The sliding doors finally stopped humming. For eight years, that massive 100,000-square-foot building on the northeast corner of Dobson and Broadway was a chaotic, wonderful maze of soy sauces, live seafood, and hard-to-find snacks. Now, it's mostly empty. The Mesa supermarket AZ International Marketplace closing didn't just happen overnight, but to the shoppers who relied on it for Puerto Rican calderas or specific Japanese candies, it sure felt like a sudden gut punch.
Honestly, the timeline was aggressive. Signs went up in late November 2024, and by December 1, the lights were out. If you walked in during those final days, you saw a ghost town of bare metal shelving and 40% off stickers. It was weird. It was quiet. It was the end of an era for the Asian District.
Why the AZ International Marketplace had to go
You've probably heard the rumors. Was it the competition? Was it the management? The truth is a mix of business coldness and a vision for something "newer."
Mekong Real Estate Investment Group, the folks who own the 14.5-acre campus, decided it was time for a facelift. They didn't just want a single, massive grocery store anymore. Instead, they are chopping the building in half. One side is slated to become a brand-new, different grocery store. The other? An Urban Air Adventure Park.
Yeah, you read that right. A trampoline park is moving into the space where people used to haggle over the price of dragon fruit.
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Drew Burtoni, the development manager for Mekong, basically said the place was "completely full" when they bought it, and they wanted to evolve the property. But "evolving" for a landlord often means higher rent and more corporate tenants. The original marketplace was a bit of a relic—huge, sprawling, and, according to some frustrated Redditors, occasionally stocked with items that had been on the shelf since the Obama administration.
The collateral damage of the closure
The biggest tragedy isn't the loss of a grocery store; it’s what happened to the small guys inside. Because the marketplace operated on month-to-month leases, the independent stalls were blindsided.
Fatboy Sandos and WokOn were the heart of that food court. Rafael De La Cuesta, who ran Fatboy Sandos, basically found out at the start of November that he had three weeks to vanish. That’s brutal. Imagine trying to move a commercial kitchen with 21 days' notice.
- Fatboy Sandos: Known for those fluffy milk bread sandwiches and Japanese shave ice.
- WokOn: A go-to for casual Chinese comfort food.
- The Struggle: De La Cuesta ended up launching a GoFundMe to try and raise $25,000 to $40,000 just to keep his seven employees paid and find a new roof.
It highlights a scary reality in Mesa’s Asian District. As the area gets "branded" and more polished, the gritty, authentic spots that made it cool in the first place are getting priced out or pushed aside for "amusement purposes."
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Is the Asian District in trouble?
Not exactly. But it’s changing.
Mesa’s Asian District is still a powerhouse, but the loss of a 100,000-square-foot anchor is a big deal. Some shoppers have already migrated to Lee Lee’s International Marketplace or the H Mart down the road. H Mart, in particular, is the "polished" competitor that probably ate into AZ International’s lunch. It’s clean, it’s brightly lit, and it feels like a suburban American grocery store that happens to sell kimchi.
AZ International was different. It was a bit messy. It was like a "mini Costco" for international goods. You could find stuff there you couldn't find anywhere else in the Valley.
What’s happening with the building right now
If you drive by today, you’ll see the construction crews. The city approved the remodeling plans in early 2025. They are adding a recessed loading dock, upgrading the facade, and turning the old garden center into a "community-friendly" area with benches and shade trees.
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It’s going to look "nicer." But will it have the same soul? Probably not.
The new grocery store taking over the 51,000-square-foot section hasn't been officially named in every public filing yet, but the goal is clearly to bring in a tenant with deeper pockets and a more "modern" inventory system.
Actionable steps for former shoppers
If you’re still mourning the loss of your favorite grocery spot, here is how you navigate the new Mesa landscape:
- Follow the displaced: Check the social media pages for Fatboy Sandos. They’ve been looking for a permanent home, possibly sharing a space with WokOn. Supporting them at their new location (or their Tucson roots) is the best way to help.
- Explore the alternatives: While H Mart is the obvious choice, don't forget Mekong Plaza just a half-mile north. It’s owned by the same group but maintains that high-density, authentic market feel.
- Check the local dates: Keep an eye on the city of Mesa's development permits if you want to know exactly when Urban Air opens. It’s looking like a late 2025 or early 2026 debut for the full complex.
- Buy international early: If you have specific brands of soy sauce or spices you loved from the old market, stock up when you see them elsewhere. Supply chains for international goods are often tied to specific distributors that might not work with the "shinier" new stores.
The Mesa supermarket AZ International Marketplace closing is a classic story of urban redevelopment. It’s the trade-off between a "facelift" and the community's history. We get shade trees and trampolines, but we lose the shop where you could buy a 50-pound bag of rice and a Japanese sando under the same roof.
Keep an eye on that corner of Dobson and Broadway. It’s going to look very different by the end of the year. Support the small vendors where you can, because as we've seen, those month-to-month leases don't offer much of a safety net when the wrecking balls (or the remodelers) arrive.