If your appetite is craving an exotic vacation from the typical American spread, follow the rickety brick road down Franklin Avenue to the Oceanic Trading Supermarket.
Lively red Chinese script shadows the gigantic royal blue letters that alert visitors they have just arrived at “OCEANIC.” A small door and the faint sound of a foreign melody invite you to step into the other side of the world.
A swift whiff of oriental tea and white rice urges you to diligently observe your surroundings in search of any evidence of familiarity. Hanging golden-fried ducks and your sense of curiosity put a mental lock on the door behind you.
Operating like a traditional market, food is categorized by type. Boxes of Chinese gelatin desserts greet you before you get lost in a sea of oriental chatter. Countless bottles of Sriracha, a Thai hot sauce, line the isles accompanied by chili paste and other ethnic spices.
If the foreign food titles and colorful selections don’t catch your eye, follow your nose to the huge fish tank full of Tilapia priced at $2.99 per fish. The case assortment of pork, select fish and beef is vast.
Bushels of imported bamboo shoots and frozen clusters of melon-sized spiny fruit influence you to try something new. Of course, if you’re in the mood for something recognizable, $3.99 awards you a frozen package of 50 vegetable dumplings. You can grab a pre-made to-go meal if your interest flares and you’re pressed for time.
Fresh eats aren’t the only things Oceanic has to offer. The market is fully stocked with household decorations, furniture and daily grooming items. Need not worry, there’s no shortage of tiny, bright cocktail umbrellas or baby Buddha statues.
Oceanic is also the home of new and used restaurant equipment, which provides a constant flow of business from all directions. A buy-and-sell cell phone kiosk is the latest addition to the market, seemingly out of place, but some how camouflages in with the strangeness of the business.
Family-owned and operated by Sookie Choy and her parents, Oceanic has been thriving in downtown Tampa since 1980.
“The initial reason for opening the market was to accommodate the Asian community’s desire for authentic ingredients during that period of time,” Choy informed.
The store has expanded its walls twice during its existence and is the only Oceanic market in the United States.
The Oceanic Trading Supermarket does not only thrive off the general public, but is the produce hub for Asian Bistro on Howard Avenue, TC Choy’s; also owned by the Choys. TC Choy’s specializes in Cantonese and Asian dishes, but also incorporates Malaysian, Thai and Japanese styles into their cooking.
Located within minutes of each other, these businesses run simultaneously catering to local lovers of Asian cuisine and fueling the Choy’s bank account.
Oceanic imports products from China, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, Korea, India and Indonesia and orders fresh produce like pork, farm-raised seafood and vegetables from local farms in Florida.
The wide selection of produce carried by the market attracts a large population of diverse customers as well as the business of many local restaurants.
“Our largest competitors are MD and Din-Ho, but we hardly advertise and we have a larger customer base,” Choy said.
Stay updated with the latest produce and prices by picking up Asian newspaper, the World Journal, or visit http://oceanicmarket.com.
Melissa Santell can be reached at msantell@spartans.ut.edu.