{"id":5061962,"date":"2024-09-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-01T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/calatinonews.com\/aqui-mercado-creates-a-sense-of-community-and-belonging\/"},"modified":"2024-09-01T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-09-01T00:00:00","slug":"aqui-mercado-creates-a-sense-of-community-and-belonging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/caln\/2024\/09\/01\/aqui-mercado-creates-a-sense-of-community-and-belonging\/","title":{"rendered":"Aqu\u00ed Mercado Creates A Sense Of Community And Belonging"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A year ago, Ismael and Daniel Calderon hosted their first market \u2013 or mercado in Spanish \u2013 to celebrate the opening of their third photography studio in Seattle. After the event, the most frequent question they got was, \u201cWhen\u2019s the next mercado?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Almost every month since then, Aqu\u00ed Mercado \u2013 or Here Market \u2013 was created and began hosting mercados, previously at the Old Rainier Brewery in Sodo and, most recently, at THE 101 in Pioneer Square.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ismael and Daniel are a Latino couple originally from California. When they moved to Seattle six years ago, they were looking for something that reminded them of home and their community but noticed that Seattle proper lacked small business markets that focused on Latino culture.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe’re not the first person to host a mercado and we\u2019re not the last person to host a mercado but we always pride ourselves in doing it our way and doing it true to our background,\u201d Daniel said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Ismael and Daniel, when you walk into the mercado, you hear music, smell the food, see people who look like you, and hear people speaking Spanish. \u200b\u200bIn addition to the vendors, the mercado is activated by live DJs, tattoos, drag performances, and hair braiding stations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When hosting the mercados, their goal is to create a sense of community and belonging, uplift Latino, POC, and LGBTQ+ businesses, create learning opportunities, and share resources with the community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Customers shop through various clothing vendors at Aqu\u00ed Mercado.  (Courtesy of Ismael and Daniel Calderon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Drag performances capture the crowd’s attention at Aqu\u00ed Mercado. (Courtesy of Ismael and Daniel Calderon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Tattoos are one of the ways the mercado is activated.  (Courtesy of Ismael and Daniel Calderon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019ve noticed that people can find Latino culture in Eastern Washington in cities like Yakima or South King County in cities like Burien. According to the US Census Bureau, approximately 8% of Seattle’s population is comprised of Latinos. The lack of spaces showcasing Latino queer culture in Seattle is what prompted them to specifically host mercados in Seattle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe want to show people our communities here in Seattle,\u201d Daniel said. \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t have to go to Yakima. These are all amazing places that also have amazing communities, but we\u2019re also here. You should be able to walk down the street anywhere in Seattle and experience community that reflects you and your background.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twelve months later, Ismael and Daniel said they never imagined it would become bigger and more impactful. Their most recent mercado featured over 40 vendors selling clothing, jewelry, and art, among other things, and had over 1400 attendees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI feel like that’s what Aqu\u00ed Mercado has been, is that safe place for anybody,\u201d Ismael said. \u201cNo matter what your background is.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel says their goal is to create a warm and friendly environment. They do this by greeting all the guests and connecting strangers with each other. Creating those moments where people can make a new friend, dance with a stranger, or shazam a new song feeds into their big-picture goal of fostering a sense of community.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like you\u2019re at someone\u2019s quince, but you don\u2019t know who\u2019s,\u201d Daniel said. \u201cEveryone\u2019s having a good time.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the mercados bring a joyful atmosphere to the community, Ismael and Daniel also incorporate learning opportunities for guests by educating them on Latino culture and bringing in non-profits and community organizations such as Entre Hermanos, a Latinx LGBTQ+ resource nonprofit, and Super Familia, an unaccompanied and undocumented youth mutual aid group. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we’re gonna get all these people together in one room, why not make it for good and have an impact,\u201d Ismael said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the mercado has grown tremendously, Ismael and Daniel don’t profit from it, as they don\u2019t charge an entry fee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI feel weird about charging my community to experience their community,\u201d Daniel said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, they accept donations and emphasize that the mercado is community-funded and whatever isn\u2019t used for that month\u2019s mercado, will be used for the next month\u2019s.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their goal for the future is to turn Aqui Mercado into a non-profit organization so that they can access more resources. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Ismael (left) and Daniel (right) Calderon at Aqu\u00ed Mercado. <\/em>
(Courtesy of Ismael and Daniel Calderon)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Both Ismael and Daniel balance the mercado, their photography business, their full-time jobs, and, most recently, their new business venture. They are working to open a coffee shop in Capitol Hill called Bonito, or beautiful in English. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They wanted to take the sense of community fostered through the mercado and make it long-term. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u200b\u200bUltimately, what we’re doing is creating a community of people who are looking to experience that feeling of belonging that sometimes you don’t feel a lot here,\u201d Ismael said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Cover Photo: Shopping at Aqui Mercado, Old Rainier Brewery in Sodo (Courtesy of Ismael and Daniel Calderon)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cWe want to show people our communities here in Seattle,\u201d Daniel Calderon 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