I still can't believe I lived in Menlo Park for almost 15 years before I found Nak's. It's now one of my favorite downtown Menlo Park shops. I found the Hawaiian purple potatoes there I've been longing for since I first went to Hawaii, mochi unlike any I've had before, and salty Dutch licorice, good sake... There's always some fun treat to get at Nak's.

by Jane Knoerle, Menlo Park (May 15, 2009) For a refreshing change from serve-yourself, warehouse-sized stores, stop by for a friendly visit at Nak's Market — Menlo Park's last downtown mom-and-pop grocery store. Nak's, which has been in business for 40 years, harks back to the days when grocers knew you by name and were happy to hurry down the aisles to search for a special item. The market first opened in 1968 with Ikie's sister and brother-in-law, Edith and Fred Nakamura, as proprietors. Ikie and Sam Kurose began helping out on Saturdays, and when the Nakamuras were no longer able to run the business in about 1980, it was up to the younger couple to take over. Running a mom-and-pop market was quite a change from Sam's job with a computer company and the food writing Ikie did in Japan, but they learned along the way. Today business is good and the store has a loyal following. Ikie and Sam work side by side Monday through Saturday. Gale Nakano of Redwood City said she has been coming to Nak's for years because "they have lots of good stuff." She especially likes their tofu, which they pick up every day in San Jose on the way to work. To find similar products, customers would have to drive up to San Mateo, said Nakano, who was also buying some fresh ginger. Sally Mennick, a personal assistant and a sous chef, was stocking up on rice crackers recently at Nak's. She also shops there for mochi ice cream, fresh bamboo shoots, Thai basil and sashimi (raw fish). "My friends are in love with the candies," she said, pointing to the goodies behind the front counter. The selection is reminiscent of the old-time "penny candies" that neighborhood sweet shops once carried. Shae Lovazzano and her cousins, Bella and Tina, who attend St. Raymond School, came into the store for Ramune sodas. The carbonated drinks have special caps that cause them to "bubble up like Champagne," Sam said. Bernadette Callahan of Menlo Park said she has been shopping at Nak's for 18 years. "Sam is very helpful. When I bring in a recipe that includes, for example, vinegar or soy sauce, he will show me several kinds and say which one is the best." One expects an Asian market to carry products from Japan, China and Thailand, but Nak's has much more. Several shelves are filled with Dutch food products. There are many Dutch items, such as honey cake, speculaas (windmill cookies), chocolate, Gouda biscuits, and several kinds of mustard and jams. Sam has a Dutch-food catalogue that he lets customers peruse. When they see something they're longing for, he orders it for them. Customers come from as far away as Chico for their Dutch treats, he said. Nak's has a small section of choice produce. It's one of the few places to find kaffir lime leaves or galangal (a rhizome with flavor similar to gingerroot), both of which are used in Thai cooking. Beautiful King Oyster mushrooms are bought from a Japanese farmer. Sam drives to a South San Francisco produce market at least two times a week, rising at 4 a.m. In the summer, Nak's is one of the few places, outside of a farmers' market, where you can find ripe melons. Hawaiian islanders know they can find laulaus in the refrigerator section. Fresh poi is flown in and picked up regularly at the San Francisco airport. As far as Sam is concerned, poi is an acquired taste and he doesn't like it. Nak's is a little more crowded than it used to be since the store no longer has a second room filled with tasteful Japanese pottery. However, a few pieces are still displayed on shelves behind the front counter. Twenty-eight years in the business is a long time, but Sam and Ikie have no plans to retire. And their customers would be lost without them. After all, where else could they find Dutch treats, poi, quail eggs, Thai bird's-eye chiles and seaweed all in one little market where "everybody knows your name."