Event, Food and Drink, New Business, Top 2025

Large Attendance at 99 Ranch Grand Opening

Crowds of eager shoppers packed the queue outside Portland’s first 99 Ranch Market on August 16th for the Pan-Asian grocery’s opening day celebration. Attendees waited in a one-hour-long line to enter the new 40,174 square foot store and waited another 25 minutes to check out. Inside, people found a brightly LED-lit and fully stocked store featuring fresh produce, live seafood, meats, housewares, and foods from domestic and Asian suppliers.

A large crowd of shoppers waits in line under a tent for the opening day of 99 Ranch Market in Portland, showcasing a diverse group of people excited for the new grocery store.
Crowd waiting in line under event tents

The opening ceremony, featuring a lion dance, started just before 8:45. Then, organizers asked people to join the waiting area that had already grown beyond the double event tents constructed to shelter guests. Under the white canopy, a zigzagging felt rope controlled a holding area that felt more fitting for an amusement park ride queue than a store opening. However, it remained full for hours after the 9 a.m. launch, as Portlanders showed a large-scale interest in seeing inside this long-anticipated store. Event organizers kept the shop at a reasonable capacity, waiting for people to leave before letting new patrons enter. The crowded store was always functional with minimal challenges caused by competing interests in items blocked by the checkout line that wrapped around to the back of the store.

Crowded checkout area inside Portland's 99 Ranch Market on opening day, with shoppers in line and carts filled with groceries.
Interior view of 99 Ranch Market showing busy shopping area with customers browsing fresh seafood and meat displays, colorful signage overhead, and a variety of products in a well-lit environment.
A well-stocked aisle in a grocery store featuring various cooking pots, pans, and kitchen appliances displayed on shelves.
Shoppers waiting in line at the 99 Ranch Market opening, with grocery carts in a brightly lit aisle filled with packaged food items.
An aisle in a grocery store lined with shelves filled with various packaged snacks and beverages, brightly lit and well organized.
A display of various frozen desserts, including ube ice cream and matcha popsicles, inside a freezer section of a grocery store.
A busy grocery store filled with shoppers browsing fresh produce. Colorful displays of fruits, including apples and melons, are prominently featured. Signs displaying prices and product information are visible. The atmosphere is lively and bright, showcasing a well-stocked market.
A cheerful mascot dressed as a bee stands in a brightly lit produce section of a grocery store, surrounded by various fruits and vegetables. The store features a vibrant green wall with signage promoting fresh produce.
Crowd of shoppers inside the 99 Ranch Market on opening day, showcasing a brightly lit grocery store with shopping carts, colorful displays, and banners advertising promotions.
Interior view of the 99 Ranch Market, displaying a brightly lit space with shelves stocked with various Asian food products. A large green wall features the text 'Your Favorite Pan-Asian Grocery'. Customers are visible browsing the store.
A brightly colored claw machine arcade game featuring various plush toys inside, located in a grocery store. Multiple rows of the machines are visible, each displaying different types of stuffed animals.
Interior of a grocery store aisle featuring a variety of snack and drink products, with a prominent sign that reads 'Prime Cut MEAT' in the background.

The store’s designers utilized an open ceiling configuration painted matte black, with much of the lighting hung low off the product shelving. The overhead illumination bounced back up from the polished concrete floor, making nearly all angles of merchandised space bright and easily seen. Hanging banners helped direct people to the food items they desired and sell the attributes of the shop’s selection.

Exterior view of the 99 Ranch Market during its grand opening, featuring a decorative entrance, balloons, and a crowd of attendees.

Shoppers can visit 99 Ranch Market from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily at 10544 SE Washington Street in the Gateway District east of Mall 205. The grocery destination has become the new anchor tenant of Plaza 205, operated by the Red Mountain Group, which is revitalizing the older shopping center with many Asian-American focused businesses. People can expect to see continued expansion at this location, including the opening of Teso Life, a Japanese fashion casual department store with a planned launch at the end of 2025.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

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