A (Real) Convenience Store Woman — Yiyan Zhou of Heng Yun Grocery
Yiyan Zhou, the manager of Heng Yun Grocery
If you’re wondering why I’m writing about convenience stores on a food blog, then you must have never been to a convenience store in Asia. And if you’ve never been to a convenience store in Asia, you’re missing out. Convenience stores in Asia are AMAZING and are completely different from their counterparts in America. When you think of convenience stores in the U.S., you probably picture a sad looking building in a gas station whose only worthy offering is a public toilet. However, convenience stores in Asia are mini wonderlands with more ramen, potato chip, and flavored yogurt options than you could ever have conceived of. They usually have hot food bars with options that are legitimately delicious, and many of them have public seating areas where students, office workers, and tourists alike can plop down for a quick on-the-go meal or to chat with friends.
A Lawson’s in Osaka (PC: Andrew Leu)
In fact, many office workers in Japan regularly go to 7-Elevens and other konbini (short for konbiniensu sutoru, which is a transliteration of “convenience store”) chains for lunch because they offer such a wide variety of fresh food items (think: sushi, oden, rice bowls, soba noodles, onigiri, and countless types of bento boxes). Convenience stores in Asia also usually have free WiFi and offer a variety of essential services such as currency exchange, printing, and ticketing for popular attractions.
A typical konbini cart (PC: Markus Winkler)
When Patrick and I were in Japan for spring break during our senior year of college, we bought a variety of breakfast items and snacks from 7-Eleven every night (these are EVERYWHERE by the way). Some of my favorite items included milk tea (the Royal Milk Tea by a company called Sangaria is the best; you can get it hot or cold), milk bread, and fruit sandos (short for sandoitchi, which is a transliteration of “sandwich”; and yes, fruit sandwiches are a thing). Similarly, when we visited China in 2019, we always purchased a hodgepodge of food items – ranging from hot steamed buns to Beijing-style yogurt (which, by the way, is probably my favorite dairy item that has ever been made; I hope they come up with a plant-based version sometime soon because I really miss it) – before embarking on a long day of sightseeing. The convenience stores in Taiwan are really good as well; I distinctly remember a rainy day in Kaohsiung when Patrick and I ran to a nearby convenience store and had some ramen, hot dogs, and salted egg yolk potato chips by the window while watching the rain fall.
There are always tons of milk options (PC: Joshua Fernandez)
When I’m not traveling (i.e. now, because of COVID), I love watching YouTube videos of food bloggers (such as Mike Chen of Strictly Dumpling) who visit and compare convenience stores in different Asian countries. These videos are so fun because there are always new things to discover. Stores are constantly competing against each other and coming up with new food items in order to attract customers. For example, in Japan, 7-Eleven, Family Mart, and Lawson’s are regularly the top contenders for the best convenience store egg sando, which is probably the single most popular Japanese convenience store item. Each store has their own formulation, and the seasonings, bread-to-egg ratios, and consistencies are all a little different.
Onigiri display (PC: Markus Winkler)
In addition to being treasure troves of deliciousness, convenience stores also have a lot of cultural significance in many Asian countries. A few years ago, I read a book titled Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata that alludes to the significance of convenience stores in Japanese society. If you’re a K-drama fan, you’ll be familiar with the drunken convenience store scene that is in 90% of all Korean dramas: girl drinks soju alone at a table outside; guy sees girl and sits down next to her; girl starts yelling at guy; girl throws up; guy carries girl home; girl falls in love with guy a few episodes later. In China, the local convenience store at the base of an apartment complex is where all the grandpas and grandmas of the complex like to congregate on hot summer nights and exchange stories while eating sunflower seeds and peanuts.
A typical mini convenience store in China, typically located below apartments (PC: Li Lin)
Perhaps due to their prominence in Asia, convenience stores have long been a popular option for Asian immigrants looking to start a business in America. And, in some ways, they symbolize the American dream. Kim’s Convenience, a heartfelt sitcom about Korean-Canadian immigrants who own a convenience store in Canada, does a great job illustrating how the convenience store – along with laundromats and restaurants – has become a symbol of freedom and resilience: the freedom of business ownership and the corresponding resilience it takes to make an Asian-owned business succeed in a foreign country while navigating culture differences and racial discrimination.
A popular convenience Shanghainese convenience store chain (PC: Levi Lei)
As you can probably tell by now, convenience stores have always occupied a special place in my heart. That’s why, when I had the opportunity to interview a Chinese convenience store manager for Welcome to Chinatown’s Business Spotlight series, I had all the feels. Although Heng Yun Grocery isn’t a full-service convenience store in that it doesn’t offer fresh food items (many Asian-owned convenience stores in America actually don’t have fresh food offerings since they require additional investment in food preparation and display equipment, which can be expensive), it still embodies the spirit of an Asian-American convenience store in America.
The manager, Yiyan Zhou, is a real-life “convenience store woman.” However, unlike the woman in Murata’s novel, Yiyan is vibrant, inspiring, and stong.
During this time of uncertainty and elevated violence against Asians in America, it’s more important than ever to give Asian communities a voice and tell their stories. I hope that Yiyan’s story can provide an additional perspective and help build the bridge of understanding and acceptance that we so desperately need. Even during these difficult times, despite increased xenophobia and violence, Yiyan just wants to work hard so that she can one day give back to society.
