On Saturday, July 11, Friends of Little Sài Gòn (FLS) hosted “Hoa Mai Blooming” at Hoa Mai Park, a free market celebrating local Southeast Asian businesses in Little Saigon’s only public green space.
The event was the second in this summer’s outdoor market series, organized to attract both locals and tourists, while giving the neighborhood’s businesses the opportunity to connect with new customers and build ongoing community support.
Anh Nguyen, Arts and Culture Program Manager at FLS, shared: “We hosted Hoa Mai Blooming in June. We’re hosting it now in July, and then in August, we have our annual summer festival called “Celebrate Little Saigon.”
Nguyen explained that FLS also worked to reduce barriers at this market by offering free vendor space and equipment at no cost, supported by local funding. Supporters include 4Culture, Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, Seattle Parks and Recreation, and Amazon.
A steady flow of visitors came through Hoa Mai Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to shop and sample from a lineup of Southeast Asian food and beverage businesses and neighborhood grocers. Featured vendors included Anh Ơi Bake Shop, Calmette Viet, Dragonfly Kitchen, Khobo, Lam’s Seafood Market, Triều Đại Coffee, and Viet-Wah Market. The market also had compost demos and a free live drawn portrait booth.
Restaurant 2 Garden (R2G) held hourly bokashi fermentation demonstrations for attendees at the market. Executive Director Amy Bettle Huynh described the composting method as “a way to pre-treat the compost so that it breaks down easier when you do eventually put it back in the soil, and that it is “very similar to other types of fermentation like kimchi and sauerkraut.”
Huynh said R2G is expanding its work with local businesses as well, with the goal of managing excess food waste and providing high-quality compost to more gardeners. R2G currently works with Itsumono restaurant and Panama Hotel Tea & Coffee House.
“We’ve done a huge round of outreach in the neighborhood, in which the food businesses have told us that they would love to work with us,” Huynh said, describing how that feedback is leading to a new site for the organization’s expansion.
Situated at the entrance of the market, Triều Đại Coffee was a popular first stop for specialty-grade coffee samples. Linda Diep, the founder of Triều Đại Coffee, said their aim is to keep the entire coffee-making process in Vietnam to preserve its quality and craft, while also sharing the stories behind it.
“We want to highlight Vietnam,” Diep said. “We want to tell the stories of the people that work tirelessly, in the farms for perfecting their craft. We want to bring that story here and represent proudly our heritage.”
For organizers, the combination of shopping, sampling, and hands-on programming at “Hoa Mai Blooming” was purposeful, to activate the neighborhood while introducing folks to local favorites. With more events planned in Little Saigon this summer, Friends of Little Sài Gòn seeks to turn more one-time visits into lasting community support.
