Oriental Mart

Being Filipina, my wife is always on the lookout for Asian markets or restaurants in the area. As soon as she heard about this market, it was only a matter of time before we drove the short distance from Jefferson City to Fulton to check it out. We were very impressed. The store is clean, well lit, and the prices are reasonable. The owner was warm and friendly, and she even sat and visited with our three year old while we shopped. We will definitely be driving back up that way to get our Asian groceries. The only reason I’m not giving it five stars is because there were a few items I couldn’t find, but in the store’s defense, it’s impossible to carry everything when you’re a smaller market in a rural Missouri town. Fulton is so fortunate to have a store like this.

My wife is from the Philippines, so we’re always on the lookout for new sources of ingredients for her cooking. Having lived in Columbia for about nine months, we’ve visited all the international markets here, but heard about one in the much smaller community of Fulton. Not having anything to do one Saturday, we drove about 30 minutes to it.
We were surprised. Most small town, Asian markets are dark, dusty, and expensive. This is the exact opposite.
The Oriental Mart is easy to miss, as the sign is small and the storefront quite unremarkable. There’s parking out front and other than an illuminated Open sign, not many signs of life.
Once you’re inside, the whole story changes. The store is bright, fully stocked, spotlessly clean, and carries an astounding variety of goods. While 80% slanted to the Philippines, as that’s where the owner hails from, there’s a respectable selection of other Asian and African foods. They even carry my favorite from the UK, Marmite.
The foods that I checked were all within their expiration dates and clean. Not a speck of dust anywhere and every can and box perfectly shelved.
Prices were oddly low. We’re from New Jersey and used to shopping in supermarket sized Asian places and this little hole in the wall store beat their prices!
Owner is very friendly and loves to engage in conversation with her compatriots. She’s a wealth of area information for new (er) residents or visitors, regarding the Asian community in the area.
Only reason I didn’t give a five star rating is that they use a row of homestyle fridges and freezers. No way to see what’s inside except to open each one. Minor point, but having glass fronted cases would be a big improvement.
Overall, this is an amazing place and I’m sure we’ll be back many times!