Ben-Ki Store is a family business at heart

It’s one of those hidden gems on island and whether you’re looking for something salty, sweet, cold, or hot, or even a friendly hello, Ben-Ki Store in Dandan is definitely a must stop if you’re in the area.

Snuggly situated in upper Dandan right next to Lucky De Mart Laundry, this mom-and-pop store is one of few remaining locally owned and family run stores on Saipan.

Ben-Ki Store itself not only carries regular grocery items, but it also markets a taste of their family recipes with hot lunches, empanadas, breads, local chips, asiga and bishu.

Another big seller for the store is their side fish market where they sell reef fish, octopus, and other bounties of the sea caught by their very own fishermen.

With the hot weather, Ben-Ki Store also has become a hub for young and old as they are the only ones selling soft-serve ice cream in the area.

But one of the main things that make Ben-Ki Store a gem is the fact that it’s 100% locally owned and almost 100% family run and when you walk into the store you are sure to be warmly greeted by one of the members of the Teregeyo family.

Whether owners Marianne Concepcion-Teregeyo, her son Raymond, or her 4-year-old granddaughter, Rayarah, at the counter, you can feel the sense of family at Ben-Ki Store.

Concepcion-Teregeyo shared that the store got its name from her parents, Ben and Ki Concepion, who had a store themselves in the 1990s. She said her parents always had a business and aside from the store, they owned a marine sport company in Garapan.

As for Concepcion-Teregeyo, she had dabbled in business herself for a short time. “I operated a video store here and a pearl shake shop in the 1990s in this building. Then we left to the U.S. mainland for me to attend college. After graduating, I came back and worked in the government, and at one point became the secretary for Department of Public Lands.”

She shared that as time passed, she hadn’t really entertained the thought of reopening the store, but when her kids moved back to Saipan, her son expressed an interest in selling fish.

“We didn’t really plan to open the store. It wasn’t a longtime dream. Everything just fell into place as my kids were moving back from the mainland.”

Concepcion-Teregeyo said her mother owned the building where Ben-Ki is now, but after Typhoon Soudelor it had been vacant. When her son returned home with a boat and wanted to sell fish, it seemed to all fall into place and in 2022 Ben-Ki Store finally opened.

Then things began to branch out from there as her daughter began making and selling asiga mixes and bishu candies and her son also started a small farm where they harvest produce to sell. Concepcion-Teregeyo shared that after a while they began incorporating products from a number of other local farmers and fishermen who asked to sell their products at the store. Eventually their motto became “Locals Helping Locals.”

“Local farmers also bring their stuff here, but since the economy dropped, we don’t really sell as much local food as much as we used to. We do but we can tell there’s a slight drop.”

Ben-Ki Store is also no stranger to economic struggles experienced by small business owners, from tough farming to a very competitive market in fishing. “It’s kind of hard to keep buying more fish when it’s not going out. We cook it if it doesn’t sell. We cook the fish or smoke or dry the fish to keep the rotation,” said Concepcion-Teregeyo.

In order to stay afloat, the family also takes turns manning the store to fully cover hours. “Everybody helps each other here. The kids help watch the store, we do a lot of stuff, like everyone here pitches in. It’s hard, very hard, but everyone puts their time in to help keep us afloat. We wish it was busier.”

She shared that as a business owner, she wants to see Ben-Ki Store grow and hopefully be able to employ more people.

“We do have a few staff, but usually it’s to help us with the cooking. We do have cashiers. We do have cook assistants and a cook in the back, but for the most part, we all help each other.”

By opening Ben-Ki Store, Concepcion-Teregeyo shared her kids have not only become entrepreneurs but her granddaughter is also getting comfortable working around the store and has developed her interpersonal and money skills. “It really touches me.”

She said because of their popular lunch plates, breakfast and lunch hours are the busiest for the store.

“Breakfast and lunch keep us really busy. We close early because it’s not busy at night but we hope to be. We hope to have more customers at night.”

And the community seems to be in agreement.

“I like their local food,” said Koblerville resident Roland Sablan.

Meanwhile, Shirleyann Salomon said she first knew of Ben-Ki Store when she lived in Dandan and although she moved to Koblerville, she would still stop by. What keeps her from coming back are the various seafood available and, of course, the soft-serve ice cream.

As Ben-Ki Store marks its second year, Concepcion-Teregeyo hopes to reach even more people and share what they have to offer.

“I encourage other locals to send a private message to us if they are interested in selling their products. We can provide counter, shelf, or chiller space but they must have the proper documents especially for food handling.”

Ben-Ki Store opens bright and early at 6:30am and closes at 7:30pm everyday. For more information, call (670) 288-6664 or message them through their Facebook page.