So awesome to see a newer market like this. Growing up in the northeast, I am used to seeing very old, rundown versions of malls like this that many new people will not try because they are almost scary. Thanks for posting!
I agree. It's like thousands of flowers blooming out of a massive carcass or bees making honey in the skull of a fallen elephant. I was not interested in Gander Mountain, so I didn't go in that building or to that part of Eden Prairie at all. Now, if I don't like one store's Korean hot dogs, then I can step next door to get spicy orange tea in a can, and my kid can drag me into the anime figurine place without having to leave the building or get in my car.
Oh wow! I had absolutely no idea this place existed. I am moving up to Minneapolis in August from Texas and I love Asian culture. This is a must visit for me. Thank you!
Welcome to Minnesota! Both Burnsville Center and Northtown Mall are turning one of their anchors into Asian food halls. I would recommend Hmong Village, but I have not personally been there. I need to remedy that!
Oh! Eden Prairie, awesome! I’m from the central NJ area where mallrats and the rest of Kevin’s movies were supposed to be in the films like Menlo Park, Woodbridge Center and Route 1 Flea Market. When I used to have the Minnesota territory for some work about 15 years ago, I visited Eden Prairie and saw how it was updated on the outside so I didn’t bother going in because I was so disappointed. But… that was long before all this dead mall community was a thing. Now I’m mad I didn’t go inside to relax my eyes and see the schooner! 😂😂😂
Former EP Resident, they updated the mall around 2000 and finished it in 2001 with some store changes here and there before I left the city. The hotels across the street of Asia Mall used to be a Fuddruckers and then Ihop
I’ve been to that mall several times. It’s a great place! Try to avoid weekends because you’ll be lucky if you find a place to park, but I agree with most of the comments here
Nice music choice! It’s funny because the crazy dancer guy Keith Apicary from Americas Got Talent uses similar music when he’s doing his act on stage and now that’s what I think about when I hear this music…😂
I'm also glad a dead Gander Mtn big box store turned into a living mall of several smaller stores. Also, Hmong Village is my favorite mall! They made all those small shops in there from a former public elementary school. And, unlike the products & culture from Japan/Korea/maybe a little China in Asia Mall of Eden Prairie (and the multiple anime stores in Mall of America & other mainstream malls), Hmong Village tells the unique history of Hmong Americans in their Fresh Produce Hall wall murals of Long Cheng Secret Base in Laos and the Hall of Heroes' Portraits at the maze-like edge of Hmong Village. The "Old Mall" -- Hmongtown Market in St. Paul -- is not so nice, particularly the parts exposed to winter's fury, but it is cool for comparison and it does have Hmong Arts Books & Crafts (Hmong ABC) store, which is a long-standing community treasure. You should do a comparison video of Hmong Village & Hmongtown Market -- "a Tale of Two Malls". You could interview Brandon Vang, a really cool guy & one of the founders of Hmong Village, as well as Yuepheng Xiong, author of a popular Hmong-English Dictionary and co-owner of Hmong ABC with his nice wife, Shoua.
Maybe they could do an indoor-outdoor dozens of small food stalls & restaurants set-up, maybe spilling out onto Nicollet Mall (the no-cars street, not a shopping center). I'm thinking Les Halles in Paris or one of the hundreds of years old enclosed Spice Markets in Istanbul or Svetozor Pasáž in Prague.
These are all over the place... they're called Walmarts... or Target.. or almost every other place - have you looked at a made-in sticker in the last four decades?
This is DISTURBING. This used to be just ONE STORE by itself. And now it's like a dozen. That one store used to do business enough by itself to stay open. Now it needs to have its own food court to keep the lights on.
