Bronxites were bursting with excitement as the popular Bronx Night Market returned to Fordham Plaza on Saturday, April 6, even though founder Marco Shalma had initially pulled the plug on the popular cultural event last year due to safety concerns and quality-of-life issues.
Shalma, founder and owner of Masco Hospitality Group (MHG), told Bronx Times that it was a difficult decision to “call it quits” last year. However, after an outpouring of support from the community, they wanted to give the market another chance.
“We had over 10,000 [direct messages] telling us, first of all, everybody was saying ‘thank you.’ ‘Thank you for doing this for so long. Thank you for bringing it to the Bronx,’” Shalma said. “And the second comment, the most common comment, was, ‘why can’t we have something good in the Bronx?’”
MHG sat down with elected officials and city agencies and brainstormed how to make the market safer for vendors and guests alike.
“We worked with the borough president, the council member, the community board, DOT, DSNY, FDNY — everybody — just to kind of try and figure out how we can bring it back to the community so we can feel safe, feel protected and continue doing this something incredible for the community,” Shalma explained.
Bronx Night Market has more than 120 different small businesses on its roster, which will rotate throughout the year. Every event features around 50 vendors, featuring a diverse array of artwork, merchandise and, most importantly, food.
“The whole idea is to really support small businesses and to connect small businesses with a community who is so loving and is so anxious and desperate to have more of these great [activities],” Shalma explained.
Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson and City Council Member Oswald Feliz attended opening night on April 6 to show people the beauty of the Bronx.
Gibson told Bronx Times that the Bronx had its challenges, but the event was to focus on the…
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