Editor’s note: This story is part of the annual Mosaic Journalism Workshop for Bay Area high school students, a two-week intensive course in journalism. Students in the program report and photograph real stories under the guidance of professional journalists.
On a warm and sunny day, friends and families stroll from shop to shop at the San Jose Flea Market, soaking in the colorful atmosphere around them.
Food stands overflow with fresh fruits like opuntia, or prickly pear, and mamey sapote, a tropical, sweet fruit with bright orangey-reddish flesh as smooth as an avocado. They sit next to spices like chile de árbol, all combining to fill the air with strong scents. Racks with secondhand and vintage clothing are on display at the booths of friendly vendors to excited customers from all over the region.
For many vendors, the market — affectionately known as La Pulga — is a community unto itself that flourishes with a predominantly Latino-influenced culture that reflects their own.
The 61-year-old market provides not only a community space for gathering, shopping, and eating, but also serves as a rich hub of culture that holds an essential place in San Jose’s history.
Many vendors now fear much of this will soon come to an end.
The Bumb family, owners of the flea market property, have decided to sell most of the land to a developer with plans to construct a massive urban village that includes housing and huge swaths of commercial space, which would displace many of the vendors who have been working there for years.
The plans call for 3,450 residential units and up to 3.4 million square feet of commercial space according to Erik Schoennauer, a representative of the Bumb family.
The San Jose City Council recently voted unanimously to approve plans for the property, which will be sold and the majority of vendors relocated.
Five acres will be dedicated to an “open market,” Schoennauer said. However, the lingering question among the flea market community is where the rest of the vendors will go, as the current 61-acre site accommodates about 430 vendors.
Schoennauer said the developers haven’t finalized plans to relocate other vendors.
“The next step is to work together with the flea market advisory group – that’s the city, the vendors, and us – to come up with a plan,” Schoennauer said. The Bumb family will contribute $500,000 to this group as well, he said.
Without clear plans for vendors, however, many fear their uncertain future.
Miriam Justo has been working at La Pulga for about six years. She began by selling secondhand clothing, but then shifted to selling accessories, keychains, jewelry and other novelties. For her, La Pulga is an important place to earn additional income.
“It’s very sad,” she said. But even as a plan for the future is unclear, Justo still believes the city of San Jose is “doing everything they can.”
After the council vote, council members decided to create the advisory group to help the vendors work through the coming changes, said Lam Nguyen, a spokesperson for Councilmember David Cohen’s office, which represents District 4, where the market is located.
“In the new urban village, there is a provision of space for the existing flea market vendors,” Nguyen said.
Ultimately, the vendors will have to choose whether they move into the dedicated space of five acres left on the property, or to relocate somewhere else. The city plans to distribute $5 million to the vendors to support the transition, according to Schoennauer.
The city will work with the advisory group to “help administer both the organization, operation, and cost” of the new space, Nguyen said. He said the aim is to have the group include mostly vendors who will manage how to preserve some of the longstanding culture and community of La Pulga.
Despite growing concerns from vendors and supporters of the market, Nguyen says the city will benefit from the project because it will ostensibly create affordable housing to help address the housing crisis in San Jose.
“I would like to think that we can try to provide as many opportunities for people to live in the city they love as possible,” Nguyen said.
The potential benefit doesn’t erase feelings of sadness and mourning among the vendor community.
Dina Marroquin and Hilda Morales are relatively new vendors at La Pulga. They sell imported handmade crafts from Guatemala at the market and through their online store. Working there for just a couple of days, both agree that the displacement of the vendors is saddening and unfair.
“This is a historic place,” Marroquin said. “They’re pushing away minorities,” Morales added.
La Pulga is a prominent area for communities of color to share and celebrate their culture. Many vendors fear that this aspect will be stripped from the market once construction of the urban village begins.
Davis Jovel owns a shop called “Dela Old Skool” that sells secondhand vintage clothing and streetwear. Jovel has been selling at La Pulga for about a year and feels heartbroken over the approved plans.
“This is an iconic place,” Jovel said. “People love it.”
Maya Barrientos is a rising senior at Notre Dame High School in San Jose.
