20-year dream comes true with opening of Caribbean marketplace in NY

After some 20 years in the making, the Caribbean marketplace – Flatbush Central Caribbean Marketplace – where vendors can be housed is finally a reality.

Located on Caton and Flatbush avenues in Brooklyn, New York, the new facility offers:

• Caribbean-themed food hall

• Upgraded amenities

• Expanded space for food vendors

• Shared commercial kitchen, bar, and lounge; and

• New programming to engage entrepreneurs and the broader community in building connections and celebrating the cultures of Flatbush and Central Brooklyn.

Flatbush Central Caribbean Marketplace is located on the ground floor of Caton Flats, a 14-storey, mixed-use development containing 255 units of 100 per cent affordable housing and over 20,000 square feet of community space in Flatbush, Brooklyn.

Flatbush Central’s rebrand was inspired by a desire to fulfil the vision of the market’s founder – Una S.T. Clarke, former New York City council member, who sponsored the market’s creation to build an institution for Caribbean people in Flatbush through the incubation of Caribbean businesses.

Through an extensive research and design process that involved discussions with several community stakeholders, including patrons and vendors of the market, a new logo and brand emerged to reflect the diversity of the vibrant Caribbean cultures that influence the market.

PERMANENT HOME FOR VENDORS

“I am delighted to see my vision fulfilled, that vendors and entrepreneurs from our community now have a permanent home which gives both pride and dignity to those who struggled for existence and recognition,” Clarke said.

“The name of the new site – Flatbush Central Caribbean Marketplace – is fitting because it acknowledges the contribution that Caribbean nationals have made to Flatbush and East Flatbush. I have long dreamt of and supported the aspirations of the Caribbean people. As a civil rights leader at the forefront of the community for more than four decades, building long-standing institutions rather than promoting temporary programmes in our community is of the utmost importance. Because institutions last while programmes come and go,” she said.

“Flatbush Central Caribbean Market is an embodiment of New York City’s small business recovery,” said New York City Economic Development Corporation President and CEO Rachel Loeb. “We are excited to open the doors to this market whose resilient vendors celebrate the rich Caribbean culture of this area of Brooklyn. We are proud to have worked with our development partners to deliver a project that will strengthen the Caribbean and Brooklyn communities for generations to come.”

“The Flatbush market has served as a cultural hub for the Caribbean community for more than 20 years and the opening of the new Flatbush Central Caribbean Marketplace continues with that tradition, while also bolstering resources and opportunities for local small businesses, which will also provide 255 affordable homes to New Yorkers from a range of incomes,” said Housing Development Corporation President Eric Enderlin.

More than just a shopping destination, Flatbush Central represents a central place where Caribbean culture and diaspora traditions are expressed in a shared space through commerce, food, events, myriad arts, and more. The market features a variety of small businesses that operate year round.

Additionally, the market will introduce its Mangrove accelerator – an economic mobility platform and incubator programme whose goal is to spur community wealth opportunities – to the site to promote the growth of new and existing small local businesses. The Mangrove at Flatbush Central will offer access to state-of-the-art shared food and culinary, natural body care and cosmetics, new media and textile production facilities, specifically targeting black, indigenous, and people of colour entrepreneurs to support the growth of their businesses. The Mangrove will provide direct, industry-specific technical assistance, access to capital, cohort-based business curriculum for informal and emerging businesses, respectively, as well as facilitate partnerships with larger corporate entities and institutions for business-to-business opportunities.

“Small, local vendors like the ones returning to Flatbush Central are part of what makes Brooklyn so unique,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “I’m excited to see them in a new, permanent home that celebrates Caribbean culture and will also have incubator space to support new small businesses. I can’t wait to go and try some doubles and roti!”

A BEACON OF CULTURE

“The distinctly Caribbean character of Flatbush is one of the many reasons I’m so proud to represent the neighbourhood in the council,” said council member Rita Joseph. “The Flatbush Central Caribbean Marketplace will be a beacon of culture in Central Brooklyn for both Caribbean and non-Caribbean, and I’m thankful for all the leaders who made the opening possible.”

“The new Flatbush Central Market will at once serve as a vital hub for Caribbean commerce within the community, and as a first-rate retail destination attracting visitors and locals alike,” says James Johnson-Piett, principal and CEO of Urbane. “For over two decades, the market has served as a cultural and commercial anchor in the neighbourhood.

“The opening of the Flatbush Central Caribbean Marketplace is a victory that our entire community can rejoice in,” said Assembly member Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn. “The new amenities, and Mangrove accelerator, give us hope for renewed prosperity and socio-economic growth in our area. This project also promises to uplift those who suffered the most from the wrath of the pandemic – black small business owners. As chair of the New York State subcommittee on Minority/Women-owned Business Enterprises, I applaud this opening, and encourage New Yorkers to come explore and experience the rich culture our neighbourhood has to offer.”

“More than 20 years ago, my mother, former NYC council member Una Clarke founded a marketplace for Brooklyn’s Caribbean community on the corner of Flatbush Avenue and Caton Avenue. The Flatbush Caton Market soon burgeoned into a hub where a host of Caribbean, West African and South American vendors gathered to share culture and sell their goods. Today, what started out as a small gathering on blankets and in tents has become an invaluable resource for all of New York, especially the Caribbean community. And my mother’s legacy to this proud and historic moment certainly makes her the cornerstone of this new foundation. Beyond her tireless work to improve our Brooklyn community and help grow local businesses, my mother helped countless others establish roots in their new country, and Flatbush Caton Market is a testimony to this work,” said Congresswoman Yvette Clarke.