How These 5 Businesses Built Thriving Marketplaces from Scratch

The fact is companies achieve long-term success by identifying and leveraging their unique strengths and contributions, rather than simply imitating competitors. With countless businesses vying for customer attention, differentiation is key. A unique product or feature sets your business apart, giving customers a compelling reason to choose you over competitors.

Differentiation is crucial for small marketplaces as well. In a crowded market, having a unique product or feature helps your business stand out and attract customer attention. You need to offer something special that resonates with your target audience, that’s how you create a compelling reason for customers to choose your marketplace over others. 

To understand why being different is key in running a marketplace, let’s look at these businesses.

Muyisa Mutume and the Passion to Provide Homeland Foods to Immigrants

Finding homeland foods can be tough for immigrants due to limited availability, cultural differences, high costs, and lack of knowledge about specialty stores.

This is what Muyisa Mutume has noticed.

He is an immigrant from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, had always harbored a passion for selling goods. Growing up in the Congo, he enjoyed the vibrant markets and the sense of community they fostered. When he moved to Vermont, he noticed a gap—many new Americans in the area struggled to find foods from their homelands. This realization sparked an idea.

“Selling goods was always a hobby of mine growing up in the Congo, and I knew people needed a market with food from their country, so I thought it made a lot of sense for me to start this,” Muyisa reflected.

In 2021, with determination and a vision, Muyisa established M. Square Vermont African & Tropical Food Market. The market quickly became a haven for immigrants seeking familiar tastes and a place where they felt welcomed. Muyisa’s ability to speak six languages allowed him to connect with customers on a personal level, making them feel at home.

“There is certainly a lot of socializing with my customers because they get to speak to someone in their native tongue outside of their home,” he said. “People know this is a place where they will feel welcomed and never feel out of place.”

Walking into M. Square, one might see shelves stocked with Camote tops (sweet potato leaves), matoke (West African bananas), and a variety of fish from Asia, Africa, and South America. Muyisa’s market offers a unique inventory, different from typical American stores, catering to the diverse needs of his customers.

“I sell everything. Rice, goat, eggplant, fish, and if people want something specific, I can probably get it,” Muyisa proudly stated.

To grow his business, Muyisa received assistance from Pacifique Nsengiyumva, a Micro Business Development Coach with the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity. Pacifique admired Muyisa’s resilience and work ethic, qualities essential for running a successful micro business.

“Muyisa has worked so hard to bring his business where it is today. Despite some challenges, his resilience, patience, and work ethic embody many of the skills required to start and run a successful micro business,” said Pacifique.

The support didn’t stop there. M. Square benefited from the Small Business Administration’s Community Navigator Pilot Program, which provided resources and guidance to underserved small businesses. This program, based on a “hub and spoke” model, helped Muyisa navigate the complexities of running his market.

“I’m glad the federal government has an initiative such as the Community Navigator Program, and I get to be a part of it, alleviating some of the challenges and issues faced by many of these businesses,” Pacifique added.

Running M. Square is hard work, and much of Muyisa’s earnings go back into the business. Growth is slow, but steady. He hired his first employee in late 2022 and plans to hire another in the spring.

“If everything goes right, I’d like to eventually open another market in another city, and my ultimate dream is for this to become a franchise. But for now, I’m happy to be building this little community,” Muyisa said with a hopeful smile.

Brownsville’s Butcher’s Journey – From Farm to Table

The story began with Lauren Stevens as a produce farmer managing Sweetland Farm in Norwich, VT, and Peter Varkonyi as an executive chef opening a new restaurant in Royalton, VT. They met to discuss produce availability, and their professional relationship quickly grew, along with their personal bond. They often discussed starting a farm-based business, which led to drafting a business plan to fill a market gap and satisfy their passion for food.

Six months later, they completed a business plan for a small butcher shop and worked with SCORE mentor Juan Florin to refine it. Juan introduced them to the Friends of the Brownsville General Store, an LLC of about 40 residents looking to invest in reopening their vacant general store.

Once the lease was signed, they immediately undertook intensive renovations and on November 20, 2018, the Brownsville Butcher & Pantry opened its doors.

Running and operating a business proved challenging, especially in the first year. Everything was new, and no real systems were in place yet, leading to mental exhaustion that surpassed the physical exhaustion of working 12-14 hour days, seven days a week. Despite the challenges, it was rewarding to nurture their idea and build a sense of place and purpose for themselves, their staff, and their community.

Just after their one-year anniversary, the COVID pandemic hit. Initially, the impact was slow, but they and their community quickly took measures to stay safe. They started offering curbside pickup and delivery services for immunocompromised individuals, expanded their curbside program, and eventually closed their doors to the public.

