The dozens of vendors remaining at the retail center say business has declined up to 80% since half the businesses were forced to move out. Those left behind fear that out-of-state shoppers may think the entire mall closed.
Several in the group of about 40 vendors have tried different means of remaining in business after their half of the mall shuttered, but business isn’t the same and they feel isolated without one another.
With a focus on culture and lifestyle stories, the improved La Voz aims to showcase and celebrate the breadth and intersectionality of the diverse Latino communities in the Chicago area.
About 40 vendors got a six-week extension Monday afternoon, but most already had packed up. “They waited until the last moment to tell us,” said Griselda Estrada, standing in the store where she’s worked nearly 30 years.