Ep. #148: Promoting Economic, Social and Cultural Assets: Interviews from the Midtown Global Market - Part 2

It is who you are, not where you are.
— Mostafa

More information can be found at www.socialchangeleaders.net

In this second part of the two-part series, listen to more interviews from the Midtown Global Market, a multicultural food destination in south Minneapolis.  Inspired by national, well-known public markets like Seattle’s Pike’s Place, the Midtown Global Market also serves as a community business incubator. Currently, the Midtown Global Market houses over 40 businesses with over 22 cultures represented. In this second part of the series, we talk with Mostafa, owner of Dar Medina and Trung Pham, owner of Pham’s Rice Bowl. Hear their personal journeys and their experiences as entrepreneurs in the Midtown Global Market.  

Through our conversation you will:

  • Meet Trung Pham and learn about his journey from a corporate job in Seattle to becoming a business owner at the Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis

  • Discover how Trung Pham’s business background and Asian cultural heritage launched Pham’s Rice Bowl and how he has incorporated customer feedback into his business decisions 

  • Understand how Trung embraces a positive mindset has sustained him during many challenges such as start-up,the housing crisis 2008, the challenges of the COVID pandemic, supply chain issues, George Floyd civil unrest, etc. 

  • Hear Trung’s advice for those just starting out with a business idea 

  • Learn how Trung partnered with Second Harvest Heartland on a community effort with 12-15 other  restaurants that created over 2.5 million meals for families in need and employed new staff 

  • Meet Mostafa and learn about his journey from being an entrepreneur in Morocco to moving to the U.S.  and how a visit to visit to the Midtown Global Market  launched his dream of opening a business

  • Learn about Dar Medina, a Moroccan owned family operation built on a great love for the people and tribes of Morocco, and a passion for keeping the traditions of Morocco alive in the rapidly modernizing world

  • Understand specifically how Mostafa supports 21 families in Morocco that make handicrafts such as shoes, jewelry, leatherwork, purses and backpacks

  • Learn about the shipping challenges Mostafa’s faced during COVID and how he addressed them  

More about Midtown Global Market

Midtown Global Market

Friends of the Midtown Global Market

Neighborhood Development Center

Dar Medina

Pham's Rice Bowl