.”
The pupusas are made from scratch whenever a customer places an order. Guests can reserve private grill rooms that serve more traditional Korean fare. Hyun says about 40 percent of his customers are Korean, and the rest are Hispanic or Caucasian.
Hyun is driven by a vision that his family’s business could become a watering hole for a variety of cultures. He imagines a bustling late-night spot that features karaoke, local music and a special evening menu.
“I know my family and parents helped us open the place, but my generation is ready to bring our cultures to the mainstream.” —Jiwon Hyun
“We’ve been talking a lot with local business owners, from car shops to martial-arts studios,” he says. “We know we have to support each other. If one of us goes down, then we all could. We’re always sharing ideas.”
Other ideas Hyun and his family have include renting out the large bar to a sushi chef and inviting local artists to display and sell their art on the walls. He just started promoting a happy hour offering half off all food and drinks.
“I know my family and parents helped us open the place, but my generation is ready to bring our cultures to the mainstream.” Hyun says. “I know we can do it.”
