TOUR: Assi Plaza International Market - North Wales, PA

Assi Plaza International Market

Owner: Syng Rhee

Opened: 2004

Cooperative: none
Location: 1222 Welsh Rd, North Wales, PA

Photographed: January 6, 2020

Today's store tour is one that I've been excited about for quite a while. It's gonna be a fun one. Right off from the facade, many supermarket fans will be able to tell that this 60,000 square foot space was not always the Assi Plaza International Market. It was constructed in 1996 as a SuperFresh which closed in 2001 and shortly thereafter became a location of Assi Plaza, a chain of Korean supermarkets with a location each in Illinois, Georgia, and Pennsylvania, plus one that was previously in Flushing, New York but has been demolished.

Maybe the most interesting thing about this particular Assi Plaza is that its decor is completely left over from its days as a SuperFresh, with only a few modifications. We can easily recognize the wall decor here (with the exception of the barn and flora and fauna around) as well as the flooring and many of the fixtures as former SuperFresh items.

The layout is mostly intact from the SuperFresh days of this store too, with produce in the front left corner and what used to be deli and seafood in the back left. The whole area is seafood now, with the former cheese case in the front of the below picture now more seafood.

But the signage for the Corner Deli remains, and there is a small hot food counter here although most of this area is now seafood and other ingredients rather than ready-to-eat items.

On the front wall of the store near the first aisle, Assi Plaza has left SuperFresh's customer service and pharmacy counters, although I believe the signage for the pharmacy is all new.

The customer service sign is definitely left over from SuperFresh, but the aisle markers unfortunately are not.

The grocery selection encompasses a wide range of international groceries along with a few staples, primarily focusing on eastern Asian, Indian, and Latin groceries.

Clearly, there's been some promotional signage added and I believe the shelving has been replaced.

But the meat department has not been changed, and the signage is still wonderfully intact! The slatted panels at the top of the cases has been covered with a brick texture.

I don't believe the flooring has been replaced in any part of the main supermarket, with the exception of the last few aisles which have been repurposed as we'll see.

The SuperFresh-ness of the store peters out around the last few aisles here, where fixtures, decor, and layout have been changed/removed.

But we do have a mostly-intact SuperFresh freezer aisle, with just one side replaced with newer cases. On the other side of the freezer aisle, we have a food court and some space for other vendors to rent space.

Obviously, this area is much newer than the rest of the store.

And in the front right corner of the store is a series of small vendors selling mostly housewares and other nonfoods.

Plus a few service businesses, as seen here. The emergency exit doors are on the front wall.

And you can see where we transition from the indoor mall-type area back to the supermarket below...

And the signage on the front end is mostly updated, although I believe the registers are left over from SuperFresh.

Another very SuperFresh-style element is the foyer which has not really been changed since SuperFresh was here, just with some other signage and things added. This is under the main overhang at the front of the store.

That's all for Assi Plaza, and I'm glad I got to see this store while it is still completely SuperFresh-heavy decor-wise. But we have another former SuperFresh, albeit one that's completely changed, about four miles south tomorrow right here on The Independent Edition!