Local grocery owner lives the dream

By Alex Madison Evergreen Community reporter

Stocking her grocery store shelves with dried fungus and shredded squid, Tak Siegworth lives out her American dream in Pullman.

With humble beginnings growing up in the rural town of Udon Thani, Thailand, Siegworth has overcome a life of hardship to get where she is today. She is the owner of Palouse Specialty Foods, an Asian and international grocery store located at 317 E Main St.

“This store is everything to me,” Siegworth said.

In Thailand, she sat with her head down at an assembly line for 13 hours a day to earn just under $5. Her long-time dream of owning her own business seemed near-impossible as her income barely kept her financially afloat, she said.

“I always wanted my own business, but it wasn’t a possibility in Thailand,” Siegworth said. “It was too expensive.”

After her father lost his job as a police officer, she said her nights turned bitterly cold as her family was forced to leave their home and live in a barn.

It was not until she met her American husband that her dream seemed feasible, she said. They met during his military service in Thailand and the couple was married not long after in 2007.

“She came to the America six years ago with me and has accomplished some truly amazing things,” her husband, Bill, said.

The business at Palouse Specialty Foods has increased by over 30 percent since she bought it, he said.

Living in Colfax, Siegworth heard that the owner of the international grocery store at which she shopped was retiring and selling his business. After 31 years, the opportunity she was hoping for finally arose, she said.

With the financial help of her husband, Siegworth officially became the owner of her own grocery store.

Now, she spends every day interacting with customers from different cultures, something she said she is very appreciative of.

“Every day is interesting for me,” she said. “I have made a lot of friends doing this.”

Stocking her shelves with exotic foods from pickled krachai to botan rice candy, Siegworth is happy she can bring a sense of her own culture to Pullman, as are her customers.

Stanley Hui, a senior international business major, said he shops at Palouse Specialty Foods multiple times a week.

“Shopping here reminds me of where I am from and my culture,” Hui said.

Some of Siegworth’s American customers enjoy the variety her store brings to the community.

“The world of American flavors is so small,” said Kurt Albrecht, manager at Cougar Copies. “It’s the only place I can come to get the flavors I am searching for.”

Siegworth said she is grateful for her life in the United States and has gained a new sense of independence.

”It’s really hard work,” she said. “I spend a lot of time here every day and I am really proud of myself.”