As Puerto Rico is battling the devastation caused by Hurricane Fiona, Chicago-area residents of Puerto Rican descent say the storm calls attention to past wrongs and opportunities for change.
CHICAGO (WLS) A new hub for local vendors called Mercado Del Pueblo in Humboldt Park is helping small business owners of color. Mercado is a place for start-ups and small business owners so start their business is a free rent space, and free utility space so they can start their businesses without paying any rent, said Carlos Bosques of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center.
Mercado Del Pueblo is located at Division and Rockwell, in the heart of Humboldt Park s Puerto Rican community. The Puerto Rican Cultural Center turned an old laundromat into a vendor hub. Not only are utilities free, but business owners are guided on how to grow their businesses into storefronts.