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Moms come together to open African market in St. Paul
The community is celebrating a new market in St. Paul. Mamas Market & Deli is owned by nine Ethiopian immigrants and proud moms, who have long dreamed of owning a business without sacrificing time raising a family.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The community is celebrating a new market in St. Paul. Mamas Market & Deli is owned by nine Ethiopian immigrants and proud moms, who have long dreamed of owning a business without sacrificing time raising a family.
Achieving the Dream
The backstory:
For the nine women who co-own Mamas Market & Deli, they dreamed of owning a business in America. They threw the idea around for years, but this year, they pooled in money and got help with making the market a reality.
At first, they said they didn’t know if it would be possible to run a business because they’re also full-time mothers. But with nine of them all in on this together, they felt they had the support to make it work.
"Mama’s means we are nine women. We work outside of this store and we’re raising kids too. And, additionally, we have an opportunity to do this business because we don’t have to spend all the weeks here," said Lensa Ayele, one of the co-owners.
What we know:
In July 2025, they achieved that big milestone. Mamas held its grand opening and invited the community to celebrate with them near Snelling Avenue and University Avenue in the Midway area, about half a mile from Allianz Field.
"My dream is to have a business and to have the freedom and create opportunities for other moms like me, stay-at-home moms, and bring a lot of job opportunities," said Ayele. "This neighborhood, since COVID, it’s been so quiet, so my dream is to bring the community together."
Coffee is poured at Mamas for a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony. (FOX 9)
Dreaming big
What they're saying:
"We are nine mothers so we just want to try something new also. I’ve never heard of this amount of people to start a business. It’s exciting," said Mekeds Wolde, another co-owner.
Mamas Market & Deli is located in the Africa Economic Development Solutions building, at 678 Snelling Ave North.
The owners and the AEDS founder and president said this is also a way for them to share their culture with Minnesota.
"The beauty of the Twin Cities, our diversity is our beauty, our strengths. Anyone who lives in the Twin Cities either is exposed to this diverse, rich culture. Today, you don’t have to travel overseas because you have that culture in your backyard," said Gene Gelgelu, the AEDS founder and president.
What's next:
Co-owners Ayele and Wolde said opening this first store is just the start. Right now, they’re working on getting permits from the city so they can open a kitchen and cook traditional Ethiopian food at the store in addition to their deli food offerings.
The hope is to one day expand to multiple locations in Minnesota.
"We just want to expand the business to different locations and then if we have more opportunities, and can get help from the city and community, we just want to grow the business," said Wolde.
What you can do:
Mamas is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The co-owners said all are welcome to join them in traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremonies every Sunday after 2 p.m.