A new monthly marketplace opened at the Sonoma County Fair Grounds and Event Center Sunday.
The marketplace, Mercado Rosa, it’s a partnership with Sonoma County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, with the idea of helping small businesses grow while celebrating culture and providing a place for the community to come together.
Organizers also said this was an idea that had been around for a while and finally came together.
“It’s a mercado that we have been thinking about for the last year given that some of the vendors didn’t have a location or place to be able to launch their services and products,” Executive Director for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Hector Velazquez said.
“Many of the farmers markets either they are full or language barriers or additional permits that they require and some of these folks don’t know how to navigate those permits, so that’s what we were here to do, we are here to help them and give them a spot to do so,” he continued.
He said they got over 80 submissions from vendors to join the event at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds.
“It’s a festival that we plan on having on a monthly basis just to bring our community together and celebrate all the wonderful things that happen in Sonoma County and give people the tools to succeed if they want to,” Sonoma County Fair CEO Matthew Daly said.
Maria Tlatilpa has a small-scale flower farm. She did not need help navigating the process of getting her business up and running through the county, something that is being offered to vendors so they’re squared away in advance of the mercado, but she still appreciates the opportunity to sell at the mercado.
“I usually go out to pop ups markets to sell my products because I don’t have like a store where to sell them, I do have a flower stand, but I don’t get a lot of clients there,” Tlatilpa said.
Organizers are planning another market on May 17 and are encouraging vendors to sign up now, which can be done through the chamber of commerce’s website.
