Hmong Flea Markets
Mar
23
Written by:
3/23/2011 11:59 AM
Flea markets has been one of the best places for Hmong people to go shopping, dining and meet friends. It's like the new year or July 4th soccer tournament every day.
In Minnesota, there are two main Hmong flea market. The International Marketplace on Como Ave and the Hmong Village on Johnson Parkway. The Hmong Village is a new comer to the Hmong flea market. The Hmong Village took over the old St. Paul School District building where as the International Marketplace took over the old lumber mill.
Both of these two markets has many markets and restaurant to serve the public. The International Marketplace includes three buildings and an outdoor mall area in the center. This allows vendors to sell their products outside during the summer. The Hmong Village is all indoor mall.
Pros:
International Market
- Large parking lot
- Larger vendor display rooms
- Open mall area for summer shopping.
Hmong Village
- Indoor mall and protected from the enviroment.
- Good restrooms
- Good store layout and consistent design.
Cons
International Market
- Bad parking pavement and worse during the wet and winter season.
- Cars crossing too close to main walk ways between the buildings.
- Inconsistent shop layout and walk ways gets too close when vendors push their products to isle.
Hmong Village
- Insufficient parking. Lot gets filled quickly.
- Access to mall parking is limited and dangerous during rush hours and weekends.
- Vendor rooms are too small for displaying products.
So which of the two markets do you like best? If your not from Minnesota, what's the name and location of your Hmong flea market?