Hmongtown Marketplace
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| Location | Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 44°57′41″N 93°06′34″W / 44.961340°N 93.109380°W |
| Address | 217 Como Ave, St Paul, MN 55103 |
| Opening date | 2004[1] |
| Owner | Toua Xiong |
| No. of stores and services | 200–300[2][1] |
| No. of floors | 1 |
| Website | https://hmongtownmarketplace.com/ |
Hmongtown Marketplace is an indoor market focused on Hmong-American products and culture in the Frogtown neighborhood of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Hmongtown is noted for its cuisine and produce, with major local paper the Star Tribune calling the food court "one of the state's top culinary gems."[3] It is sometimes referred to as simply "Hmongtown" to emphasize its role as a cultural hub, not just a retail location.[2]
More than 200 vendors sell traditional food, clothing, and home goods especially from Hmong and Hmong-American culture, including from Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. An indoor simulated open-air produce market sells culturally specific fruits, vegetables, nuts, and other edible plants. Hot and ready made food vendors throughout the market and in the food court sell a variety of dishes such as roast meats, boba tea, papaya salad, and báhn mì.[1] Home goods include green market, electronics, religious supplies, and garden tools.[4][3]
In the summer the market nearly doubles in size with an outdoor market in the surrounding paved lot that brings the number of vendors up to 300 or more.[2] The outdoor market is sometimes referred to as the Hmongtown Farmers Market and sells produce as well as meat, clothing and textiles, herbal medicine, live potted plants, and home products.[5]
Culture
Hmong are the largest Asian diaspora in Minnesota, and Minnesota has the second largest Hmong population in the United States.[6] Hmongtown is a staple of local Hmong life and creates a sense of community and belonging.[1] Less then four miles away is a similar Hmong-American marketplace called Hmong Village.[7]
In 2018 Hmongtown held the first Hmongtown Festival, a music and cultural festival focusing on Hmong history and culture. The owner Toua Xiong who learned to sing and play guitar in a refugee camp played at the first festival.[2]
Hmongtown plans to someday expand to Hmong senior daycare and senior housing, and include more Hmong cultural activities such as an art gallery, music performance, and permanent history exhibits.[2]
History
The market was founded in 2004 by Minneapolis entrepreneur Toua Xiong.[1] Hmong people were persecuted in their homelands following the Laotian Civil War known as the Secret War and Xiong wanted a place for first generation immigrants to gather as though they were at home. The marketplace originally had many video stores that sold footage of and movies set in Laos and Thailand as part of that nostalgia.[8]
Xiong remembers his childhood in Laos before his family escaped to a refugee camp: “The sadness is always burning in me. We don’t have a country. We were chased, and chased. I had no reason to be chased into the jungle at 7. I made no mistake. The [refugee] camps were a prison. I am as capable as any person, but I never had a chance.” Xiong, a younger brother, and his parents joined his teenage brothers in an American-run refugee camp when he was 12. At 17 years old he and his wife immigrated to St. Paul, Minnesota and settled in Frogtown.[2]
The site was previously Shaw/Stewart Lumber Co. on Como Avenue, north of the St. Paul Capitol building. Most of the original buildings remain, with the largest warehouse functioning as the main market building. Xiong didn't realize the obstacles to redeveloping the property for grocery and retail when he bought it, having only recently become a business owner and an English speaker. Despite municipal code setbacks, he opened Hmongtown in 2004.[2]
References
- ^ a b c d e "What's at Hmongtown Marketplace?". Meet Minneapolis. Explore Minnesota. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g Moskowitz Grundahl, Dara (30 November 2018). "Meet the King of St. Paul's HmongTown". Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. Key Enterprises LLC. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ a b Rayno, Amelia (2 May 2018). "10 must-eat foods at St. Paul's two massive Hmong markets". Star Tribune. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ Johnson, Cecilia (8 November 2022). "These 16 Twin Cities Grocery Stores Have Really Great Cafes Inside Them". Eater. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ Ross, Jason (11 June 2012). "A Chef's Guide to Shopping the Hmongtown Marketplace". Minnesota Monthly. Greenspring Media, LLC. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ Yang, Nancy (1 March 2015). "10 things about Hmong culture, food and language you probably didn't know". MPR.org. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ Raposo, Jacqueline (11 December 2015). "Taste Stuffed Chicken Wings and Magical Herbs at St. Paul's Hmongtown Marketplace". Saveur. Another Little Whisk LLC. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ "Hmongtown Marketplace". Religions in Minnesota. Carleton University. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
External links
- Hmongtown Marketplace official website