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When Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre closed its doors in 2020, many of London’s Latin American businesses found themselves homeless. Now, thanks to years of community campaigning, a brand new Latin American market has opened up just down the road in Walworth, with organisers promising ‘a space where small businesses can thrive again’.
The brand new Latin American Elephant Passage Market kicked off last week in Liverpool Grove in Walworth with a lively ‘Multicolor Carnival’. Stalls selling jewellery, Colombian coffee and tacos opened up to crowds of excited customers. The organisers expressed their desire for the market to be a ‘symbol of resilience, of community, of new beginnings’, and a celebration of London’s vast Latin American population.
Jenn Mejia, founder of Latina Rising, the group which worked to get the market up and running, said: ‘Seeing this space come to life felt like a dream turned reality - a place where our community’s talent, resilience, and hustle get a spotlight.’
Elephant and Castle’s 1960s shopping centre was home to dozens of Latin American shops and eateries, including locally loved Colombian restaurant La Bodeguita (also known for its Friday night dinner dances). The shopping complex’s closure had been in the pipeline for years as Southwark Council courted developers keen to capitalise on the potential of the location. The firm which eventually took over the site, Delancey, promised 979 new homes and 175,000 square feet of new shops, cafes, restaurants, bars and leisure facilities, but many local residents decried the plans as an attempt to gentrify the area.
In January 2020, when plans to demolish the historic hunk of retail had been finalised, the council pledged an extra £200,000 to support businesses who would be affected by its closure. Some traders temporarily relocated to nearby Castle Square, but others, unable to afford new premises, shuttered completely. The new market provides a home for some of Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre’s Latin American businesses.
The market operates from 10am to 4pm every Saturday and Sunday, and organisers are very keen to hear from entrepreneurs and volunteers who’d like to get involved.
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