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Wal-Mart Takes Over Asian Market Place
Alameda Square Businesses To Relocate, Shut Down
POSTED: 11:18 a.m. MST March 3, 2003
UPDATED: 11:28 a.m. MST March 3, 2003
DENVER -- It is a case of big versus small and, once again, big has won.
Several family owned businesses in the Alameda Square Shopping Center in Denver will have to relocate to make way for a Super Wal-Mart.
The move could be a real hardship for both the small Asian businesses and their customers, 7NEWS reported. Business owners are wondering where they can go and how much it will cost to move and the customers are wondering what will happen to these familiar places.
At the Kings Land Chinese Restaurant, cooks worked almost non-stop for a busy lunchtime crowd.
"This is a good place to eat," said customer Lucy Go.
Kings Land is a family owned business that had been in the Alameda Square location for the past three years. The customers are drawn here because of the food, the dim sum (Chinese brunch) and all the other Asian businesses just a few steps away.
"Most people I know of, they tend to have Saturday or Sunday brunch here and then do their grocery shopping across the parking lot," Go said.
But these businesses are being forced out to make way for a super Wal-Mart.
Khanh Vu's family owns the large grocery store in the square, the Asian Super Market, and also most of the land the shopping center sits on. After nine months of trying to find investors to redevelop the center, he said finally had to make a deal.
He said he feels good and bad about accepting the Wal-Mart deal.
"What can we do?" Vu said.
His deal has left many business owners wondering what will happen to them and especially if they have to relocate far away.
"Then, nobody will come. What can we do? We may be in bankruptcy," said Kings Land spokeswoman Sufan Sui.
As part of the deal, Wal-Mart has to help the businesses find a place to relocate and hopefully find a location where they can all be together.
The Wal-Mart deal is contingent on the company reaching an agreement with the Denver Urban Renewal Authority and if that agreement is reached, the businesses may have to start moving out as soon as this summer.
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