History of the Store
Among all the shops and restaurants along Reservoir Avenue, Mi Rae Market is just a small, not too noticeable store. Reservoir Avenue is one of the major avenues in Cranston with a lot of traffic in normal daytime. The store has been open for 20 years by a pair of Korean couple who don’t speak much English, so 80% of the customers are Koreans. During the brief 5-minute interview I conducted with the help of a warm-hearted customer, I got to know that the couple originally lived in Boston, which had a larger Korean community, but came to Rhode Island when they were looking for a place for a small business. Most of the customers who come on a regular basis are Korean immigrants speaking fluent Korean and come for convenience as Mi Rae is the only all-Korean market while Asiana is on the east side of Rhode Island. The shop owners clearly know the owner of Asiana well because they suggested me interviewing him instead since they did not want to conduct an interview in English. The store provides them with a sustained source of income without forcing themselves to learn English or to integrate into the American society, as they were a relatively elder couple when they moved to the US. It also provides them with a screened social life within their ethnic culture as they form bonds with their customers overtime.
In general, the store is very Korean customers oriented and focuses very specifically on their cultural stuff without the ambition to accept more intercultural customers or the general non-Korean population in the neighborhood. As mentioned by my “interpreter”, who was also just a customer shopping in the store, they come to the place because it is very similar to an actual convenience store in Korea in its physical setting and has a very lean selection of goods. The physical space and the Korean-speaking couple induces a sense of “nostalgia” and connection to where they grew up. Also, the limited product categories are perfect for some customers since they are just looking for Korean goods instead of Asian goods in general, so they can avoid all other unnecessary distractions while feeling comfortably at home.
