“They came from Vietnam, and they were all in the grocery business,” he said. “When they came over, it was a natural continuation.”

The family came to the United States in 1980, when Lien was 9 years old, fleeing political conflict, and brought their knowledge of the business with them. The family moved the store to its third and current location in August 2001.

A 1993 MSU graduate, Lien began helping his family at the store around age 15, deciding to continue with the business full time after graduating with a degree in engineering arts.

Lien said 95 percent of the products found in the store are imported, from the produce to the gifts and cookware, with items arriving from China, India, Korea, Africa, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam and Japan among other places. The store also features Middle Eastern foods and several varieties of more common items.

“Rice is something that most Asian people use, and we have lots of different types of rices here,” he said.

Shoppers can find unique flavors in Asian vegetables like Chinese eggplant and yu choy, and different types of fish such as turbot and sushi-grade varieties like unagi, a smoked eel.

Drinks and snacks also are popular. A favorite fruit drink is Ramune, or, for something with more of a kick, a Japanese energy drink called Pocari Sweat. For sweet tooths, snacks such as chocolate sticks, or Pocky, are a fan favorite.

Lien also brings in pastries from bakeries in Chicago, each with a unique taste of its own.

“The fillings are different — they are filled with things like red beans, coconut, different types of melons,” he said.

Business comes mostly from the community, but it is the increasing international student population, Lien said, that also beings people in.

“The best way to introduce the food products here is through friends,” he said.

The selection and prices at Oriental Mart bring customers back, Lien said, along with the help of a knowledgeable staff to help customers interpret recipes and find what they need.

MSU students Catrice Canty-Pope and Saba Kahn made a special trip to Oriental Mart to buy food for an event called “Internationalizing Your Experience” at Brody Complex, which gives international and American students a chance to get to know one another.

“If you come here, you get the authentic deal,” said Canty-Pope, a telecommunication, information studies and media sophomore and returning shopper at Oriental Mart. “It helps you appreciate each individual culture.”

This is the first visit to the market for Kahn, a microbiology junior.

“I was like, ‘Wow.’ I am used to going to Indian ethnic stores,” she said. “It’s definitely like an educational experience. I like it a lot.”

For Canty-Pope, who enjoys the desserts and sauces available at Oriental Mart, specialty stores help students feel more at home.

“International students can come here and get what they love,” she said.

Kahn said stores like Oriental Mart can help introduce people to cultures they are less familiar with while exploring their own.

“It’s kind of a way to appreciate your own culture as well,” she said.

With everything from seaweed to aloe vera drinks to cows’ feet available in the aisles of Oriental Mart, a customer is limited only by his or her willingness to sample new flavors.

“The majority of these foods are pretty healthy. The majority are pretty low in fat and cholesterol,” Lien said. “They are all natural, they are not processed. That’s the way the Asian diet is.”

Lien hopes to one day expand the business to other areas but will continue his current philosophy to provide the necessary ingredients to meet the cooking needs of international students and residents.

“I am lucky to have been in business for so long,” Lien said.