Despite the closure, they worked hard to keep their community fed by creating an online order form, offering grocery bundles, launching a Meat CSA, and ramping up production of pre-made meals.

In May 2021, they reopened with significant changes, including a closed café and strict safety measures. They started the Curbside Cookout, grilling in the parking lot with cold beer, tasty meats, and live music on Friday nights. As it got colder, they introduced the Supper Club with pre-order themed dinner packages. Gradually, normalcy returned, and masks became optional.

In the post-pandemic era, they are fully operational. The café operates on a first-come, first-served basis, with indoor and outdoor seating available. Ready-to-eat food is still made, seasonal as the state: sandwiches and salads in the summer, heartier take-and-bake fare in the colder months. Their deli sources from local producers, and their produce comes from their farmer friends.

Today, the Butcher and Pantry continues to thrive. With the help of an SBA 504 loan, Peter and Lauren purchased the real estate in 2022 and now operate six days a week with a large staff of 24. They are still in touch with their SCORE mentor Juan, who mostly supports them by being a good customer, but the confidence their relationship provides continues to exist.

Tiller & Rye – A Community-Driven Success Story

The story of Tiller & Rye began with two individuals from very different backgrounds. Sarah Morneault, with her business acumen from the University of Maine, and Lindsey Levesque, with her deep knowledge of food systems, met while working at a local restaurant.

Their shared passion for food and community led them to envision a local hub that would support small farmers and provide locally sourced food. This vision became Tiller & Rye, which opened its doors in 2015 with the help of the Small Business Development Center and SBA-backed financing from CEI.

From the moment it opened, Tiller & Rye quickly became a beloved fixture in the community. Known for its organic foods, coffee, deli products, and books by Maine authors, the store grew rapidly. Over the past eight years, it has quadrupled its retail space, fully occupying its building. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID pandemic, Sarah and Lindsey’s commitment to their customers and community never wavered. They adapted by working with the Bangor Region Chamber and the City of Brewer to stay informed and keep their doors open.

Their dedication to the community extended beyond their business operations. Tiller & Rye became known for its generosity, never turning down a request for donations. They sponsored local youth sports teams, set up a giving tree for local families during the holidays, provided gift bags for charity raffles, and maintained donation boxes for the local food pantry. They also focused on local advertising and implemented waste policies that benefited local farms.

In addition to their business success, Sarah and Lindsey both started families, each having two children since opening Tiller & Rye. They managed to balance raising their families with growing their business, demonstrating that with the right partner and community support, small businesses can thrive alongside larger retailers. Their incredible success and unwavering commitment to their community and other Maine-based businesses earned Tiller & Rye the SBA’s 2024 Woman Owned Small Business of the Year award.

Mo’s Tropical Market’s Sweet Success with SBA

The journey of Mo’s Tropical Market began in 2019, rooted in a family legacy that started decades earlier. After immigrating from Thailand to Minnesota, Mo Chang’s parents began selling fruit at the Minneapolis Farmers Market in the early 1980s. “Our family has been selling fruit for close to 40 years,” Mo recalls. Her brother now runs BF Yang Foods in St. Paul. Inspired by her parents’ hard work, Mo aimed to expand their legacy to a larger audience, providing fresh and affordable produce year-round.

Mo has made history as one of the first Hmong women to open a grocery wholesaler in Minnesota. Mo’s Tropical Market and Mo’s Tropical Wholesale have become essential to the Twin Cities Hmong community. Located in St. Paul, Mo’s Tropical Market specializes in tropical fruits and vegetables from Southeast Asia and Latin America.

The business quickly outgrew its original space due to overwhelming demand. With ambitions to expand into a wholesale market, Mo sought capital assistance and guidance from SBA’s resource partners.

In 2022, Mo’s Tropical Market received an SBA 7(a) loan from First Bank & Trust, along with additional financing and consulting services from Hmong American Partnership (HAP), Neighborhood Development Center (NDC), and WomenVenture. This support enabled Mo to secure a second location.

Mo’s Tropical Wholesale opened in a newly renovated 28,000 sq. ft. space in downtown St. Paul, nearly four times the size of the original market. The wholesale facility features a commercial kitchen and deli, offering hot food, baked goods, smoothies, and ice cream.

With each passing year, Mo continues to grow her operations, attracting a diverse customer base. She employs over 75 people across both locations and is an active leader in the Hmong community. This year, Mo was honored as SBA’s Minnesota Minority Small Business Champion. Before launching her businesses, Mo had a 30-year career in public education and frequently sponsors local events. She is also the founder and president of the Chang Foundation, which supports community charitable work.