La Villa Hispana is the Cultural and Economic Hub of the Hispanic community in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio, centered around the intersection of West 25th Street and Clark Avenue. This area is the most densely populated Hispanic enclave in the state of Ohio. The collaboration of partners working together to develop La Villa Hispana seeks to cultivate dynamic cultural experiences and economic opportunity for the community.

 

Clark-Fulton’s Hispanic population has been growing since the first wave of migration in the 1950’s. Today, Hispanics account for 48% of the total neighborhood population, serving as the main consumers for the Clark Avenue Commercial Corridor. Home to an array of small independent businesses, as well as national retail chains, Clark Avenue is the retail hub of the Clark-Fulton neighborhood. This collaboration strives to identify Clark-Fulton as the city’s Hispanic cultural and economic center.

La Placita (the marketplace) is a Hispanic themed pop-up, open air market just south of the Clark Avenue and West 25th Street intersection. The project objective is to promote the neighborhood’s rich Hispanic culture by creating a destination that fosters economic development in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood. La Placita will evolve into a permanent indoor, year-round operation that houses micro-retail businesses; a permanent Mercado (shopping plaza) within La Villa Hispana.

Major goals of the project include:

  • Monthly outdoor events:
    • Live entertainment • Traditional food experiences • Artisan vendors
    • Serve as a destination for shoppers seeking Hispanic goods, serving as a hub of Hispanic culture, unique to Northeast Ohio.
    • Promote entrepreneurship by serving as an incubator to grow permanent businesses in a micro-retail Mercado.
  • Event benefits include:
    • Opportunities for small businesses growth
    • Elimination of economic barriers
    • Attraction of merchants both locally and regionally
    • Creation a robust retail district

Program Partners

The Hispanic Business Center, provides educational and developmental support for the economic and business growth and advancement of the Hispanic Community in Northeast Ohio The Hispanic Alliance, Inc., whose mission is to integrate the Hispanic/Latino community by uniting, supporting, and strengthening Alliance members in Greater Cleveland and Northern Ohio, as well as further the social, educational, and economic development of the Hispanic/Latino community through advocacy, leadership development and the formation of strategic partnerships.

The Stockyard, Clark-Fulton & Brooklyn Centre Community Development Office, which assists in facilitating the collaboration between residents, stakeholders and community partners, supporting neighborhood based initiatives that improve the quality of life for everyone in the Stockyard, Clark-Fulton and Brooklyn Centre neighborhoods of Cleveland Ohio.

La Placita 2016 Dates

Second Saturday of the month
1:00 PM – 6:00 PM

May 14th • June 11th • July 9th
August 13th • September 10th

La Placita is held at the heart of La Villa Hispana at the US Bank parking (3104 W. 25th Street), just south of the Clark Avenue & W. 25th Street intersection.