The annual Mercado Fall Festival will take place on York Boulevard between Avenue 50 and Avenue 52, Oct. 11. According to Yolanda Nogueira, the creator of the Mercado Fall Festival and President of the Highland Park Chamber of Commerce, around 148 vendors will line the center of the street.
“The goal of the Mercado is to feature our York Boulevard corridor, to raise the profile of the small businesses on York and bring the community together,” Nogueira said.
Nogueira said letters were sent to the businesses on York Boulevard as well as shops on nearby streets, such as Meridian and Figueroa streets, to invite them to participate in the festival.
“It’s a special day for our businesses on York, so we ask them to pop up in front of their establishments,” Nogueira said. “We want them to bring what’s on the inside out, to get people to see what they’re all about.”
According to Nogueira, this festival aims to assist local vendors, in addition to helping pre-established local businesses. She said some streets, and therefore sections of businesses, do not allow pop-up vendors, so she tries to include as many local vendors as possible.
“It’s their livelihood, and it’s hard to turn anyone away, so I don’t,” Nogueira. “We’ll have everything you could think of: comedians, puppet shows, local bands, local artists, food trucks [and] all sorts of vendors.”
Nogueira said the idea for the Mercado came to her when the new park, York Park, was set to open on the intersection of York Boulevard and Avenue 50 in 2015. According to Nogueira, she thought the park opening could be used to start an annual community tradition to bring everyone together. Nogueira said this idea for a community tradition stems from her family’s long-standing history in Highland Park.
“My dad was very involved with this community, and so people would say to me that I should come out and do stuff in the community as well, so I did,” Nogueira said. “[The Mercado] was just what the community wanted and [it] was a big hit.”
Marcy Guevara-Prete is the owner of The Plus Bus Boutique, a plus-size clothing shop promoting body positivity and inclusivity.
“As a small business owner, one of the best things about York is how many small businesses are still operating,” Guevara-Prete said. “COVID-19 hit right when I got my spot on York, so I’m looking forward to the nostalgia of pre-COVID-19 York.”
Guevara-Prete said the Mercado is an event put on by and for Highland Park, and that it is a special day that makes the area feel like a small town.
“The Mercado really kicks off the season and is a really great opportunity for people to come and check out the businesses that they’ve been wanting to see,” Guevara-Prete said. “I think the Mercado is a reminder of how resilient York is, and I think the best is yet to come.”
On the corner of York Boulevard and Avenue 50 is the Pop-Hop Books Co-Op, co-owned by Adriana Yugovich. According to Yugovich, Pop-Hop Books is located in the historic Nogueira building, which has been in the Nogueira family for generations.
“Yolanda Nogueira’s dad had been a big political figure and community leader on the street and this building used to be where they held streetcars,” Yugovich said. “Upstairs is a graphic design studio with some friends of mine who actually designed the poster for El Mercado a few years ago.”
Yugovich said as a brick-and-mortar store, Pop-Hop Books will not have a pop-up on the street this year to leave space for local vendors who do not have a building on York Boulevard. She said they will, however, be open and hold some events earlier in the day.
“On the day of the Mercado, we’re having two events, one in the morning by local publishers who are creating multilingual books for kids,” Yugovich said. “The second, in the evening, is a film screening from a local LA film collective that shows small indie films. We’re hoping to get foot traffic from the Mercado to participate and for people to discover us.”
Bella Reyes, the producer of the stage aspect of the Mercado, said she has worked as a film and TV producer for 25 years, and this is her third year producing for the Mercado stage. Reyes said she wants to use her producing techniques for the community and advocate for local artists. According to Reyes, she tries to reach out to community members working in stores on York Boulevard to showcase their talents on stage at the Mercado.
“It was super important to me to get people from the actual businesses on York to be directly involved with the events, like performances,” Reyes said. “I want people to know that the workers on York have richer lives than what we think. Like how a cook at The Hermosillo is in a band called Skunk Munks and how the Optometrists on York have a jazz group.”
According to Nogueira, everyone in the community is welcome to join the fun of the Mercado and there will be good vibes, a variety of food, performances and art from local artists.
“The Mercado brings the community together,” Nogueira said. “It’s so much love and something we especially need right now in these times.”
Contact Miriam Arenal at arenal@oxy.edu
