Tay Market: A moveable feast makes its home on Central

Canal Street in New York City is home to a wide array of storefront markets, boasting the very freshest seafood and produce. Every day of the week, these market stalls are packed with fresh fruits and vegetables -- and customers, who are looking for affordable prices on fresh ingredients.

Now, with the opening of Tay Market, you can find a little bit of Canal Street on Central Avenue in Albany. Tay Ngo and his partner Emily Lu opened Tay Market last week in the midst of a blizzard, bringing high quality ingredients straight up from the city where he started. Ngo sold Canal Street goods for 20 years, delivering them around New York in his van--a kind of mobile marketplace. He came a favorite of restaurateurs and local businesses, Lu says. (They loved him at the nail salons because the staff liked being able just carry their groceries home with them at the end of the day, Lu says.) 

Last year, he and Lu decided to move to the Capital Region and open a market--one that doesn't move around the city. That doesn't mean Ngo gets to quit driving though; he'll continue to make deliveries from Canal Street each day, but now he'll come all the way to Albany to stock their new market, which specializes in Vietnamese staples. 

The new market is located in the a portion of the Phillips Hardware store, a 2,000 square foot space carved from the original hardware store, that the couple says is just right for them.They have added a number of shelves, display cases, and several refrigerated cases for seafood. "It's very good," says Lu. 

The new store is on a block of Central that is already home to two Middle Eastern grocery stores, Medina Mart and Halal Meat, as well as the Breakthrough African Market, making this section of the Avenue a great destination for culinary adventures. The new store also fills another need--supplying fresh fruits and vegetables to nearby neighborhoods. Lu says Ngo picked this part of the city because of the lack of fresh produce nearby. "Many customers walk," she says, and the closest grocery stores with a produce section are several blocks west--a hard walk with bags of groceries in hand. This part of the city has been designated as a food desert, and Ngo and Lu hope their new market will fill a gap that has existed for some time. 

Come by to check out their great selection! 

Here's a sampling of the deals:

$3.99/lb. for red snapper and octopus

$16.99/lb. for King crab legs

Thai eggplant $1.99/lb.

Ginger .99/lb.

Pummelos $2.99/lb. 

Visit the Tay Market at 290 Central Avenue, Albany, NY 12203. (518) 915-1752