Growing up in Canosia Township outside of Duluth, Lyla Abukhodair didn't advertise that her family was Palestinian. "I always said we were Arabic," she said. To her knowledge, they were the only Palestinian family in the area, where "school curriculum, the news .
.. it wasn't very Palestinian- or Muslim-sympathetic.
" But as she grew into adulthood, she embraced that identity and the journey her father made to give her and her siblings the life they know. "Now, it is such an honor to tell this story. For my father it was survival instinct: Be the immigrant you're supposed to be.
Do your job. Assimilate. It's a huge reason I wanted to call this place Falastin," she said.
(It's the Palestinian word for Palestine.) "It exists — and we must exist in our truth. And there is no way to tell this story without this food.
" Falastin began as a Duluth pop-up with Abukhodair and her husband, Sam Miller, and mother, Ann Abukhodair, preparing recipes and creating experiences. They were met with overwhelming support from the community. When the search began for a permanent home, they found an ideal space in the city's Lakeside neighborhood in the former New London Cafe (4721 E.
Superior St.). Built in 1936, the warm-toned brick building has housed markets, restaurants, a coffee shop and more, and the layout was perfect to house the market they wanted to include.
Falastin opened in early May and is open on Fridays and Saturdays. In the market, there are hand-woven rugs made by women in Pales.