A world away in a city nearby
When I was looking for an immersive multicultural experience, I did not think I would find anything in my rural southeast Minnesota town that would have a spot where I would feel like I didn’t fit in (to my surprise I did happen upon a Winona store later on in the month). I looked through the list of possible places to enhance my multicultural adaptability. Many of the restaurants on the list had closed due to the difficult financial circumstances of the past years of the pandemic. I decided to go to the Mercado Central based on the google reviews sharing that it was a place for Latino culture and cuisine.
As I first entered the market that afternoon it was surprising to find a parking spot nearby. Some of the shops were starting to close, so I may not have gotten to experience the full excitement and bustle of the mercado. Instead I was able to explore with some curiosity at the same time as feeling out of place and a little socially awkward. Most of the shop owners seemed bored, waiting for the end of the day to come in order to close up shop. They smiled as I walked through, but did not ask if I was looking for anything.
The mercado was laid out in a circle and had stairs in the central area leading to an upper floor with offices for services such as insurance, a hair salon, and a mental health care office. An area was dedicated to a job board and lists of community services for food and legal help. The whole Mercado Central was like a mini community with every type of store and service you might be looking for in one building. They even had a Spanish language newspaper available for free that highlighted the local news of the Minneapolis area.
This place removes many of the barriers for helping people get connected to resources. I was excited that they had a counseling office easily accessible for the Spanish speaking community. The store website has a list of services available http://mimercadocentral.com/services/
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