Between quinceañera dress stores, taquerías, panaderías, and paleterias, Oak Cliff businesses are rich in Latino culture, but Mercado Artesanal is expanding the Latino cultures on West Jefferson Boulevard while offering a shopping destination for Dallas art collectors and enthusiasts. 

According to the Dallas Morning News, a statue of legendary singer Juan Gabriel in the Mercado’s entrance sets the mood for an artful adventure. Aisles of light-filled glass showrooms, which resemble Latin American puestos, display art from more than 10 Latin American countries and local artisans as well as international artists like Fernando Andriacci and Sergio Bustamante. Finds range from a $7 piece of custom-crafted jewelry to a $150,000 sculpture that’s suitable for a large corporate lobby.

Oak Cliff native, Latino advocate, and art aficionado Jorge Baldor founded Mercado Artesanal. He and employee Edén Soto Alva traveled to Latin America to personally meet with artists and bring some of their work back. 

“As Latinos, we appreciate and have pride in who we are, but we know so little about our history,” Baldor told the News. “I want this to be a source of pride of Dallas and for Latinos.”

Adan Gonzalez who founded the Puede Network, a nonprofit that works with area Latino families, is doing his part to show dozens of families the role Mercado Artesanal plays in celebrating the Latin culture by giving them guided tours.

"For many of my families, it was their first time being exposed to a gallery art display and actually having someone explain its significance,” Gonzalez said. “Having it be in our backyard — Oak Cliff being our home — added to the experience."