"The Future" Is Now

Understanding computers is hard enough. Equally challenging can be finding a polite and knowledgeable salesperson in the towering canyons of gadgetry at the big-box electronics mart. For Somalis new to the United States, the problem doubles. So rather than dealing with superstores and computer-speak, many seek out the handful of immigrant-owned shops like Mustaqbal Computer Center in Minneapolis’ Village Market.

“We meet the need in the community,” says Mustaqbal’s owner, Salah Ahmed. “The immigrants want to be wired like anyone else, they want to get good deals just like anyone. They just need someone who speaks their language because there’s a lot to understand when you’re dealing with computers and you want to trust the store. We are the real deal, like a Best Buy only at a size and scale and location that our customers want.”

Salah operated a money-wiring agency in the Village Market for three years before opening Mustaqbal in 2005 with partner Nur Elmi. That first year of breaking into business, they took a loss. But after word spread about the store, and Salah made adjustments like adding laptops to the stock, Mustaqbal turned a profit in 2006. The partners also began a wholesale computer reconditioning businesses from a separate warehouse site.

By 2007, Mustaqbal needed a larger sales floor and a service counter. With ADC financing, the store doubled its space by remodeling the adjoining stall, which had contained the money-wiring agency.

Mustaqbal means “future” in Arabic, and the future seems to be rushing in fast for the business. Salah is already talking about doubling the store’s space a second time. He says he also would like to move beyond his niche market of fellow Somalis, aiming for the high-volume mainstream.

Mustaqbal Computer Center, Inc.
Village Market — 24th Street and Elliot Ave., Minneapolis.

Specialties: Sales of new and reconditioned computers, accessories; computer repair; and training
Big sellers: Desktop systems, laptops
Service: Repairs, hardware and software upgrades; most service completed same day.
Business plan: Low margin, high volume.
Brand: “Best quality, best pricing, culturally sensitive”
Customers: Currently 98 percent Somali, mostly students and small businesses