Readers Recommend: Which ICE-Impacted Businesses Do You Support?

Every January we ask readers to suggest businesses and organizations they highly recommend to others. This January, however, people had the ICE occupation on their mind and in their backyards. We did get some votes in, but the voting included a few hundred fewer people than usual. We did not want to do a section that had such limited vote tallies to choose from, so this section reflects a pivot. We asked specific community members to recommend especially immigrant-owned places with cultural meaning to them.

Marian Hassan. Photo by Sarah Whiting

Following is an example of one of them, from Somali writer Marian Hassan (featured in our March/April issue “We Keep Us Safe”), who walks us through some of her favorite neighborhood spots.

When I went to Karmel Mall recently, I asked owners how things had been. People were grateful to have survived ICE, and to still be Karmel Mall is not just a mall; it is a cultural landmark and a third space for my family and me. It is a bazaar, like the ones from my childhood. Even the smell reminds me of home. There are small shops, mostly run by women: tea shops, clothes, perfume oils, henna salons.
24 Mall is another cultural outlet I have been going to at least once a It is much smaller than Karmel but brings energy to the neighborhood and brings energy to the area. The entrepreneurs there work hard to keep things open.
At Hamdi Restaurant, I love the chicken suqar and rice, where I see the same I support this business because it’s small and family-owned.
Hufan Restaurant has long been part of our Saturday routine. My son had a math program in that building, and we would go there for It is a humble and welcoming environment.
Sagal Restaurant and Coffee is walking distance from the University of Minnesota and Augsburg College. My daughter and I used to go there weekly for chai and samosas after I picked her up from school.
DurDur Bakery and Grocery is one of the Twin Cities’ oldest halal I buy spices and other staples at a good price.
One of my all-time favorite grocery stores is Mercado Central. I love the tropical fruits they have, like guanabana. I buy their precooked mesarepa corn and other grains I use to make mufo. This delicious bread is a cross between pita bread and tortilla. They also have fresh salsas of various flavors.

Your Turn

We have two ideas for you:

People in a community group we know pick a favorite immigrant-owned restaurant and invite roughly five people to join them for a dinner reservation there. Try it!
Offer your own favorite ways to support immigrant-owned businesses in your area. Contribute to the comments section below.