My People’s Market Returns with 130-Plus Portland Entrepreneurs of Color
Camila Araya Pérez (left) and Daniela del Mar, founders of Letra Chueca
In the immortal words of Sarah Michelle Gellar: “Scientists are saying the future is going to be far more futuristic than they originally predicted.” My People’s Market, a collaboration between Travel Portland and Prosper Portland, is back June 1 for its fourth incarnation. The theme this time? “Market of the Future."
Since 2017, the market has sought to highlight makers and entrepreneurs of color in a city whose racial disparities have become an increased source of national scrutiny. This week’s event hopes to hammer that objective home—it’s being held in Northwest Portland's Broadway Corridor, a new urban development project, so visitors might “rethink places and spaces” as the city continues to grow. Also, thanks to a little schedule shuffling, the market now coincides with the weeklong National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education at the Convention Center.
More than 130 vendors (all sourced from Mercatus, Prosper Portland’s directory of local POC entrepreneurs) are slated to bring their food, clothes, and services to Saturday’s seven-hour event. Here are four vendors we're especially excited to check out:
Milieu Gallery & Portland Chocolate Laboratory
You read that right: art and chocolate collide! This year-old Sellwood collective boasts a brick-and-mortar that sells beautiful handcrafted jewelry, leather goods, and sweet, sweet chocolate, in addition to a regular program of workshops and classes for the curious dilettante.
Letra Chueca Press
This womxn- and Latinx-owned press aims to “deconolonize design through collaboration and representation.” They make bilingual greeting cards, political posters, and more, all by hand using traditional machinery.
Shop Halo Halo
This handmade craft store is an affiliate of GABRIELA Portland, a social justice collective for local Filipina women. Halo Halo is Tagalog for “mix mix,” and the shop sells a bright, eclectic variety of earrings, hats, posters, and textiles.
Black Star Grill
The West African superstars will be whipping up their signatures jollof bowls all day. Dive in early for a hearty lunch, or supplement your other nibbles with some shrimp snacks or fried plantains.
My People’s Market 4
Noon–7 p.m. Sat, June 1, US Postal Service Building, corner of NW 9th & Lovejoy
