Mamas Market & Deli opens (July 2025)
Nine Ethiopian immigrant mothers pooled $5,000 each to open a cooperative market and deli at 678 Snelling Ave N in St. Paul's Midway neighborhood. The store serves sandwiches, smoothies, Ethiopian coffee, and grocery staples.
The market opened in July 2025 and drew customers, though the owners lacked a full kitchen for hot Ethiopian dishes.
The co-op became a model for Ethiopian immigrant entrepreneurship on Snelling Avenue.
Mamas Market & Deli is the existing Ethiopian market on the same street as Liyu, showing the cluster Liyu would join.
