Mercado Del Pueblo

Mercado del Pueblo grew out of a need for year-round space for vendors who had begun serving the community as pop-ups, often stationed along the Paseo Boricua in summer. The Puerto Rican Cultural Center (PRCC) saw an opportunity when renovation began on a space occupied by a former laundromat at the corner of Division and Rockwell, which had sat unused for 10 years. The city of Chicago’s Small Business Investment Fund (SBIF) made the renovation possible. Ziad Farhan, owner of the neighboring Municipal Market and the vacant laundromat building, received the SBIF funds to renovate the space. Mercado del Pueblo opened in 2021 with 17 vendors. It is an innovative small business incubator where startups can begin selling their products as they grow with the support of PRCC. Every year a new “class” of these vendors graduates to co-working spaces or brick-and-mortar storefronts.