For Filipinos in the Ozarks, this Springfield market is far more than a grocery store
The Filipino Market on Campbell Avenue is more than a place where residents can find patis, banana leaves and frozen whole fish. It's more than a place for people to enjoy a halo-halo or freshly baked Spanish bread.
The little supermarket, tucked in the Shamrock Center and a couple doors down from Tong's Thai, is a place where Springfield's Filipino residents can find their community and connect to resources.
Mary Kris and Joey Palmer opened the market online in 2020. The business was a way for Joey Palmer, then a truck driver, to be closer to home during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Palmer said, customers kept coming to their house wanting to shop.
So, the couple found a storefront at 3448 S. Campbell Ave., which quickly became more than a home for the market — it houses a place for Springfield's Filipino community.
"I say we’re not really like a store; we’re doing something different, we’re more like a community,” Palmer said.
Connecting to resources and 'a safe haven'
From the time the Palmers opened Filipino Market, they have been involved with Springfield's community. Or maybe it's more accurate to say the community came to them.
It started with ministry members and missionaries coming into the shop and the Palmers shipping their boxes at cost. Word spread and soon the Palmers were shipping boxes to Gentle Hands orphanage in the Philippines, as well as helping people ship Bibles.
"For some reason, I felt like God kept telling me to be here," Palmer said. "It kind of snowballed from there with these outreach things going on. And we realized, ‘Oh, that’s why we’re here. We’re not making money, but this is why we’re here.’”
When it comes to shipping balikbayan boxes, corrugated cardboard boxes sent to the Philippines from Filipinos abroad, the Palmers have shipped nearly 3,000 boxes since February 2023. Shipments go out twice a month.
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Palmer estimates about 50% or more of his customers are returning customers and that the store has about 600 regulars. Among those regulars, there are people involved in real estate, car sales and rental properties, which allows the market to connect businesses with people.
"We’ve kind of sort of been building that clientele base with people so that when someone is looking for something, they know to come to us and we really try to help them out," Palmer said. "People come to us when they have problems and we help them with that."
But the resources go beyond just finding reliable transportation or a place to stay.
Prior to emigrating from the Philippines, residents must take pre-departure orientation seminars, which cover "travel regulations, immigration procedures, cultural differences, settlement concerns, employment and social security concerns, and rights and obligations of Filipino migrants," according to the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, an office in the Filipino government. Filipinos in the United States "know to call 911, they know to get help, they know to find other people," Palmer said. But that can be difficult, especially in situations where someone might be living with an abusive partner or spouse.
“We’re a safe haven," Palmer said. "If somebody is in trouble, they can come to us and we will do the best we can to connect them with people (who can help).”
A spot for Filipino culture in the Ozarks
Filipino Market may be the only grocery store in the area with its own karaoke machine, which was brought back from the Philippines by a customer.
Surprised? Joey Palmer was, too. But karaoke is an integral part of Filipino culture, so much so that nearly every home in the Philippines has a karaoke machine or a digital microphone that plugs into the TV, according to an article by the BBC.
"People just kept asking for (karaoke)," he said. "When you open a grocery store you don’t expect, 'Hey, let’s go sing karaoke at the grocery store.' And my wife was like, 'We gotta have that.'"
In the cafe area of the market, guests can sip boba tea and sing. It's even become a spot for local kids to hang out after school. It's not unusual to see the Palmers' children playing monster trucks on the floor of the cafe, Palmer said.
For Marco Bautista, the market is like returning to the Philippines. Bautista has worked at Filipino Market since it opened in 2021.
"It's kind of going back to home," Bautista said. "I feel like I don't work here, it's like going back home."
Bautista serves as the cafe's barista and works with Mary Kris Palmer on recipes for desserts, drinks and more. Being able to share Filipino culture with Americans is just part of it.
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"We’re trying to bring our food delicacies, our desserts from the Philippines, here so Filipinos who can’t go home can get it here," Bautista said.
This is the only place in the Ozarks where customer Linda David can find some of her favorite Filipino foods. While some of the local Asian markets carry some Filipino food, they often have a wider selection of Chinese, Japanese or Korean cuisines.
"It makes her feel like home," said her husband, Richard David. "That's the main thing. She's given up her home to come here."
The Davids have been together for 19 years, 16 of them married, and it's been important to Richard David that his wife maintain that connection to her homeland.
"A lot of guys that marry Filipino girls, and then when they get them here, they don't want them to have any part of the Philippines any more," David said. "That's not right; (the women) sacrifice a lot — everything — to come here."
Norma Hall, a former Springfield resident who now lives in Lawrence, Kansas, stopped by the market on Tuesday morning. Her family is having a reunion for the holiday and is making Filipino food for the celebration.
"Places like this are really great and they have the Filipino stuff we need," Hall said. "I really enjoy eating all these Filipino meals, even though really we've lived (in the U.S.) very long."
Employees and customers are like family — really
When Palmer says that their employees are like family, he truly means it.
"When you come to work for us, you’re not just coming to work for the market: We accept you as a family," Palmer said. "It’s like when you go to a church, you’re family. We treat all our people like family. They got a problem, we have a problem. They need help, we’re there to help them."
Bautista was hired at Filipino Market after losing his job at CoxHealth. Looking for employment, he didn't expect to also find a family who encouraged him to pursue his dreams.
“Marco is an artist. All the paintings here are done by him. We recently started a shirt business, a sort of supplemental thing to help make stuff. He’s the one doing the artwork. That was his dream doing that kind of thing, so we’re pushing to make it happen for him," Palmer said. "Hopefully it will take off.”
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For Bautista, it's a dream.
"I’m not working for money; I feel like I’m just doing my passion for art and stuff."
Treating employees like family is an extension of the community that the Palmers have cultivated in their store, something that is more precious to Joey Palmer than any amount of money.
“I don’t want to be that guy that doesn’t know my people. I don’t want to be rich. If I’m being honest, we haven’t made any money, we really haven’t. We’re taking care of our kids, we’re doing OK, but we’re not trying get rich. If I wanted to get rich I would have employees, everything would be ours," Palmer said. "But I don’t see the point in that. Without the people, you can’t have a business, you can’t take care of your community correctly, you can’t be part of the community."
Susan Szuch reports on health and food for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @szuchsm. Story idea? Email her at sszuch@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield's Filipino Market is 'more like a community' than a store
