Phongsavan

As many of you may have heard by now, 5Xen is no longer in possession of the building at 6300 N. 76th street. In 2020, I sold my business (formerly known as Milwaukee Asian Market AKA Phongsavan) to 5xen in a land contract. They have breached the contract and failed to make payments to me and most importantly failed to make mortgage payments to the bank as they’ve agreed to. Mortgages for the building were stopped being made as of 2020. After multiple conversations with 5Xen, I decided to pursue legal action against them at the beginning of 2022 and was finally able to regain possession of the property as of January 7th, 2023.

It's been a learning process, to say the least. To think that I made the right decision in selling to my friends whom I’ve considered my family has put me in a place I never imagined I’ll be in with people who I thought I trusted. My decision has not only affected me but the community as well.

Even though I am grateful to have the business back in my possession there are still many hurdles ahead. First and foremost, because the mortgage payments were not made since 2020, the mortgage loan is now upwards of 4 million.

As I continue to work on getting grants and loans for renovations, I am asking the community to help me by contributing whatever amount they can help keep the building up and running. The closing of this location will impact many lives in our HMong community, our vendors and our customers. I know that the road ahead is long but I truly believe that this is a great space for our HMong community to thrive and grow in the Milwaukee area.

I am not asking for a specific amount nor am I hoping to achieve any set amount as every penny counts and is a step moving forward.

Although the light at the end of the tunnel is dim, I am hopeful to see what happens when our community comes together. I am thankful for the people who have stood behind me through this battle and encouraged me to not give up.

Pai Yang