For those who grew up in East Harlem, the words “La Marqueta” bring about memories of change. Rapid economic growth in the mid-twentieth century once brought over 500 grocery and goods vendors to the hallowed ground beneath Park Avenue’s elevated train tracks near 116th Street. Today, only a handful of vendors remain (including the renowned Hot Bread Kitchen) and an intense need for rehabilitation persists.
Speaker of the Council Melissa Mark-Viverito and the NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC) are now hard at work with their La Marqueta Retoña initiative, a collaboration designed to revive La Marqueta through the community, the arts and of course, food. In designing an approach for fall activities, the team behind La Marqueta Retoña partnered with the Street Vendor Project’s Vendy Awards.
Sunday, October 26th marked the first of five Vendy Plaza events at La Marqueta. Neighbors and visitors gathered with Speaker Mark-Viverito, EDC president Kyle Kimball and Vendys staff. Community members enjoyed Latin-Jazz fusion music by TROMBEATZ and food from Vendy award winning vendors such as Nuchas, Wafels and Dinges, Snowday and Khao Man Gai.
In her remarks to the crowd, Speaker Mark-Viverito said that she hopes that events like this will help, “Reclaim the space, to activate it, to make it a place where the community comes together.” She added, “Slowly, we’ll hopefully, make this once again a vibrant spot.”
Alex Fine, a history student, food vendor aficionado and Vendy Awards intern, was excited to experience Vendy Plaza. He said a goal of the Vendys in their 10th year is to, “Develop more markets like this, where Vendy Award winners are in the same space as great local vendors, to build spaces like this where they can interact and sell really great food.”
Zeina Muna, Managing Director of the Vendy Awards and the lead organizer of the event said, “We wanted to do more with the Vendy Awards and Vendy Plaza is something that was birthed out of a collaboration between the city and us.” Muna hopes that Vendy plaza will inspire the public in multiple ways. “In terms of the Vendys, we’re really hoping to get our winners out into the public and remind people what they’ve won and what they’ve achieved. In terms of the plaza, the main goal is to help bring traffic to the neighborhood and see this as a destination for food and really turn this into a bustling, thriving food marketplace.”
Fine thinks positive change definitely possible. “I don’t know if I’m being too hopeful or naive,” he stated, “But in a lot of ways, I see that this project and other projects, will hopefully inspire a renaissance for the space.”
Vendy Plaza takes place over the next four weekends at La Marqueta. Rain or shine. Check it out!