Vonson Asian Market

By Candace Nelson - 5:27 PM

Morgantown is probably one of the most diverse cities in West Virginia. With students all over the world coming to West Virginia University to study, they bring a portion of their culture with them. Though only around 1 percent of the student body is Asian-American, it's important to maintain their culture while they're in Morgantown. This has led to some pretty cool additions to the town and some insight into cultures that we may have never seen otherwise.

A core part of any culture is food. Morgantown has a few markets to help sell those products from different areas in the world that aren't necessarily available in typical grocery stores, like Kroger or Giant Eagle.

Tucked beneath a laundromat and some other stores off of Beechurst lies the Vonson Asian Market. This market is to go-to for Asian-specific grocery items. I checked it out the other day and couldn't believe this wealth of goodness that had been hiding from me. Need some noodles? What about some snacks? Fortified Duck Egg, anyone?

One half of this store is devoted to packaged goods, like cookies, teas, etc. The other half has an entire area for meats, like flamingo! And a whole back area of the store is devoted to a gift shop for tons of Asian trinkets, housewares and decorative works. Watch what time you go, though, as the giftshop is only open during certain hours. The market is usually open until 7:30 p.m., so there's no excuse to not check it out after work or class.

There were so many options, I didn't know where to start! Has anyone checked out the Vonson Market? Any recommendations on what to get here?

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8 comments

  1. I have been dying to check this place out. I think the only reason I've never popped in is because it's tough to get downtown after work. (I'm lazy.) However now that I know there are trinkets involved....

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  2. I want to go back when that gift area is open! As one of my friends put it, "it looks like Narnia." It is a tough area to navigate with traffic, but there is a good bit of parking behind the building, so that helps. And their hours are a little later than usual - 7:30ish. Let me know when/if you go!

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  3. dried mushrooms, items for stir fries (sesame oil, thick soy sauce), mung bean sprouts, jasmine tea! noodles, this is just a few of the things i buy there.

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    1. Wow, those sound great! I'll have to work on my navigation skills inside there. But those items sounds fantastic. I can't wait to go back!

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  4. omgosh!!! i love this place! i checked it out the other day for the first time. i got a little lucky cat trinket, some sushi rice, some mochi ice cream(which you can get at yamas but it was cool that i could buy it at the asian market and take it with me), and a rice roller. i was overwhelmed to be honest. i didn't know where to start. i'm not asian, but it was like my asian fantasy all in one. I've been to some asian marketplaces in pittsburgh and this one was just as good.

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    1. Sounds like you made out! Those sound like awesome finds! I need to check it out again to see what else I can get myself into. Thanks for your comment!

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  5. It's a great place to buy fresh lemongrass, Thai basil, and galangal (ginger-like root used in some Asian recipes). I love cooking Asian food and it is the only place in town to find some of the necessary ingredients. You can buy fresh or dried lemongrass at Kroger, but the price is much better at Vonson.

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