Safari Market was created on June 2006 as a result of many East African small business owners’ desire to locate all of their businesses at the same location.  A building was identified and all of the tenant improvements were shared by the business owners.  After five months of tenant improvement, the Market finally opened on December 2006.  During this period of time the East African community was extremely proud of this accomplishment given the fact that cost has always been an obstacle to creating such a Market. 

For a long time, there wasn’t a space available for the East African community to shop, socialize or start a business.  Similar models have opened in Columbus, Ohio and Minneapolis, Minnesota, but with the high value of real estate in Mid City, the Horn of Africa spent years coordinating and garnering community support to get this project off the ground.
The Safari Market offers an array of east African goods, such as clothing, shoes, jewelry and music. Services, such as money wiring, a barber shop, and a wholesale food distributor are also available.  They even have a shoe store referred to as the “Somali Footlocker!”  With a limited number of Somali restaurants in San Diego, African Spice is a popular place for yummy sambusa, a Somali dish similar to a spring roll made with ground beef, spices and vegetables which are folded into a triangular shape.   The beef, lamb or fish with a side of rice is also delicious.   Culturally appropriate goods available at the Safari Market helps the community of first generation Somalis remain connected with their homeland and simultaneously assists the progression of El Cajon Boulevard as a thriving multi-cultural center.