Our Story
From Vietnam to East Moline. 31 years on 15th Avenue.
1992 — A family arrives
We arrived in the United States from Vietnam in 1992. Like many new arrivals to the area, our first years were spent working hard to establish a foothold. For two years, we worked at the IBP/Tyson plant in Joslin. It was tough work, but it was the foundation we needed to build something of our own.
1995 — A small store opens
By 1995, we had saved enough to open a small grocery store. We didn't open it to get rich; as we told the Quad-City Times years later, we bought it "so the children could have better jobs." We named it after Hoang-Anh, and we started stocking the ingredients we missed from home — the right fish sauces, the proper noodles, the fresh herbs you couldn't find in a standard supermarket.
2001 — Expansion next door
The community supported us, and the store grew. In 2001, we expanded into the building next door at 802 15th Avenue. The 1914 brick storefront gave us the room we needed to expand our selection beyond Vietnamese staples to include Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Indian, African, and Mexican groceries. We wanted to be the place where anyone looking for a specific, authentic ingredient could find it.
The next generation
Today, Hoang-Anh Foods is still entirely family-run.
- Hoang-Anh is the heart of the store, often out on the floor helping customers find exactly what they need.
- Thinh, her brother, is the primary day-to-day operator. You'll usually find him at the register.
- Thao, Thinh's wife, works alongside them, keeping the shelves stocked and the store moving.
- Tuan, Hoang-Anh's husband, is an engineer at the Rock Island Arsenal who handles our bookkeeping and English-language inquiries.
31 years on the same block
We've been on this same block for over three decades. We don't run fancy marketing campaigns. We don't have a corporate parent. We just try to stock the best ingredients at fair prices, treat our customers like family, and make the drive to Chicago every Tuesday so you don't have to.
We're proud to be part of East Moline. Come meet us. We're on 15th.