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 positive the city’s northernmost borough has to offer.
“We want to talk about something positive: the young people, the talent, the great food, the Caribbean food, the Yemeni food and the Bangladeshi food — all the great things that the Bronx is known for. That’s what you’re going to see at the Bronx Night Market,” Gibson emphasized.
Feliz thanked the organizers for returning the market to Fordham Plaza.
“[MHG] brings a lot of life to this community, good food, good music, good people, creating the environment that local residents deserve,” Ortiz said.
While munching down on delectables like lobster rolls, nacho fries, dumplings, Caribbean food and vegan cheesecake, Bronxites enjoyed music performances by the Marching Cobras, dance recitals by the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club and music by Ayanna Williams — also known as Ayanna the Singer — and DJ Riddim.
Bronxites Amber and Paola were chowing down on kebabs when Bronx Times caught up with them. They said they were glad the market, which celebrates the diversity of the Bronx, returned.
“We wanted everything to go back to normal. This is the first time this year, so we’re glad we came to the opening [night],” Amber said. “The food is really good and the prices are good, too.”
They encouraged New Yorkers from the other boroughs to visit the night market.
“They should come [and] they should enjoy,” Amber said. “The summer is going to come soon. They should enjoy the days they have got; you don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow.”
“And we’ve got a lot of police here, so it is safe,” Paola added.
Silvia Vidova, the founder of Culiraw, a Queens-based vegan dessert maker, was excited to introduce the “wonderful” people from the Bronx and other boroughs to her vegan cheesecakes. She was equally enthusiastic about the night market’s return.
“I mean, look at the people. So many people showed up because they want to be here and they want to support small businesses,” Vidova said.
Harlem resident Ashley Park and Bronxite Victoria Rongon were munching on nacho fries and deep fried ice cream. Both said they loved the performances and the diverse food trucks.
“I think it represents a lot of different cultures, not just about the variety of food. I think the essence of it is bringing the community together. You see all the people here, a lot of them are probably residents of the Bronx. So I love it. I think it’s super authentic,” Park said.
The Bronx Night Market is open at 4 p.m. every first Saturday of the month from now until November.
