After growing up in the family business, owning a convenience store became a natural career choice for Dennis Kim, owner of Let’s Go Market, which has two locations in Cleveland, Texas. “I’m a second-generation operator,” he said. His parents came to the United States from South Korea in 1979, and the first business they opened was a convenience store. “I joke that my current career was forty years in the making, since I helped my brother manage my parents’ chain of five to six locations,” he said. 

When the opportunity to build his own store from the ground up presented itself, he took advantage and opened the first Let’s Go Market location in 2023. 

He credits his parents, who are now transitioning to retirement, for teaching him the ins and outs of the convenience store industry. “I didn’t realize how much of the entrepreneurial spirit was in me, especially because I used to resent being the owner’s son. Now I appreciate it more as I serve the community and value the relationships we’ve created with customers,” Kim said.

For Kim, it took self-growth to transition into his role as a store owner. “I have a real big advantage because I essentially grew up in the industry, but it took a paradigm shift from thinking ‘why do I have to do this?’ to ‘I have all this wealth of knowledge and experience, so why wouldn’t I do this?’” he said. 

Being Customer Centric 

When Kim first opened Let’s Go Market, he listened to his customers before rushing to fill the shelves with generic items. “I wanted to match the needs of our customers to what we stocked,” he said. “While I stocked the c-store essentials, I deliberately left about 30% of my shelf space vacant to put in what my customers wanted.” A majority of his customers asked for an expanded automative department, and when he increased the items in that section, he found it brought in a higher dollar amount per transaction. 

They also asked for Hispanic brands of ice cream, chips, candies, laundry detergent and other sundries. “I realized I was filling a huge need and the items have been very popular,” Kim said. He also partnered with a Mexican bakery to deliver sweet treats three times a week and changed his coffee program to match what his customers wanted to drink. 

To gather suggestions, each shift lead has a request sheet. Kim reviewed them on a daily basis in the store’s early days but now looks at them weekly. “We give all new items a try for a month or so, then determine if we should keep it or perhaps stock it seasonally,” he said. 

Building With Care

One thing he’s made a priority since day one is making sure his employees feel valued. “You can say ‘customer service is very important’ to your employees and cashiers, but from my perspective, it’s how the staff are treated that translates into good customer service,” he said. “I spend more time at work than with my own family, so I want to enjoy the people I work with.” Many of his employees previously worked for his parents—one of his managers has been with his family for 25 years and several others for a decade or more.

He encourages his employees to show that same form of care to customers and within the community. Let’s Go Market sponsors local sports teams and donates to charitable drives. “I really train my managers and employees to tell me about ways to help our community,” he said. 

Overall, Kim is thoughtful about building his company. “In the current landscape, independent operators are surrounded by large chains, which can make business very tough and time intensive,” he said. “You have to sacrifice a lot, and if you don’t love what you do, you shouldn’t do it. But if you do love it, it won’t feel like work. For me, I love dealing with people and meeting different people, so it’s a great business to be in every day.”