Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

Your neighborhood. Your News.

Milwaukee NNSnewsMilwaukee NNSSearch
Subscribe to NNS today!
Advertisement
  • Home
  • News
    • Arts and Recreation
    • Community
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Health and Wellness
    • Housing
    • Public Safety
    • NNS Spotlight
    • Special Report
  • Posts From Community
    • Submit a Story
  • Community Voices
  • How To
  • Multimedia
    • NNS Local Video
    • Photos
    • NNS on Lake Effect
    • NNS WGLB 1560 Radio
  • Subscribe
  • Donate
  • About
    • Staff
    • Partners
    • News 414
    • The neighborhoods we cover
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

Diederich College of Communication, Marquette University


Language: English English Spanish Spanish

You are here: Home / Home / Carousel / Asian market provides jobs, gathering place for Hmong community

Asian market provides jobs, gathering place for Hmong community

March 15, 2017 by Dean Bibens 6 Comments

Share this...
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin

Asian market General Manager Thai Vang says his store offers a variety of unique products. (Photo by Dean Bibens)

Editor’s note: This article is one of an occasional series profiling the 15 finalists for the Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation (MANDIs). The Milwaukee Asian Public Market Phongsavan is a finalist for the State Farm Building Blocks Award, which recognizes a real estate project that advances the community.

When siblings Pai Yang and Thai Vang came to the United States from Laos in the 1970s, they dreamed of opening a business and starting a new life in America.

In 2009, Yang founded the Asian Public Market Phongsavan, 6300 N. 76th St., in Havenwoods. Since then, it has expanded to a second location next door and annual sales are in the millions. The market houses restaurants with Asian and American cuisine and sells locally grown produce, Asian apparel and other merchandise pertinent to the Asian culture.

“We knew there was an opportunity in America to do something great and showcase our culture,” said Vang, the general manager. “Creating the market was intended to bring our community together.”

Starting the business was tumultuous. The city of Milwaukee wanted to turn the run-down auto shop into a junkyard, but Yang and Vang had a different vision, despite the challenges. “The transmission shop was very dirty so transitioning it to a market was a tedious process,” Vang said. “Without the help of Havenwoods (Economic Development Corp.), the auto shop would not have been usable.”

There also were financial roadblocks. “We talked to lenders and investment groups who said that creating a market that we envisioned was not possible; it was too much money,” Vang said. The lenders estimated that the project would cost between $4-5 million.

Customers shop for fruits and vegetables at the Milwaukee Asian Public Market Phongsavan. (Photo by Dean Bibens)

Nevertheless, Yang and Vang decided to open a small market to prove to lenders that they could sustain a business and generate enough revenue to keep it afloat. “It was a tiny space but people loved everything about it,” Vang said. “The first year we made around $70,000 but the second and third year was where we saw the most growth.”

The market, which serves as a business incubator for entrepreneurs, generated nearly $2 million annually after the first year. In 2014, the owners obtained financing for a new building. “We talked with so many lenders—some in state, some out of state—but Ridgestone Bank came through with the loan and it felt like all of our hard work had finally paid off,” Vang said. The expansion cost $4.2 million.

The 84,000-square-foot building is home to 70 vendors, a food court and a concert area.

One vendor, Mao V. Thao, moved into the new building from the old store, which is still operating. “The new area is so spacious and I think we are attracting more and more people to our stores, and not just Hmong,” said Thao, 52. “The expansion is good for everyone.” About 1,000 patrons visit the market each week.

According to Mailee Yang, Pai Yang’s daughter, her mother deserves much of the credit for the market’s success. “Whether it be Hmong or people of other cultures, my mother has always been well known in the community and people trust her,” Mailee Yang said. “I think this goes for anyone entering a new environment: you always want someone to be there for you and make you feel comfortable.”

She added, “People come here to shop, yes, but a lot of the community comes to connect with each other. The market is a place that everyone loves to be at.”

According to U.S. Census data, approximately 50,000 Hmong live in Wisconsin and 12,000 live in the Milwaukee metro area. The Hmong population in Wisconsin has increased by nearly 200 percent since the civil war in Laos, according to Vang.

The market has created about 100 jobs and has been a catalyst for attracting new people to the area, according to Vang. “If you have a place where people can meet, it ties everything together,” he said. “People are sometimes scared to get out of their comfort zone and misconceptions are formed because of that.”

Vang credits Yang for getting their business to where it is today. “Without Pai, I’m not sure many people would have come around to the idea of this market happening,” he said. “She put in a lot of work and made the people in our community feel welcome.”

Added Plor Yang, another daughter of Pai Yang who has worked at the market for the past seven years, “(My mother) wanted to bring the community together and now I’m helping her do the same; it really is amazing.”

Vang and Yang foresee their children taking over the business one day.

“We want to be here forever,” Vang said. “We started with food carts on the sidewalk and now we’ve got two great facilities where people gather every day.”

Share this...
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin

Filed Under: Carousel, Community, Havenwoods, Home, News, Northwest Tagged With: MANDI2017

About Dean Bibens

Comments

  1. Sandra W says

    March 15, 2017 at 9:13 am

    This article does not include the address of the market. Not good to assume everyone knows where it is. Now I have to Google to find out the location — the “where.”

    Reply
    • Eve V says

      March 15, 2017 at 2:50 pm

      6300 N 76th St, Milwaukee, WI 53218

      Reply
    • Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service says

      March 15, 2017 at 5:51 pm

      We’ve added the address to the story. Thanks.

      Reply
      • Jeff Winke says

        March 15, 2017 at 10:37 pm

        Didn’t see the address anywhere in the article

        Reply
    • Jeff Winke says

      March 15, 2017 at 10:36 pm

      Agree! I guess I’m not cool enough to be in the know.

      Reply
  2. Margaret Crowley says

    March 15, 2017 at 11:18 am

    Please publish an update with the market’s address.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement

Recent News

UPDATE: Housing leaders say rental assistance funds are still available for Milwaukee County residents

5 things to know and do the weekend of Jan. 27

These students don’t have to miss school to see the doctor. They can just go down the hall.

Advertisement
Give today to support our mission. Donate to Milwaukee NNS.
Advertisement

News

  • Arts and Recreation
  • Economic Development
  • Education
  • Health and Wellness
  • Housing
  • Public Safety
  • NNS Spotlight
  • Special Reports

Engage with us

  • Posts from Community
  • Community Voices
  • Submit a Story

About NNS

  • Milwaukee NNS Staff
  • Partners
  • News414
  • The neighborhoods we cover
  • Careers
  • Terms of use
  • Advertise

Connect with us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS feed

Communities

Contact

mailing address
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Diederich College of Communication
Marquette University
1131 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Johnston Hall 430
Milwaukee, WI 53233

email
info@milwaukeenns.org

phone & fax
PHONE: 414.604.6397 FAX: 414.288.6494


Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service is a project of Diederich College of Communication and Marquette University.
© 2020 Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. Terms of use.
1131 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee WI 53233 • info@milwaukeenns.org

Copyright © 2023 · News Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in