UPDATE: Duluth Palestinian Cafe Ready To Reopen After Threat

After the New London Cafe closed its doors this January at 4721 E Superior Street in Duluth, we quickly found out what would take its place.

Lyla Abukhodair announced in a Facebook post that Falastin, a popular Northland pop-up restaurant she had started with her mom, would make that Superior Street location the permanent home for Falastin.

Abukhodair mentioned at the time that the community had embraced her pop-up restaurant with "open arms and radiating hearts", and she thanked the Northland for that support, as well as the "wonderful helping hands of local businesses", as it enabled her to open Falastin, Duluth's first Palestinian cafe, bakery, deli, and market.

It didn't take long for customers to embrace Falastin's commitment to making dishes from scratch, with fresh ingredients, which they often spotlight on Facebook.

The Falastin market also provides unique items hand-thrown mugs, bowls, platters, and more.

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Falastin Becomes A Target Of Hate Threats And Hate Speech

Things seemed to be going great for Falastin until they made a very disappointing post on Facebook. On Friday, July 26, they announced they had become a target of vandalism and hate.

The post read: “Hello Falastin community, we’ve made the difficult decision to close today for the safety of our staff, customers, and space due to concerning militant and threatening graffiti written on our building last night. Thank you for your love and support”.

According to the Duluth Police Department, officers arrived on the scene and saw graffiti on the door frame that had a derogatory anti-Palestinian message. They noted that the vandalism likely occurred sometime between 3 p.m. Thursday, July 25 to 8:30 a.m. Friday, July 26. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any security footage of the incident and the investigation continues.

The Northland Shows Support

If there's a positive to be found in this terrible situation, it's that the situation has galvanized the Northland who have reacted with an overwhelming show of support.

One of the many comments that followed Falastin's post was from the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce who wrote: "The Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce and our local business community stand in solidarity with you, Falastin. We are proud to have you in our community. Please let us know what we can do to be of support."

Duluth Mayor Rodger Reinert was quoted as saying that graffiti is unwelcome in the City of Duluth. Furthermore, "graffiti that is intended to intimidate, threaten, or make any Duluth resident feel unsafe will not be tolerated."

UPDATE: Falistin Announces Reopening Plan And Thanks The Community

On a July 31 post on its Facebook page, Falastin announced it was ready to open its doors once again. This week, they will be open our regular hours, Friday and Saturday from 8 am to 3 pm.

The post also thanked the community for the overwhelming support, adding that they feel "so seen, safe, and loved."  The Falastin staff says it was community support, words, and kindness that kept them going. They also shared a photo of what they came back to after closing.

Faltsin owners say the best way to now to show support and help them now is to visit them during business hours.

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There was no immediate announcement on reopening plans for Falastin, but they'll likely keep the community updated on its Facebook page.