Mercado Delta hopes to revitalize local economy after Saturday launch

IF YOU GO

What: Mercado Delta

When: open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday

Where: 510 N. Yellow Jacket Drive, Edcouch

More info: www.mercadodelta.com

EDCOUCH — Paul Alvarez sells most of his handmade jewelry, handbags and knickknacks at McAllen markets and art shows, but he hopes the opening of a new venue in Edcouch will soon expand his customer base beyond that.

About 50 vendors like Alvarez gathered Saturday at Mercado Delta, a market featuring local artists and farmers selling produce, antiques, new merchandise and crafts.

The market is a family-friendly alternative to traditional flea markets, or pulgas, which are often littered with pornography, pirated media and used merchandise.

"We want to get exposed, and not just in McAllen," Alvarez said. "Business has been good (in Edcouch) so far."

That's exactly the kind of feedback Gilbert Cardenas hoped to hear Saturday during the market's "soft opening" - meaning the facility is not fully complete but is open for business.

"I never dreamed of having such a response," said Cardenas, president of the Delta Region Revitalization Corp., a nonprofit, nonpartisan group that developed the market. "You're always worried when you start a business, especially with the economy the way it is."

The market was funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce, partly secured by Edcouch native U.S. Rep. Rubén Hinojosa, D-Mercedes.

"This is great as a social setting for the community, not just trade and commerce," Hinojosa said. "It's a great opportunity for families to buy goods and enjoy themselves."

Cardenas said he wants the "semi-upscale" market to blossom into a tourist attraction before its official grand opening in February. He hopes to attract visitors from throughout the Rio Grande Valley as well as Winter Texans, and to revitalize the Delta region's struggling economy by creating jobs and generating tax revenue.

"Nobody expects a place like this to have something like this," Cardenas said. "But why not here? ... We're 10 minutes from Weslaco, 10 minutes from Edinburg, 20 minutes from McAllen and 13 minutes from Harlingen. We're close to everything."

The market features 50 available vendor tents, but officials hope to have a minimum of 200 - at least 36 of which would be farmer's market vendors - by February. They also plan to install an artificial creek that will run through the facility.

Two bells donated by Tamaulipas Gov. Eugenio Hernandez Flores will adorn the market's main entrance.

"It really promotes the area," said Edcouch resident Simona Garcia, 70. "It's very well organized."

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Ana Ley covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4428.