Koreatown Will Welcome Dallas' First H MART Supermarket

On August 11, 2023, elected officials joined the Korean Society of Dallas and Greater Dallas Korean American Chamber of Commerce in celebration of the Koreatown Dallas designation, which was held at the site of the future H Mart on Royal Lane. The event not only celebrated the new Koreatown designation, it also highlighted the exciting redevelopment of a vacant building at 2534 Royal Lane into Dallas’ first H MART.

H MART is the largest Asian supermarket chain in America specializing in Asian and American groceries, meats, seafood, produce, housewares, and ready-made meals.  The two-story building, upon completion of renovation, will have the 70,000 square foot supermarket on the first floor along with retail/restaurant space. The second floor of the building will house office space. H Mart will invest over $28 million in the renovation of the building and improvements to the site such as landscaping, lighting, and outdoor dining space. City Council approved an economic development incentive in the amount of nearly $4 million to help support the project, which is anticipated to start construction by January of 2024 and complete construction in December of 2025.

Since the opening of the first H MART supermarket in 1982 in Woodside, New York, the company has grown to over 72 stores across 14 states with over 4,500 employees.  H MART currently operates six stores in the state of Texas with previous H MART supermarkets in the Dallas-Fort Worth region in Carrollton and Plano.  

Koreatown Dallas is a 1.6-mile stretch on Royal Lane, between Luna Road and Harry Hines Boulevard that is home to the largest Korean American population in Texas and many Korean shops and restaurants. Earlier this year, Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law unanimously House- and Senate-approved legislation to designate that part of the city as Koreatown Dallas for a 10-year period.