Northside entrepreneur Sammy McDowell remembered at homegoing

About 200 people gathered last Thursday, May 9, in the sanctuary of Shiloh Temple International Ministries to remember Arthur Michael Sammy McDowell, the late proprietor of Sammy’s Avenue Eatery on West Broadway. 

McDowell, 48, died suddenly on April 21 after collapsing during a church service at Shiloh. Friends and family members, who wore yellow in honor of McDowell’s favorite color, remembered his introverted, soft-spoken, and determined demeanor amid a somber yet jubilant celebration through song, dance, and spoken remembrances.

The beloved eatery owner was born on March 4, 1976, at the Roseland Community Hospital in Chicago’s far South Side. Family members say his entrepreneurial drive began as a child when he worked a paper route and walked a girl to school for money at the age of nine.

“He has always been an entrepreneur. He’s always had an idea of what he wanted to be in life,” said his sister Shaawn-Dai in a phone interview shortly after the repass, adding that he wanted to start a farm to supply food to grocery stores. 

Seeking to flee gang violence that plagued the South Side, Sammy and his family relocated to Minneapolis in 1991. They stayed with a cousin until they settled in North Minneapolis. He enrolled at Patrick Henry High School and began working at a Kentucky Fried Chicken at the Hub Center in Richfield. He was soon joined by family members, and he ended up managing the store. 

Sammy worked at the KFC for ten years before managing a Subway at 46th and Nicollet for another ten years. He ultimately managed two Jimmy John’s in the south metro: one in western Bloomington and another in Eagan for seven years. 

He eventually started his own business. He catered before opening his brick-and-mortar in the Northside, Sammy’s Avenue Eatery, despite people dissuading him. “‘People were telling me, don’t start a business on the Northside!’ And he’s, like, ‘No, because that’s where I need to be,’” said his nephew and community organizer Michael McDowell. 

Those who knew him added that he used his business to provide second chances to those with criminal histories and those who needed help. They also said he kept his business open during the 2020 unrest so protesters could go somewhere to eat. His business was recognized in a show called “Small Business Revolution,” and Mayor Jacob Frey decreed March 4 of this year as Sammy McDowell Day. 

Aside from working in fast food, he was also a spiritual person. He was involved in church and sang in choirs, most recently at the Shiloh Temple International Ministries. “That’s where he got the love for church from, right there in Chicago, where we started with being in choir,” recalled Shaawn-Dai. 

It was through singing that he met one of his friends, Courtland Pickens, whom he mentored. He and Pickens cultivated what Pickens says was the closest and most consistent friendship he’s had. “He was an incredible worship leader. I wanted to connect with somebody with the same spirit, and he was the first person. And I went up to him after service one day and asked him if he could mentor me. And he turned and gave me the smartest comment. He said, ‘It’s about time people started recognizing me out here,’” said Pickens, who teaches and leads the Known Mpls Choir Group in South Minneapolis. 

Family members say he was big on supporting his nieces and nephews, including Michael McDowell. “You can’t wrap Sammy up in two minutes. It’s gonna be very difficult because I feel like Uncle Sammy was my North Star,” said Michael.

Outside of working and being active in his church, he traveled and supported people living abroad, particularly in African countries, with mosquito nets and water bottles. In addition to cooking, singing, and spending time alone, he loved seeing other people sing. “We went to Usher, we went to Randy, we went to Fantasia, we went to a lot of concerts together,” said friend Shvonne Johnson. 

McDowell, interred at Lakewood Cemetery after the homegoing, is survived by his siblings: Kenneth Pinex, Shaawn-Dai, Michael, Donnell, Angela, and Byron McDowell. He is also survived by his nephews Michael, Jaylen, Jamir, Matthew, Sammy, Jordan, Tavion, and Donnell McDowell, as well as his nieces Pooquelle, Mya, Destiny, Deasia, Jhane, Shirley, and Olivia McDowell. He is predeceased by his parents, Barn and Olivia, as well as siblings, Cynthia and Barn Earl. 

Among those who attended the homegoing were Ward 5 Councilmember Jeremiah Ellison, Hennepin County Commissioner for the Northside Irene Fernando, Gov. Tim Walz, and 5th Congressional District candidate Don Samuels. Wintana Melekin, a volunteer for Ilhan Omar’s 5th Congressional District campaign, presented a Congressional decree embedded in a glass plaque on Omar’s behalf to those who survived McDowell.

Congressmember Omar, who could not attend the service because she was on the House floor, delivered remarks in honor of McDowell on the House floor on April 30. 

During the homegoing, Gov. Walz admitted that meeting Sammy initially intimidated him. Bishop Richard D. Howell recommended that Walz meet him to learn more about the Northside, as he had considered running for governor several years ago. “I will admit to you, I was getting a little bit intimidated because people with one name like Beyonce—that’s scary. Everybody knew this guy,” said Walz.