Hispanic Market Forced Out of the Burg

The city’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC) recently announced that it will be closing La Marqueta, the large market on Moore Street in Williamsburg that stocks fruits, vegetables, and other items from Latin America and South America that are hard to find anywhere else in the city. According to the Greenpoint Star:

“The market was built about 65 years ago, and was intended to give pushcart owners a safe place indoors to sell their goods, offering cheap rents. But since its opening, the market has become a thriving epicenter, where Latinos from all over the tri-state area can not only buy the foods of their homeland, but listen to live music, eat freshly prepared Latin foods, or just enjoy some friendly conversation over a café con leche.”

At present, EDC is renting out La Marqueta’s 6,600 square feet at $19 per square foot, but the market rate citywide is $25 square feet. Between the low rent, the structural issues that increase heating and cooling costs, and the safety issues that require security costs, the market has been losing “about $270,000 each year for the past four years.” EDC is offering space in the Williamsburg Houses to businesses that currently reside in La Marqueta — as well as financial assistance to relocate — but they’re already meeting opposition. The Greenpoint Star reports: “Business owners and shoppers rallied last Thursday, vowing to stay at La Marqueta.”

No Moore Market? City Plans to Close La Marqueta [Greenpoint Star]