Providing Hmong Taste in Sun Prairie

MADISON, Wis. (WMDX) — For the Hmong population in Sun Prairie, a new market has opened at 2049 McCoy Road. Nolan’s Hmong Market offers a variety to a sizable Hmong population in the area.

“’Thank you for being here,'” owner Ze Yang says customers have been telling her. “We’ve been going to the other stores and you know it’s just we don’t have a lot of options here in Sun Prairie so this is really nice, it’s convenient, it’s closer.”

Yang said that the idea for the store came to her while she was in Florida and couldn’t find what she was looking for, even at Asian stores. Her family owned business is open 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

While the store addresses culinary needs for Hmong residents in the area, Yang really started the store to provide for someone nearer and dearer.

“My son,” Yang said. “He said ‘I want to have a Hmong store, mom.’ He always asked to go to a Hmong store, because he knows the products. When we go to, like I was telling you, other Asian stores, they don’t have the things they don’t carry the things we normally use. So he’s really used to having everything that he likes on the shelf, you know.”

The market is named after him. Nolan, age 6, talks to customers and stocks the shelves. He and his parents even give recommendations for flavors and recipes. That’s something their small market can thrive on.

“If you ever want to try something different and you’re like ‘hey Ze, what is the recipe’ or ‘how do I use this,’ I’m always really open to share that with people,” Yang said.

The market offers more than food. They also carry traditional Hmong clothes and items that are hard to find elsewhere. The market thrives on carrying anything Hmong that customers need.

“Belts, you need earrings, you need, you know, jewelry, necklace, outfits. We carry those, some of those are handmade here in the United States, some are shipped from overseas,” Yang said.

According to Yang, Nolan’s Hmong Market has those items because it’s important for the local Hmong community to have a one stop ship that meets their cultural item needs. They have everything from a variety of rices to traditional hats.

Nolan’s Hmong Market is located in a strip mall at 2049 McCoy Road in Sun Prairie, the family owned store is open 9 a.m. through 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

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