MAPLEWOOD, Minn. — Shoppers may be out and about this week trying to snag some post-holiday deals, but it's more and more unlikely they're shopping at the local mall.
Despite some empty storefronts, experts say malls aren't exactly going extinct - they're just adapting to a new environment, like the Shingle Creek Center in Brooklyn Center.
Joyce Aboge will open her first restaurant there in January called Oga Madam Kitchen. Aboge is originally from Liberia and her restaurant will feature African flavors and focus on a traditional dine-in experience.
"Just to see everything coming together is just a blessing," said Aboge. "It’s just unbelievable right now."
She's one of several immigrant entrepreneurs banding together to buy the space - creating a co-op to help small and micro businesses thrive.
"This is a unique project," said the African Career, Education and Resources Executive Director Nelima Sitati Munene. "It has not been done anywhere in our state as far as we know."
She says that navigating the system can be challenging and discriminatory for immigrants and they want to help create more inclusive spaces and generational wealth.
"We had to step in and do this with them so that they could have a starting point," said Sitati Munene.
With the help of investors, state and city funding there will be salon suites, a food hall, and a business center. Some are set to open this spring, including Jannie Seibure's travel agency.
"It's like a dream come true for me," said Seibure. "At least we have a place we call our own, that we are not being denied access to, and we'll be able to grow our businesses."
For the first time, she will move from a cramped office space in a nearby business tower to her own storefront in the strip mall.
"Coming into a strip mall makes your business more visible and access to a larger audience," said Seibure.
Minnesota is home to a large African population and thanks to this new venture, some of them are now realizing their dreams.
"We're going to be successful," said Aboge about her restaurant. "We claimed it, we received it, we're going to be."
Another example of this type of expansion is happening in Maplewood where the owner of the popular Hmongtown Marketplace bought the old Sears building there. Toua Xiong tells KARE 11 it will be similar to the space in the Frogtown neighborhood in St. Paul.
Xiong says it will also be more than a supermarket and includes plans for 30 restaurants, offices, and a kid's play area set to open in 2025.
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