Ben-Ki Store on Saipan is one of the few locally owned and operated stores in the CNMI. They reopened their doors in 2022 after closing in 1996. And the checkout line is filled with some familiar flavors.

 "The store was originally opened in the 1990s by my parents. Ben is my dad. The late Captain Ben Concepcion and Ki is my mom. The two of them opened the store in the 90s…I remember I hated watching the store as a child because I remember I could not go out with friends. I could not do any of that because I was obligated to watch the store. Now, I am a grandmother and I choose to watch the store," explained Marianne Concepcion-Teregeyo.

It’s a full-circle moment for Marianne Concepcion-Teregeyo after working for the government for more than two decades. Now, she’s devoting all her time to one of the island’s only 100% locally owned and operated stores.

"It is very much a family business. My daughter does the asiga mixes which are very popular. We have a certified kitchen in the back so she does all of that. She also started to distribute to other stores. My son handles the fish market and the boat belongs to him and the fish market belongs to him. He goes fishing. He also started to slowly incorporate his piggery into the store," she said.

She describes Ben-Ki in Dandan as “your local store.” It reopened in 2022 years after it closed down in 1996. It’s a different time but still sits in the same location with the same signature local flavors.

She said, "Every day we have our…sardine empanadas and our corned beef empanadas. We have donuts. We have lunch plates. We have fresh sashimi…fresh fish all the time. Soft-serve ice cream is here, too."

The store is open from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and they are always inviting other locals to share and sell their products.

Our Ben-Ki motto," she said proudly, "is Locals helping locals."