The $17 million Mexicantown International Welcome Center & Mercado opens its doors today in honor of Cinco de Mayo, showcasing four new stores in a development project that promises to spin off dozens of businesses.
Okay, Cinco de Mayo was actually last month but again this is big news that I’ve been waiting on for a long time. It is a retail business incubator for Mexicantown and the building is right across the highway from the Mexicantown nightlife district, right after you get off the Ambassador Bridge. In the future there are plans to build a pedestrian bridge that connects both sides of the highway but until then there’s a regular crossing on Vernor. The area is already a unique shopping destination full of bakeries, grocery stores both big and small, and clothing stores and it’s really an area where you can live without having to drive out of the neighborhood very often. And of course there are the restaurants such as a new Argentinian joint called Tango Bravo. But the businesses could use more support from the rest of metro Detroit.
“Despite the (local) economy we keep on growing,” RodrÃguez said. “There’s such a demand for retail space that people are fighting for land.”
That’s what we want to hear.
From the Detroit News.
