Super Buy Market, Los Angeles 1986

The photograph is part of a small series of photos documenting Latinx markets in the Pico-Union neighborhood that remains a hub for Latinx entrepreneurs. Between the 1960s and 1970s, Cuban and Central American produce markets and bakeries began to open in Los Angeles. These markets grew at tremendous rates during the 1980s when the city of Los Angeles experienced the mass migration of Central Americans. The economic activity generated by this diaspora strengthened both the stores and the neighborhood, keeping Latinx-owned businesses thriving for decades and demonstrating how immigrant populations fueled local business growth.