Mariam Produce Market started as a way to source hard-to-find African ingredients in Northeast Philly.

Nearly a decade later, owner Djibril Gakou has turned it into a community hub where customers ask for cooking advice, send feedback, bring dishes back for her to taste and learn through her recipe videos.

Gakou told Technical.ly she originally got the idea to source hard-to-find items, like hibiscus, from Africa to cater to the African population in Philly. Since opening in 2017, it pivoted into a more community-centric focus as it grew, thanks to repeat customers and more opportunities to expand.

“I want to do more for the communities here.”

Djibril Gakou, Mariam Produce Market

“I love [when] people come back, saying ‘Yeah, the stuff you’re telling me, I did it good,’” Gakou said. “Sometimes they even take some and bring it to me, the food to taste.”

Gakou is from Senegal and moved to Philadelphia about 20 years ago. She started the store to cater to African residents in Philly, but today she sees people of other backgrounds also come into the store, asking for help with recipes or ingredients, she said. 

Gakou loves to see people engaging with African foods, some of the most popular being cassava, jollof rice and fufu, she said. 

Gakou goes even further for her customers, sometimes making videos explaining how to make different dishes. The customers respond right back, reporting back to her how the process went, asking for advice and even bringing their food for her to try, she said. 

More than just a market 

In her journey as a first-time entrepreneur, Gakou said she also learns from her customers. For example, English is not Gakou’s first language, but getting to know the surrounding community has helped her practice her language skills, she said. 

“All these communities, they know me, everybody knows me,” she said. 

As much as Gakou gives to her community, the city government has also supported her. Mariam Produce Market was able to pay for a new storefront sign thanks to a grant from the city’s Storefront Improvement Program, Gakou said. 

Programs like this are helpful because they give small business owners like her a boost, she said.

She’s currently moving storefronts to expand her store and add new offerings. Specifically, she wants to start making food, like smoothies, in-house, which her old space didn’t have the capacity for.

“I want to do more,” Gakou said. “I can cook. I want to do more for the communities here.”