As of 11 am today, Portland Mercado's outdoor food carts have reopened. Though they're currently only able to offer take out and delivery, the return of the Latin-American food pod will be welcome news for Foster-Powell residents and beyond.
The Mercado carts have been closed since January 3, after an early morning fire ripped through the main building's market hall. While the carts were located far enough from the main building that they didn't suffer obvious damage, the entire lot was left without power and water.
A release from the nonprofit that runs Mercado, Hacienda Community Development Corp, announced that the lot's utilities had been reconnected, and some carts began serving food on Thursday night.
Related: Fire at Portland Mercado Temporarily Closes All Businesses
"The market hall has undergone significant damage and will continue to be closed until further notice," Hacienda CDC wrote. Mercado's beer-and-wine shop, Barrio, and the juice bar next door, Xōcotl, remain closed, as does a commissary kitchen used by local food startups.
The casual customer likely knew of Mercado as a dynamic corner pod, at SE Foster at SE 72nd, where one could score delicious bites from carts like Oaxacan spot Tierra Del Sol or Colombian cart Qué Bacano, run into friends, share in cultural festivities, and even hear live music on occasion. But through the lot and its market hall, Hacienda CDC also operates a cultural center and a BIPOC business incubator.
Shortly after the fire, Hacienda CDC created the Portland Mercado Fire Relief Fund to support the small businesses impacted by the damage and closure. They plan to close the fund on January 30 to distribute the funds, but will continue to announce opportunities to support the rebuilding. A separate GoFundMe for Barrio's owner Chris Shimamoto has topped $80,000. The beer-and-wine shop appeared completely destroyed by the blaze, so plans for its future are uncertain. That fundraiser's stated purpose is "to help Chris get back on his feet and move forward."
