Las Tienditas del Mercado

In 2017, the Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic Development announced an initiative to start, build and grow and incubate hyper-local, resident-owned businesses in the heart of the Clark-Fulton neighborhood. It served as an exciting opportunity for the community to build on the momentum of the revitalization and stabilization of the W 25th and Clark Ave retail corridor.

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Entrepreneurs participated in a 4-week retail business training program where they had developed their business model and business plan in both 1-on-1 advising and group-based sessions. At the end of the training, the entrepreneurs pitched their businesses before a panel of judges and 4 businesses were accepted into the business incubator and received funding for startup/growth capital. The goal of the Las Tienditas pilot program was to create and grow businesses by providing them with the necessary support, resources and technical services needed to be successful. Las Tienditas is a very successful pilot that will be replicated for El Mercado within CentroVilla25.