People who consider themselves chronically online and can’t get the newest trend out of their head — such as Labubus or fruit-shaped ice cream — may find fulfillment from the exotic snack shop, Monaco Market.
Monaco Market imports rare ingredients, drinks and prepackaged snacks that aren’t easy to find anywhere else.
The store is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. University of New Mexico students receive a 10% discount when they present their student ID.
At first glance, the market appears as just a smoke shop, but has many more products to offer. The store has a self-serve noodle bar and popular products like foreign Red Bulls, South Korean juice pouches, Ramune soda, Dubai chocolate, Buldak Noodles and a popular new item: Fumang fruit-shaped ice creams.
Munji Kahalah, the creative director of Monaco Market and UNM business alum, said he looks for items that are limited edition, rare or collectible from around the world.
Kahalah said the market maintains a more diverse selection than just Asian exotics and has started importing from the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, all depending on what their supplier can access.
“It’s really all about reaching out to new vendors and seeing what they have available,” Kahalah said. “Companies like the conglomerates, such as Snickers, Twix, Skittles, what limited edition items are they dropping in other countries?”
Kahalah said that new items are restocked every 10-12 days, so customers shouldn’t wait to grab whatever interests them as items they see during one visit may not be there the next time.
Kahalah said the store tries to keep their more popular items in stock year-round, like the Dubai chocolate, Korean juice pouches, the fruit-shaped ice cream and mousse desserts.
The market tries to get items that are suggested by their customers, and source products by watching what people on social media sites, like TikTok and Instagram, are talking about.
“We were the first ones to bring (fruit shaped ice cream) in, so we tried to bring the big city viral snacks before anyone else in Albuquerque, and that’s how we bring that kind of big city vibe to such a small city,” Kahalah said.
Kahalah said if he could offer advice to himself as a student, it would be a reminder of the difference between overnight success and consistency.
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“I think that’s what we’re all looking for, is a home run, as opposed to the small wins that add up,” Kahalah said. “Be consistent, things don’t always work out initially, but pivoting is very important. So having an open mind and being able to be elastic with the brain, train it and just be able to know when to shift gears and when to change mindset, I think is very important.”
Lexis Lovato is a beat reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on X @lovatolexis
