Main Street Movers – May 2025
May 30, 2025 | Logan Breer
The Main Street Approach™ allows community members to implement revitalization efforts in Missouri’s Main Streets leading to thriving, vibrant economic and cultural hubs. Gathering a broad-based community commitment to revitalization is one of the Accreditation Standards set by Main Street America that guides and measures the success of a Main Street program’s efforts. Within this standard, Main Streets work to cultivate engagement and collaboration from the public and private sectors around a strong sense of ownership in their historic commercial district. Meet some of the small business owners from Main Street communities. These small business owners are Main Street Movers that are establishing a foundation for future generations to thrive and adapt to change and adversity across Missouri in their historic commercial district as invested business owners. The following individuals, among many others, have dreamed boldly and are currently paving the way and igniting the passions of those around them through their determination to sell products that reflect their life story and heritage.
Qui, NUDO, Delmar Main Street
Meet Qui Tran, the owner of NUDO a fast causal, Pan-Asian restaurant. He is a collaborator, helper, and cheerleader that has called St. Louis home for decades. His roots and culinary journey started on Delmar Boulevard when he worked for his family’s business, Mai Lee Restaurant, which opened in 1985—St. Louis’ first Vietnamese restaurant. Qui continued his culinary career in St. Louis and shared that, “In the 2000’s us restauranteurs learned from each other, worked together, and collaborated to make a name for St. Louis in the food business resulting in a lot of good food in St. Louis. To this day, that collaborative spirit continues with the next generation of cooks and young chefs coming to me to ask questions and to use my kitchen.”
Qui opened NUDO, which specializes in Pho and Japanese Ramen which fuses Tokyo and South Asian flavors, first in Creve Coure in 2017 then on Delmar Boulevard in 2019. Qui stated that, “NUDO wouldn’t have been possible without my wife who convinced me to open this style of restaurant after we had Japanese Ramen in Chicago, doing my due diligence in food research—as Japanese cuisine is not a part of my culture—, and learning from the Ramen god, Shigetoshi Nakamura, who came to St. Louis.”
The biggest challenge that Qui has faced so far with NUDO was following the opening of his second location when the pandemic landed in the United States. During the pandemic NUDO transitioned their processes to accommodate the COVID regulations. Qui expressed, “Since a lot of our business was already carry-out, I was able to focus on other operating transitions such as employee hours, food, and promotion.” Qui and his staff got creative to address these challenges with employees taking turns working shifts so everyone could stay employed; extra food was turned into meals for COVID units at local hospitals; and universities and neighborhoods purchased catering orders for students and residents. Qui reflects on this period of his business saying, “Instead of getting angry, I wanted to turn it into something positive by supporting our local nurses and community. What little I had I wanted to give back, as St. Louis had been good to me.”
Parichat Nobpraphai (Nan), NanMade, Downtown Joplin Alliance
Vang Moua, Green Thumb Harvest, Downtown Joplin Alliance
Meet Vang Moua a farmer and a Hmong American who came to the United States of America in 1987. Vang owns Green Thumb Harvest farm in Jay, Oklahoma. She produces a variety of organic vegetables and cut flowers that she sells at the Joplin Empire Market, where many entrepreneurs come together to sell fresh vegetables, homemade foods, and crafts made with love.
