A cultural space in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood is hoping to reinvigorate ‘Asia on Argyle’ and inspire a new generation of Vietnamese Americans to connect with their community.
“Every piece of this place is intentional,” said Jennifer “Nuky” Pham, co-founder of HAIBAYÔ. “We want you to walk away feeling like there’s a sense of home.”
Pham and her childhood friend opened HAIBAYÔ six months ago on Argyle Street. The name pays homage to their Vietnamese culture and heritage.
“It comes from the phrase ‘mot, hai, ba, yo’ which essentially means ‘cheers’ in Vietnamese,” she shared.
Pham gave NBC Chicago a tour of their new café and cultural space.
“These are just memories of people who have been here on Argyle Street,” she said pointing to pictures and newspaper clippings on the wall. “There’s a lot of emotions that I feel seeing this.”
She said her mission is to connect with her community and preserve the deep roots and history of Argyle Street.
“We just really want to see this area grow,” she said. “I don’t want it to have Argyle be something of the past.”
The area known for Vietnamese restaurants, shops, and businesses has changed over the decades with generations of families moving out and stores closing post-COVID.
“My memories of how things used to be are very different than how things are now, but the feeling is something I want to bring back to the neighborhood,” she said.
HAIBAYÔ shares a space with the Qideas plant shop. The longstanding business opened on Argyle Street more than 20 years ago. The owner said her family is seeing a resurgence in the district renewed energy driven by a younger generation.
“I think as a culture and as a generation, there’s s much safety and inclusion with being yourself that I think a lot of folks feel welcomed and more inspired and encouraged to share their culture” said Ellen Duong, owner of Qideas.
She and others want to transform Asia on Argyle into a mecca for the Midwest and to draw new visitors to a place they call home.
“We’re really excited and hopeful to see inclusion of culture a more highlighted space of what it means to be Asian American in this next phase of our life as we take over Argyle,” said Duong.
