I love places like these because grocery shopping suddenly becomes more than checking items off a list. These are the kinds of grocery stores where browsing half the shelves is part of the fun. New Empire Food Market, TucsonTucson’s historic Chinese grocery-store tradition lives on at New Empire Food Market, a surviving neighborhood institution that represents an important chapter in Arizona’s multicultural commerce history. The official description characterizes it as part grocery store, part convenience store, and part old-fashioned mercantile, which perfectly captures its multifaceted role. Others carry the character of trading posts, specialty groceries, and family-run markets where browsing can easily become part of the outing.