Finding Minnesota: Hmongtown Marketplace

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- Minnesota is home to one of the largest Hmong populations in the country and in the heart of St. Paul, you'll find the hub of the community.

Toua Xiong opened the Hmongtown Marketplace in 2004 to create a connection to his homeland.

Vendors sell authentic spices food and clothing of Cambodia, Thailand and Laos.

The day begins at the Hmongtown Marketplace with preparation for the rush of business. As the clothing and produce display take shape, so does Xiong's dream of a better life.

"I have no choice but to grow my life," Xiong said.

To understand his success, you have to consider Toua's beginnings. Long before he owned the Hmong market, Toua was a refugee forced to move across the world in the mid-1980s.

"When I first came to America in 1986, I miss my homeland so much," Xiong said.

Toua overcame his language barrier to provide for his family. He completed college in under three years and went into business for himself.

"When I was a young age and in Laos, I was dodging bullets in the jungle. If I can survive in jungle, I can survive here, no matter how hard it is," Xiong said.

He saw a path to success by fulfilling a void in his community. At the time, the Hmong community didn't have a market with goods from southeast Asia.

"Having something like this in Minnesota, they come here every single time they're feeling at home," Xiong said.

Over the last 12 years, his Hmongtown Marketplace has grown into two separate buildings and an open air space.

"Right now, more and more people are asking for more space, but I have no space for them," Xiong said.

Spread out over his six-acre property in St. Paul are the food clothing and goods of Thailand and Laos.

"Here, you don't have to buy airfare tickets to go to Thailand or Laos, this is it," Xiong said.

For the Hmong community, it offers familiarity in a foreign land.

"It's important as a whole," said Shoua Xiong, a business owner in the market. "Hmong people, we need to know the background of culture and history. I remember in the 1980s, we didn't have a market like this, and we couldn't find what we need.'

More importantly, the market creates jobs when a language barrier would otherwise limit their source of income.

"Their English language is not enough to be employed by corporate America," Xiong said.

In creating a hub for his community, Xiong also bridged a cultural gap. Everyday his market introduces all races to new traditions and experiences.

"I like people to come experience the culture," he said. "We're not here for a short time, we're here to live."

Once just an ambitious idea, the market is now deeply rooted in the diverse fabric of the Twin Cities. And for Xiong, success is incentive to keep growing.

"I would continue to climb the ladder until a dream is reached, and this is not a dream reached," Xiong said.

The Hmongtown Marketplace is open every day beginning at 8 a.m.

During the last weekend in June, he's hosting the first annual Hmongtown festival.

The two-day event will feature food, performances, and a celebration of the culture. It will take place on June 25 and 26 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., both days.
It is free and open to the public.

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