CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Vendors from the former Eastland open-air flea market hosted their grand opening at their new location on Galleria Boulevard near Matthews.
The city closed the previous location back in February, displacing dozens of vendors.
"It’s been a long road to get here to this point and you can see by the looks of the vendor’s faces. This all makes it worthwhile,” said Charlotte City Council member Tariq Bokhari.
El Mercadito, or “The Little Market”, celebrated its official grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Charlie Mulligan is the temporary manager.
"We do expect to fill this entire place up and we can fit about 150 vendors here,” he said.
About 70 vendors were on the site Saturday. The market opens on Saturdays and Sundays, rain or shine, from 9 a.m. through 6 p.m.
"It’s designed well and we’ve had 4 weeks of a soft launch where everyone gets into the rhythm of how they set up. It is very structured in a way that is customer friendly,” said Bokhari.
Vendors were devasted after the city closed the Eastland mall location earlier this year and were told a new space was not possible. However, after months of searching, vendors opened their tents on the new ground last month during a soft opening.
“This one resonated with me,” expressed Bokhari. “I can tell these were folks that said I want to work hard. I need to be able to provide for my family so for the fact that months and months went by with no solution. And it was something that could be solved.”
Leonardo Cortez, one of the vendors at El Mercadito, said this is how he supports his family and it’s their livelihood. He is grateful for the Galleria location.
“It was very tough during that 10 months to find a new place but we finally have a new place and we are very excited,” he said.
His goods were ready to be sold and on full display.
“Soccer jerseys are my main merchandise,” said Cortez. “I also sell soccer balls, shoes, a little bit of everything.”
A little bit of everything is what you’ll find at the little market; from clothes to jewelry to Hispanic-made goods. There are also food stands and food trucks.
Vendors say they are looking forward to welcoming new faces.
“There isn’t another one around, so it’s a new area where new people can come by and buy,” said Uriel Ugaret, a vendor.
“Winter time is very hard for us, but I think by spring it will be very busy,” said Cortez.
Mulligan said they have the space for at least the next two years.
Contact Jesse Pierre at jpierrepet@wcnc.com or follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.