The population structure and life in rural areas have become more diverse in recent years due to the arrival and stay of refugees. The participation of the newcomers in the labour market is relevant on the one hand from the point of view of integration policy and for the regional economy, and on the other hand it fulfils various functions for them. However, little attention has been paid to the (potential) self-employment of newly arrived refugees in Germany. Using the example of the founding of grocery stores in rural areas of Germany, the aspirations of refugees on the labour market, the founding and business practices of operators and the perspectives of customers were examined from multiple perspectives. The qualitative interviews conducted with (potentially) self-employed newly arrived refugees and (semi-)standardized surveys of customers form the data basis for this paper. It is conceptually inspired by the state of research on migrant’s integration to work and immigrant entrepreneurship as well as the subform refugee entrepreneurship. Results show a variety of meanings of employment and a distinct desire for self-employment. Moreover, structural and individual obstacles could be identified in the foundation phase, while co-ethnic employment is considered crucial for the operation of a store.