Good Fortune supermarket brings Chinese specialties to Eden Center
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| Good Fortune specializes in live seafood. |
You can find things at Good Fortune, the supermarket that opened in the Eden Center Nov. 22, that you’ll never see in a Giant or Safeway, like whole ducks, live eels, jellyfish heads, huge taro stems, cans of grass jelly dessert, giant lotus roots, whole pig heads, and much, much more.
What makes the Chinese grocery store so unique is the large variety of live seafood and low-priced fresh produce, says Quan Guo Yang, the general manager of the Good Fortune Supermarket Group, headquartered in Queens, N.Y.
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| Kabocha, in the foreground, is a type of winter squash. |
There are dozens of tanks filled with lobsters ($6.88 a pound for small ones), eels ($9.99 a pound), crabs, and many different kinds of fish. Customers can pick out their own fish or lobster and store employees kill and clean it. There are plenty of non-live fresh fish and shellfish available, too.
While the produce bins are full of exotic items – bitter melon, lotus root, enormous green radishes, and ramptons, for example – there are plenty of more common items, as well, such as raspberries ($1.99 for six ounces), bananas (38 cents a pound), and Fuji apples (58 cents a pound).
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| Good Fortune on opening day. |
In the packaged meat department, you can find pork ears, pork tails, pork intestines, duck wings, duck gizzards, duck tongues, and “black chickens.” The egg section offers lots of different kinds of duck eggs. You can also get lots of “regular”grocery staples, like detergent, canned soup, and potato chips.
The 44,000-square-foot store is the ninth Good Fortune supermarket in the United States and the second in Northern Virginia. A Good Fortune opened in Centreville in March. There are five in the New York City area, one in Quincy, Mass., and one in Franklin Park, N.J. Another store is scheduled for Richmond.
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| Ducks are $26 apiece. |
The company also manages a 130,000-square foot warehouse in Queens, N.Y., and several Good Fortune restaurants and is also in the real estate business, said Yang.
The Good Fortune in the Eden Center employs more than 80 people, he said. Most are paid minimum wage, but they have an opportunity to work 50 to 60 hours a week and are paid overtime.
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| Bitter melons are 98 cents a pound. |
The parking lot was completely full on Saturday, even though Eden Center manager Alan Frank said the size of the building housing Good Fortune was reduced to provide 100 extra parking spaces. The building was previously occupied by Ames and several short-term tenants.
According to Frank, the owners of the smaller Eden Supermarket are a little concerned about the increased competition brought by Good Fortune, but they expect to compensate by offering more Vietnamese specialties.
Frank said he saw some of the Eden Center restaurant managers shopping at Good Fortune, because the prices are even lower than at wholesale markets.
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| Live eels. |
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| Prepared food is available for takeout. |
Is this in the old Zayre location?
It's in Eden Center at Seven Corners.
I'm pretty sure there hasn't been a Zayre anywhere on the east coast for twenty years.
I am an old timer, I avoid the 7 corners area due to Vietnamese gangs and bad drivers. Zayre was on Roosevelt side of the shopping center. I used to go to the Carvel Ice Cream shop as a kid.
I frequent the Eden Center regularly and enjoy many of the great restaurants they have there. I've never had any problem, or even a ding on my door from the parking lot. I'm glad they now have a big grocery store as well!
Yes, it is the old Zayre's site. Now you know how old I am.
Do you remember the Carvel ice cream store?
@ anonymous. I've heard of gangs /fights as well but still frequent the shops and restaurants mainly because I love the food there . Just avoid Eden Center after dark and you should be fine.