El Gato Night Market: Gateway to Latinx Entrepreneurship
- Evelin Alvarado
- Apr 30, 2024
- 4 min read
When 19-year-old Larsson Manzero embarked on his journey two years ago from Guatemala to the United States, he never imagined a life of cooking crepes with his aunt Mayda Morales at El Gato Night Market would be able to financially sustain his loved ones.
“For my aunt, this has become [her] main job,” said Manzero. “She used to work at a Jack in the Box and used to sell tacos at night.”
The market’s new location emerged in April 2022, operating in a parking lot every Thursday and Friday from 5-12 p.m. and Saturday & Sunday from 3-11 p.m. in the Salvadoran Corridor on Pico-Union.
Prior to this, vendors would sell autonomously or in various locations in Lincoln Heights as part of the Avenue 26 enterprise, according to Manzero.
Together, Manzero and Morales generate an estimate of $1,000 in profit per night selling for Ariana’s Crepes, the only crepe stand at the market. Ariana’s Crepes brings a different take on traditional desserts at El Gato Night market by selling a variety of customizable sweets on their menu. Customers have options such as strawberries with cream to banana sundaes and offer fruit or cookie-based crepes.
They are one of many full-time vendors at El Gato that have benefited from the market’s lack of permit requirements that other independent vendors must adhere to.
According to L.A. Taco, El Gato is among the several night markets that developed and flourished due to the post-pandemic era that allowed for the creation of third spaces pioneered by Los Angeles Street vendors. Vendors offer many products like cultural dishes, toys, fashion, artisanal decor, non-traditional medicine, and more.
Other previous night markets, like Avenue 26, paved the way for El Gato’s success due to its popularity and exposure through TikTok and Instagram by L.A. locals and content creators. After Avenue 26’s closure, the community’s demand for culturally curated spaces heightened.
Councilmember Gil Cedillo shut down Avenue 26 in August 2021 due to increased illegal activity and local concerns. Full-time vendors who relied on the market as their primary source of income had to adapt and relocate. Many relocated to Avenue 26’s new permanent location in Pico Rivera Sports Arena the same year.
El Gato’s lax policies allowed Latinx entrepreneurs to be experimental and creative with their products, creating a unique experience for people looking to explore L.A. food culture and create community.
Vendors such as Genesis Garcia, 25, and husband Matt Gram, 32, have operated their small business, Super Gummy Bros, at El Gato since July 2022. They are the only stand selling chamoy-covered fruit and candy every weekend at the market.
“Being a mixed couple, we get to meet so many people from so many places,”
said Garcia. “I had customers from all over the place come and say that they’ve seen us on TikTok or on Instagram, and it's so exciting that people from all over can connect in one spot.”
Their candy business @Supergummybros has gained 13,000 followers on Instagram. It is their most popular platform where they are most active in showing gratitude to their customers, reposting content of people trying out their candies, showcasing the variety of fruits and candies they have on their menu, and more.
Their most popular post is of them creating a ‘Pepino Loko,’ a cucumber wrapped in a fruit roll-up topped with tajin and gushers drizzled with chamoy.
Vendors are expected to pay $85 as rent to maintain a spot in the market; the only qualification is that they have to offer something different from what the market does not already have, according to Manzero.
Although El Gato has been operating successfully without the interference of law enforcement or buyouts from private entities, it is still susceptible to closure due to its non-compliance with L.A. County food vending regulations.
In the case of Avenue 26, it revealed how unsustainable the night market enterprise model can be due to the lack of regulation and overexposure that comes with its popularity as a community-supported event.
“The way the current law is set up, anyone who engages in the sale of food [must] comply [to] county laws and regulations,” said Jesus Saucedo, Data and Impact associate of Inclusive Action. “I worry about the sustainability of the night market business model. What's going to happen when enforcement picks up? I worry about the sustainability of entrepreneurs that operate in those markets.”
Though the L.A. County Board of Supervisors has made a progressive step in supporting our open-air food market economy by eliminating no-vending zones in popular tourist areas earlier this year. Food vendors must still comply with L.A. County vending rules and regulations. Vendors must obtain proper sellers and health permits, or they risk getting their equipment confiscated and can be fined up to $1,000.
Considering this, Latinx entrepreneurs at El Gato Night Market are still committed to providing for the local community it pertains to, although its future is uncertain.
“It’s a huge sacrifice that many people would not [make] if the risk of not selling anything would exist,” said Manzero. “It was basically her determination and having faith that made it work; I really admire my aunt for that.”
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