T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY Kae Hso, pictured, is the owner of Asian Grocery Store, which recently opened at 914 N. 4th Ave. in Marshalltown.

Kae Hso, who was born in Thailand and came to the United States 16 years ago, has wanted to start his own grocery store for quite some time, but until recently, he could never find the right place for it.

Two weeks ago, however, his dream finally came true with the opening of Asian Grocery Store at 914 N. 4th Ave. directly south of the 918 Bar. Hso has a wife and three kids — including a baby — at home and also works at Raymon Enterprises in Albion full time. The space he’s occupying, which once housed a bar, is still coming together, but he’s already stocked up a good amount of inventory including meat, produce, noodles, snacks, sauces, desserts and drinks, just to name a few.

He still needs to hire contractors to perform further renovations and electrical work, but the foundation for the future is now firmly in place. Asian Grocery Store is the third such store here after Golden Land and Golden Kayin downtown, and Hso is excited to serve one of Marshalltown’s fastest growing communities, immigrants and refugees from southeast Asia.

“I’m still working on getting more stuff here, and I hope I can bring as much as I can that they need so they don’t have to be running all over,” he said.

And while he knows there’s still plenty of work to do, Hso is excited about the future of the store and the chance to run his own business in Marshalltown.

“We’re learning a lot. We’re learning everyday. Sometimes, it doesn’t come out the way you think, but we’re learning everyday,” he said.

Asian Grocery Store will be open Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. It is closed on Sundays. The store can be reached by phone at (641) 352-8624.