C-Mart Supermarket - Boston, MA (Lincoln St)

C-Mart Supermarket

Open: 2004-2020

Owner: Quxiang Lin

Previous Tenants: unknown

Later Tenants: vacant

Cooperative: none

Location: 109 Lincoln St, Boston, MA

Photographed: July 20, 2019 and July 21, 2019

Today, there are two C-Mart supermarkets -- one on the border of Chinatown and the South End here in Boston, and another down in Quincy. But this store on Lincoln Street was their original location, with their second location being in what's now Jia Ho on Washington Street.

This one is slightly smaller than the Herald Street location, at just about 13,000 square feet. It's on the ground floor of this somewhat strange mixed-use building, with offices and parking on higher levels. The store opened in 2004, then closed in 2020 for reasons that aren't quite clear.

One of the strange parts of the store I noticed while walking around the outside: one of the signs, on the side of the building near the entrance to the parking garage, identified the store as G-Mart. I don't know why that is (but there's a clear, visible difference between this sign and the other ones here, so it is actually a different letter), and there's no relation that I could find to the current G-Mart chain, which has stores in Queens, NY and Milford, CT, along with one in progress in north Jersey.

But signs on the front and other side of the store had the C-Mart name.

The store was set up pretty similarly to the other C-Mart locations, with produce up at the front and refrigerated/frozen items around the rest of the perimeter. Meat and seafood here, though, are on the back wall instead of the left side. The store is narrow and deep, which might be why they chose to set it up that way.

The building is slightly angled, so that it's wider in the back of the supermarket than in the front. In front, it's only 55 feet wide. For comparison, a typical tractor-trailer truck's trailer is 53 feet.

Looking towards the back of the store. Lincoln Street runs along the left side of the store, to the left in the below picture.

C-Mart definitely kept the place well-stocked, that's for sure!

Some unusual freezer cases at the back of the store, with a coffin case at the bottom and doors at the top. I've seen similar styles of cases at some newer LIDL stores.

Service meat and seafood counters at the back of the store, in the back-right corner if I remember correctly.

And a look across the front-end...

I'm glad I got to photograph this store before it closed, especially since there doesn't seem to be a new tenant moving in here. And that wraps up Chinatown! Now, Downtown Boston is just north, and has only one supermarket. Let's tour that one tomorrow!