Mercado La Paloma is an example of a successful program to stimulate small business ownership for dozens of mostly immigrant entrepreneurs.
Los Angeles-based Esperanza Community Housing Corporation has created what could become a national model for encouraging small business entrepreneurship:
"On the ground floor warehouse of a 32,000-square-foot former garment factory at 35th Street and Grand Avenue, organizers from Esperanza have created a quaint, 16-stall marketplace where merchants hawk goods from intricate original works of art to used computer keyboards to food. Most vendors are first-time business owners.
The mercado charges $1.10 per square foot, and most store spaces cost about $300 a month. Tenants lease the space month-to-month."
Thanks to Chris Steins
FULL STORY: Going to Mercado
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