Frederick County’s First Asian Grocery Store Celebrates 20 Years of Business

Asian Supermarket is a small, family-owned and operated ethnic supermarket that opened its doors on February 8, 2003, in its original location on West Patrick Street. Now located in the Willow Tree Plaza along the Golden Mile, Asian Supermarket provides food and grocery items ranging from produce, seasonings, herbs, frozen food, dry food, and other essential items from different parts of Asia.

The family-owned establishment recently celebrated 20 years of doing business in Frederick County. Rachel Bur, one of the owners, reflects on the journey, showing gratitude for both the store’s challenges and wins.

Rachel’s father migrated to Seattle from Burma with his siblings in 1992 to pursue a better life for his family. While visiting a friend in Frederick, Maryland, he immediately fell in love with the area.

“Frederick reminded him of home,” says Rachel Bur.

In 1994, Rachel’s father decided to make Frederick his new home and started his career at the C. Burr Artz Library. Several years later in 1998, he was able to relocate the rest of the family to the United States, including Rachel.

Rachel’s father had big dreams for his family’s future and saw so much potential in the growth of Frederick County. He decided that he and his family would start a business, which led to the opening of Frederick’s first Asian market, Asian Supermarket, in 2003.

As the first of its kind at the time, Asian Supermarket quickly became a staple for the community. Customers of all backgrounds would frequent the store.

“Our store provides the Frederick Community with the true Asian Market experience, competitive prices and quality customer service,” says Rachel.

Rachel shares that she enjoys educating her customers about the different types of foods and products. To this day, the store has regular customers that have been around since the early years.

In 2007, Asian Supermarket received a Frederick County Emerging Business Award, which honors successful businesses that have been around less than five years.

When COVID hit in 2020, like many other small business, Asian Supermarket faced some challenges. Rachel says “Thankfully, being in the grocery store industry, we remained busy. People were staying home and were cooking more often.”

In 2021, the store was faced with another unprecedented challenge. The original West Patrick Street location that housed Asian Supermarket for 19 years was to suddenly be slated for demolition and redevelopment, leaving Rachel and her family minimal time to figure out their next steps.

By the end of 2022, Rachel and her family, with the support of the community, were able to pull together resources and rehome the business into a new location.

Asian Supermarket officially celebrated its grand reopening at 5 Willowdale Drive (in the Willowdale Plaza) on December 9, just in time to celebrate their 20th year of doing business in Frederick County.

Rachel and her husband Moe are excited for what the future holds for their business and its new spacious location. The 3,000 square ft space has already allowed them to expand their offerings. Customers can now enjoy delicious made-to-order bubble tea and milk tea with 42 flavors and a secret menu through the store’s built-in café, known as Yaza’s Tea House. Customers will also be able to enjoy fresh baked goods and hot finger foods in the near future.

To learn more about Asian Supermarket, visit Frederick Asian Supermarket | Frederick MD | Facebook

To learn more about the Frederick County Office of Economic Development’s EmPOWER program for underrepresented businesses, visit www.discoverfrederickmd.com/empower or contact Shana Knight, Senior Business Development Manager for Diversity & Inclusion, at sknight@frederickcountymd.gov.