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Heng Yun Grocery is a small convenience store at 329 Grand Street that sells Asian and American grocery items and household goods. Yiyan Zhou, the manager of Heng Yun Grocery, emigrated from the Fuzhou province of China in 2003. During her 10+ years of working at the store, Yiyan has developed close relationships with many repeat customers who live in Chinatown. Though the pandemic has been tough on the business, Yiyan maintains a positive attitude and lives by her motto, “Be satisfied and be happy.”
Yiyan Zhou, the manager of Heng Yun Grocery
Tell us about your business and about who you are.
Hi, my name is Yiyan Zhou, and I have been the manager of Heng Yun for over 10 years now. The store was opened by one of my distant relatives over 20 years ago. We sell typical convenience store items such as snacks, drinks, beer, condiments, lifestyle products, garbage bags, hardware, lottery tickets, etc. We carry a lot of Asian snacks like shrimp crackers, taro chips, rice crackers, Pocky, etc. We have a microwave and water boiler so that customers can heat up microwaveable meals and instant ramen. (Alice note: This is very typical for convenience stores in Asia.)
Most of our customers are people who live or work in Chinatown. Ever since the COVID pandemic started, there have not been as many workers in Chinatown, so our business has taken a hit.
Some of my favorite childhood snacks
Microwave and water boiler
Could you please provide us with some background on yourself?
In 2003, I emigrated from the Fuzhou province of China, where I worked as a salesperson for women’s hair care products. After coming to New York, I worked at a restaurant for 2 -3 years before working at another convenience store on East Broadway for a few years.
Eventually, I got married and had children in the US. I also helped my mom immigrate here. My father passed away a while ago, so being closer to my mom is very nice.
How have you been faring with the impact of COVID?
We shut down for two and a half months because we weren’t getting enough foot traffic to justify keeping the lights on. At the onset of the pandemic, people were only buying cleaning related items such as alcohol, hand sanitizer, and toilet paper. These items were in such high demand that we couldn’t even get them from our wholesale suppliers. Even after the demand died down a bit, the wholesale prices were so high that we couldn’t make a profit on these items.
Sales of our grocery items have fallen to about a third of what they were before the pandemic. We had to let go of one of our employees as a result. Interestingly though, lottery ticket sales have gone up. Unfortunately, we don’t make much money on lottery tickets.
To this day, it’s still very difficult for us. Business is still not the same as before. Before the pandemic, we were open from 8am to 10pm every day. Now, we are only open from 9am to 6pm. One of the reasons we decided to reduce our hours is because Chinatown has been getting more dangerous since the pandemic started. There has also been more theft lately, so we’re scared of staying open late at night.
How has Welcome to Chinatown (WtC) helped your business?
When someone first came to our store and told us about Welcome to Chinatown, we didn’t believe them. We thought, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” However, when another person came over to tell us about it, we decided to take a chance and apply to the Longevity Fund. We never thought we would get the grant but are very appreciative that we were chosen.
We’ve been using the grant to pay rent and salaries. We have also applied for PPP loans. We’re hoping to use the grant money and PPP loans to get some new products so that we can attract some new customers.
Eventually, we want to be as self-sufficient as possible. We’re working as hard as possible so that we can reach that point, even though it might take some time. At some point, we want to be able to give back to society. Just like how WtC has helped us, we also want to help others in return.
What is something interesting that most people don’t know about Heng Yun?
All the old customers in the neighborhood know me. They are like family to me. Whenever a customer passes away, I feel like I’ve lost a family member. There are many touching things that happen with my customers that I can’t recall every single detail, but there is one story that I want to share: During this past Chinese New Year, some non-Asians gave me a red envelope. I didn’t care about how much money was in there — I was just really touched that they had remembered Chinese New Year. This made me really happy.
Another fun fact: The previous manager sold a lottery ticket to someone who won $1 million!
Any plans for the future? Both amidst and beyond the pandemic?
It’s hard to say, because so many stores in the area have failed or moved due to high rents. It’s hard just to keep a single store afloat, so we can’t even afford to think about opening a new store. Back before COVID, there were a lot of similar stores like this all around, but now there are not too many left. We’re just focused on surviving and serving our remaining customers.
Any advice you’d like to give to others who are struggling during COVID?
My life motto is, “Be satisfied and be happy.” Be satisfied with what you have and be happy with your life. Even though we are going through a hard time, at least the store is alive. Your health and life are the most important. Don’t ask for too much. We’re just lucky to be alive.
Anything else you would like people to know or talk about?
Again, just be satisfied and be happy! Just like with the lottery, some people will always want to take risks and try to make it big. It’s like gambling. However, I think it’s important to just be satisfied with what you have.
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Chinatown establishments like Heng Yun Grocery are what makes the spirit of our neighborhood. We need your support — now more than ever before — to keep that spirit alive. Please consider making a donation to our small business relief fund, The Longevity Fund, or help us spread the word of what’s at stake. Together, we can preserve Chinatown businesses and help say Chinatown will always be open for business.
Photo Credit: Fuxuan Xin