Hmongtown Marketplace opens (2004)
Hmong entrepreneurs converted a bankrupt factory on Como Avenue in Saint Paul into Hmongtown Marketplace, a market with hundreds of vendors selling produce, meat, herbs, and prepared food. It drew shoppers from across the Twin Cities.
The market became an immediate draw, anchoring a commercial stretch that had little foot traffic before.
It proved a Hmong-focused market could support a large retail complex in Saint Paul and set a template for later developments.
Shows the precedent for Hmong food retail as a commercial anchor in Saint Paul, the same model Chouas Market is betting on along University Avenue.
