CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Last year, V Mart opened its doors in Southside Corpus Christi with a small selection of Asian ingredients. Today, the store is thriving, expanding its offerings to over 20,000 products and becoming a local hub for the city’s growing Asian community.
“It’s been great. It’s been a journey that’s challenging, exciting, growing,” said Yang “Cici” Zhaiwang, one of the store’s co-owners.
What started as a modest shop with a few essentials has transformed into a destination where local residents can find everything kitchen staples to TikTok-famous treats. The store now offers a wide variety of products that once required road trips to bigger cities like Houston, Dallas, or Austin.
“Soy sauce, for example, before we only had one or two options. Now, we have 20 more options from different countries,” Zhaiwang said.
V Mart’s progress reflects a growing Asian demographic in Corpus Christi. The store has been able to cater to local Asian families, offering products that connect them with their heritage. But it’s not just about the Asian community—the store also shares this culture with others in the region.
For example, V Mart introduced viral treats like a peach, mango, and lemon shaped ice cream, which had been hard to find in the area. “There was a big viral ice cream. We fought two or three months to get it here,” said Justin Tran. He is another co-owner of V Mart.
The store’s offerings have expanded to include unique products like Dubai chocolate and The Monster Labubu dolls, which have gained popularity on social media.
With these new items, V Mart is becoming a go-to destination for diverse cultural experiences in the Coastal Bend.
“We’ve been seeing a lot of great customers, returning customers,” Zhaiwang said. “We’re trying to bring more of the best products we can get.”
Running a small business comes with challenges. V Mart has faced economic pressures, including rising import tariffs and supply chain disruptions.
“We see significant increases from suppliers. It’s difficult,” Zhaiwang said. “We have to deal with either thin margins and not pass [the cost] to customers or consumers, or we have to increase [prices]. We want to stay positive and say it’s a problem, and we might have solutions.”
Despite these obstacles, Zhaiwang remains optimistic. As a Chinese immigrant, she has also faced discrimination, but she sees perseverance as the key to her success.
“We’ve faced that discrimination, but there’s nothing we can do. We are doing our best,” she said.
Looking ahead, the owners of V Mart are committed to continuing to serve the growing community in Corpus Christi. This month, they embarked on a month-long tour through Asia, seeking new products and experiences to share with their customers. They are documenting the journey through vlogs on social media, allowing followers to explore countries like Korea, Japan, China, and Vietnam through their lens.
You can follow their journey by clicking here.
With their focus on cultural connection, quality products, and community support, the V Mart team hopes to continue growing for years to come.
V Mart is located at 3809 Airline Road in Southside Corpus Christi.
