North Charlotte Today

A specialty market in Charlotte is closing its doors, ending a decades-long tradition of being able to shop locally for international fare.

The International Supermarket’s owners are retiring, and with no one in place to take over the business, it will shutter its doors permanently.

"Nobody is taking over,” owner Myeieu Megan Nguyen told WCNC. “We are old, we have been working long hours.” 

The business has been open since her parents started it in 1984.

Shoppers expressed their dismay about the closing of the longtime market.

"You can get authentic goods here, things that are actually from Thailand,” Shopper Tiffany Pacho said. “When you go to Walmart and Target, they don’t really have it.” 

Despite the aging owners, the news was still a surprise to regular customers.

"It was too shocking," Pacho said, expressing an opinion others shared.

Nguyen said the decision causes some regret.

"We are very sad to leave, my kids grew up here too,” she said.

The market is part of a mall that offers a collection of international businesses. Shopper Maria Ramirez said this closure will do more than just bum people out.

“It’s going to affect the neighbors, you know how it is, you go into a store, you leave and look outside, and then you go in there to see what they have,” she said.

As the clock winds down, Nguyen said she is left with a feeling of gratitude for the loyalty over the years, but she said they lack the energy to go on.

"God, I wish I could open up another one for you guys,” she said in her farewell.