New Asian Market Shuttering by Next Week

New Asian Market, on the corner of North McDowell Boulevard and Redwood Highway, a treasure trove of spices, delicacies and hard-to-find Asian ingredients, is going out of business, another casualty of the recession.

For more than 14 years, Mau Trang’s store in northern Petaluma, has catered to the town’s small Asian community as well as ethnic chefs who loved poring over its selection of curries, rice paper, noodles, roti (Asian bread) and other specialty items.

But come the end of this week, Mr. Trang will hang up the “Closed for Business” sign, following sluggish sales that are down by a third from just a couple of years ago.

“The sales are bad, and I have health problems,” Trang told Petaluma Patch.

Kristen Sorensen, 42, of Penngrove is one frequent customer who's disappointed about the store's closure and says Trang and his wife offered personalized service to customers who came to their tiny store.

"If you had a dish you wanted to make, they'd tell you the ingredients to use," Sorensen said.

New Asian Market is the latest in a string of Petaluma businesses to announce they are going out of business. Beloved toy store is closing this month, while on Kentucky, which sells clothing and jewelry, will become an online vendor.

Last April, , a popular children’s play center on Western Avenue shuttered, unable to keep profits flowing through the summer, and was followed by Early Toy Works in the fall. Meanwhile, a group of concerned residents have launched the , aimed at supporting local businesses by "mobbing" them with customers on a designated day.

Last Friday and Saturday, hundreds of shoppers turned out at Heebe Jeebe's to support owner Drew Washer, who has struggled with low sales, giving Washer "her two best days ever." Organizers plan on "mobbing" other businesses on a regular basis and according to Facebook chatter are looking at  wine shop on Petaluma Boulevard as their next target.