After roughly 35 years on West Hillsborough Avenue, Kim Bros. Korean Market is heading into its final weekend of business. The small, family-run shop built a loyal following for its housemade kimchi and a lineup of prepared Korean dishes that pulled regulars from across Tampa. As the store winds down, owner Jin Cha has been thanking customers and staff in between ringing up orders, while workers mark down inventory and longtime shoppers swing by for final boxes of made-to-order favorites.
As reported by Creative Loafing Tampa, the market at 4021 W Hillsborough Ave is in clearance mode ahead of Sunday’s final close. Cha, who has worked behind the counter for five years, told the paper, "Thank you, everyone. Thank you for loving my food. Thank you for all of the love." The article also notes that the owners are trying to keep the market’s recipes alive even after the storefront shutters.
H Mart Moving Into the Same Corridor
Work permits filed earlier this year list H Mart Companies with an address of 3908 W Hillsborough Ave, just up the road from Kim Bros., according to the City of Tampa’s CARES newsletter. State business records also show the company is registered locally as H MART TAMPA LLC at that same Hillsborough Avenue address, per Sunbiz. The filings and visible construction point to the national chain preparing a full grocery and food hall presence for the neighborhood.
Kim Bros Flavors to Live On
Creative Loafing Tampa reports that some of Kim Bros.' prepared foods and housemade kimchi will continue to be sold at Soul of Korea in nearby Temple Terrace and are expected to appear in the forthcoming H Mart food court. That means recipes regulars relied on at the small market may survive in new formats, including a food-stall counter and a temple-terrace outpost, even as the original storefront goes dark. For fans, that may soften the loss, even if the neighborhood is losing a stand-alone, family-run grocer.
What It Means for the Neighborhood
Small, independent grocers like Kim Bros. often act as cultural anchors for immigrant communities, stocking hard-to-find ingredients and setting a neighborhood rhythm that bigger stores do not always match. The incoming H Mart will bring a much larger footprint, a wider selection and a food hall model that can keep some small vendors' dishes in circulation while reshaping where locals shop. In the short term, neighbors are lining up to say goodbye at the register and grab last-round favorites; in the months ahead, many will be watching to see whether the chain’s arrival preserves the market’s flavors or simply replaces a corner institution.
