This Seattle pop-up market celebrates Latin culture, pride every month

Step inside Aquí Mercado and you’re immediately greeted with the aromas of authentic Latin cuisine, classic mariachi melodies and an almost familial warmth. With more than 40 vendors offering everything from handmade jewelry and vintage clothing to traditional hair braiding and flash tattoos, visitors are bound to find something exciting. 

This energetic fiesta springs to life the first Friday of every month inside THE 101 building in Pioneer Square to celebrate Latino pride and culture, including artists and artisans from the Seattle area and beyond. On April 5, more than 1,400 attendees helped Aquí Mercado founders Daniel and Ismael Calderón ring in the market’s one-year anniversary. 

Partners in both marriage and business, the Calderóns’ dream for the mercado was to create a space where everyone, regardless of their cultural background, could feel a sense of belonging. 

“We noticed the lack of representation of Latino culture in Seattle,” said Ismael Calderón, who relocated to Seattle from California with his husband almost six years ago. “We wanted to create a space where Latinx, POC and LGBTQ+ communities could come together and thrive.”

The Calderóns held their first-ever market in April 2023 to celebrate opening their third photography studio in Seattle, Aquí. About 100 people showed up to browse goods from 15 vendors set up in the Old Rainier Brewery building’s Sodo parking lot. Although the couple intended to host the event as a one-time pop-up, the enthusiasm from vendors and visitors encouraged them to keep the mercado going. 

The market, which drew more people each month thanks to social media and word-of-mouth, became a way for the Calderóns to bring the Seattle area’s Latino communities together on a regular basis. The Calderóns moved Aquí Mercado to its current Pioneer Square venue in October to accommodate the growing pop-up and offer accessibility for all guests.

“We have always heard, ‘You gotta go to Wenatchee to get good Mexican food or White Center,’ [or] ‘They probably have markets like that in Yakima,’ ” Daniel Calderón said. “We thought, ‘Why don’t they do that in Pioneer Square, in the heart of downtown Seattle? Because we are here.’ ” 

One year later, about 40 vendors travel from nearby and as far as Eastern Washington to attend Aquí Mercado each month. For many of these small-business owners, the market transcends the transactional experience and offers a place to foster meaningful connections with customers and community.

Latinos make up about 11% of King County’s population and about 8% of Seattle’s population, according to 2022 survey data. Despite this, there aren’t many dedicated Latino-centered spaces that can accommodate such large groups on a regular basis, said Roberto Hoyos, designer and founder of Throwboy, a throw pillow company. “We all have that Latino spirit, you want to bring everyone to the family party even if you are not directly part of that community.”

The Calderóns are involved with every aspect of their monthly market, from selecting vendors to organizing live entertainment, to ensure an inclusive experience. The mercado founders welcome individuals from all communities. Sometimes vendors who aren’t Black, Indigenous or people of color or part of the queer community express readiness to step back if they feel like they’re intruding, an acknowledgment of privilege the Calderóns said they see as a positive step toward inclusivity. 

When prospective vendors apply to sell at Aquí Mercado, they must explain why their business aligns with the market’s vision to unite the community in celebration of LGBTQ+ and Latino culture. In addition to curating a diverse marketplace, the selection process aims to create a space where vendors can get inspired, learn and support each other. 

For surrealist landscape photographer Trasina Diazmuńoz, the market’s supportive environment feels like another home.

“Photography is my passion, and here I can share what I love,” said Diazmuńoz, who immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico City as a child. “If I feel anxious, I can ask anyone for help. It doesn’t feel like a competition like in other markets. At this mercado, we are all growing together.”

The Calderóns also want the market to help educate non-Latino communities about Latino culture. Past markets have focused on cultural celebrations, including Día de los Muertos, which celebrates the lives of passed loved ones in October; and Posada Navideña, which marks a sequence of celebrations leading up to Christmas. 

The mercado also features a variety of Latino performers such as Mariachi Arrieros, DJ Mala Noche and drag artist Melody Lush Paradisco.

“Having mariachi is something you don’t see at local markets, it’s something so beautiful and so traditional to Latino culture,” said Ismael Calderón, who added that seeing visitors captivated by the band and connecting to their Latino roots fills him with pride.

Kindling that cultural connection and familiarity is also what drives vendor Mayra Sibrian of Selva Central Goods, which aims to expand people’s perception of pan dulce, or sweet breads.

“Here I get to introduce people to the food I grew up with,” said Sibrian, who is Salvadoran and Mexican. “There are so many options when it comes to pan dulce.” 

One of the many pastries Sibrian offers is the quesadilla sweet cake, a traditional Salvadoran treat often enjoyed with coffee, unlike the Mexican tortilla-and-cheese quesadilla.

Vendors like Sibrian pay a $100-$250 participation fee to be part of the market. That money is directly reinvested into the next Aquí Mercado, covering essential expenses such as venue rental, security, permits and entertainment. The monthly market has been able to sustain itself with vendor fees and donations alone, according to the Calderóns, who do not profit from the event.

“What comes in goes right back into it,” Daniel Calderón said. “We want the mercado to be free because it would also feel icky to charge people to come in. … We want this to be accessible for everyone.”

A year into hosting the market, the Calderóns have continued to hear demands for more Latino spaces in Seattle from attendees and vendors. Encouraged by the positive feedback to Aquí Mercado, the couple plan to open their own brick-and-mortar business, Bonito Café y Mercadito, on Capitol Hill this summer. They want people to experience all flavors of Latino culture, highlighting Mexican, South and Central American cultures.

“That feeling that people were getting once a month, that’s when the idea of Bonito came to play where people can get that fix [of] that sense of home,” Daniel Calderón said. 

They plan to partner with Selva Central Goods for artisanal pastries and Fulcrum Coffee Roasters to serve Latino-sourced coffee in their cafe, which will host crafts from vendors at Aquí Mercado for people to buy. 

Aside from their own upcoming business, the Calderóns said Aquí Mercado has inspired others in cities such as Puyallup and Yakima to open up their own local mercados and pop-ups to bring community members together.

“We are not the first mercado and we definitely won’t be the last,” Daniel Calderón said. “We want people to come and feel inspired to do their own things.”