{"id":5062963,"date":"2026-01-26T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/walatinonews.com\/?p=5062963"},"modified":"2026-01-26T08:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T16:00:00","slug":"inside-a-seattle-mercado-and-cafe-supporting-latino-and-lgbtq-artists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/waln\/2026\/01\/26\/inside-a-seattle-mercado-and-cafe-supporting-latino-and-lgbtq-artists\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside a Seattle mercado and caf\u00e9 supporting Latino and LGBTQ+ artists"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For Maximiliano Urrutia, a barista at the Bonito caf\u00e9 in Capital Hill and former photography vendor at Aqu\u00ed Mercado\u2019s events, the goal has always been about building a space where people can feel safe to express themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bonito Caf\u00e9<\/a> is a Latino and LGBTQ+ owned coffee shop and marketplace, founded in September of 2024 by Daniel and Ismael Calderon, that centers as a scene for community, culture, and creativity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is a cousin company of the Aqu\u00ed Mercado, a beloved Latino and queer festival-style market founded under the same enterprise and owners in April of 2023. The market takes place every couple of months and promotes creativity and uninhibited self-expression through different performers, local artists, foodtrucks, and thousands of visitors who strive to celebrate themselves and their communities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Urrutia, the popularity of Aqu\u00ed Mercado made it clear that vendors and visitors wanted more frequent opportunities than an occasional pop-up could provide. Opening Bonito Caf\u00e9 became a way to offer a stable, accessible venue for the communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\u201cDaniel and Ismael emphasized that their caf\u00e9 isn\u2019t just make your coffee and go,\u201d said Urrutia, referring to what the founders instilled into him as they opened the shop. \u201cThis is a space where those who are marginalized should feel safe to express themselves, make connections and have a good start to their day.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It does so by promoting a safe space for belonging, whether that is stopping in and working remotely, meeting friends over coffee, or even setting up shop and selling artworks. That spirit is what has led to the growth of this mercado and success of the caf\u00e9. \u201cPeople just show up and enjoy themselves without worrying who\u2019s watching,\u201d Urrutia said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The organizers of the caf\u00e9 and mercado experiment with different Mexican traditions, celebrations, and culturally rooted themes at their events, including a Las Posadas-inspired mercado in December. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the Pacific Northwest, we haven\u2019t always had a big platform to showcase Latino artists. El mercado really opened that door,\u201d said Maria Reyes, a first-generation Latina artist based in Seattle who has had a booth at Aqu\u00ed Mercado a handful of times. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reyes works across multiple mediums including stickers, prints, woodburning, and hand-painted sugar skulls, promoting her art through ArtedeMariaReyes<\/a>. Her work is inspired by her Mexican-American roots and upbringing in Los Angeles, before moving to the PNW when she was 12.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEl mercado has given vendors visibility and shown people that Latino art isn\u2019t just one style \u2013 everyone has their own version of what being Latino or LGBTQ+ looks like,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reyes has watched the mercado platform expand since she first started. Outdoor mercados like ones at Pier 62 have brought huge crowds of people, as have other partnerships with cities, such as Bellevue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In early October,  Aqu\u00ed Mercado took to the Eastside to celebrate its first ever Hispanic Heritage Month<\/a> celebration at The Spring District (TSD), an urban neighborhood in Bellevue that combines office space, apartments and public areas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event at The Spring District<\/a> brought together a multi-ethnic and multi-generational group of around 1,000 people from all over Bellevue and other areas of Seattle, according to Linda Hoffner, TSD\u2019s general manager. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019d never seen the space so lively. People stayed for hours \u2013 it felt like they just wanted connection and community,\u201d said Hoffner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRepresentation matters. If we can help create space for cultural celebration on the Eastside, that\u2019s exactly the kind of community we want to build.\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ty Ohman-Myers, the artist behind Lucky Boy Seattle<\/a>, remembers his first Aqu\u00ed Mercado vividly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think it was my biggest single day of sales ever,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I had a blast. That\u2019s not always the case at markets.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ohman-Myers hand-makes bold, playful jewelry designed to encourage people to stretch their creative limits. His brand was born from his own journey of self-expression after moving from Austin, Texas, to Seattle\u2019s Capitol Hill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\u201cSeattle really empowered me,\u201d he said. \u201cThe colors, the queerness, the boldness \u2013 it helped me express myself in ways I never could before.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His relationship with Aqu\u00ed Mercado began when he found himself working his 9-5 remotely at the Bonito Caf\u00e9, which was promoting local brands through pop-up, in-store activations. He had just taken the leap of creating his own jewelry, and decided to reach out to the organizers of the market. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On weekends, the caf\u00e9 gives local artists the opportunity to set up their merchandise and showcase their work. The caf\u00e9 often receives more applications than the organizers can accommodate, so openings aren\u2019t always available. In Ohman-Myers\u2019s case, there were no spots left in store, but the team did offer him a place in their upcoming mercado.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After taking this opportunity, Ohman-Myers quickly realized how vibrant and different this mercado was from the rest: \u201cIt\u2019s really electric,\u201d Ohman-Myers emphasized regarding the atmosphere. \u201cIts a party, a celebration even \u2013 there\u2019s dancing, DJ\u2019s, drag performances and even tattoo artists doing flash. The creativity is off the charts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Participating in Aqu\u00ed Mercado introduced him to a strong, interconnected community of shoppers, performers and fellow creatives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can tell from the outside that they have a tight-knit community, and I\u2019ve been able to build a network there,\u201d he said. \u201cBefore this, I didn\u2019t really know anyone else in the maker community. Now people message me about other markets, we collaborate, we support each other. It\u2019s become a community I\u2019m a part of.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ohman-Myers strongly appreciates the sense of community, empowerment and success that he has gained from his experiences with Daniel and Ismael Calderon\u2019s establishments – and after all, he was able to get in the queue and set up shop in the loft of the caf\u00e9. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bonito Caf\u00e9 planted a seed for him that day, and has done so for many other local creatives looking for a space to grow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Aqu\u00ed Mercado prepares for its final event of the year, Urrutia says he hopes newcomers experience the same joy he sees every couple of months at the mercado\u2019s and weekly at the caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEveryone just shows up, has fun, and brings the energy of our culture,\u201d Urrutia said.\u201c And that\u2019s what I want people to feel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Libby Whiton<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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