PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Northeast Philadelphia pop-up market tradition is making a comeback, bringing the community together, supporting entrepreneurship, and creating a safe space for all ages.
The recreation center on Dittman Street, just a block away from Torresdale Avenue in Frankford, was filled with hundreds of people for the Frankford Day and Night Market on Saturday.
Organizer, and founder of Power Circle Mentors, Eugene “Buddha” Thomas says the annual event is about revitalizing the community — in more ways than one.
“Unity is definitely the biggest part, but we’re really also creating an identity in Frankford, building generational wealth between all these small businesses, entrepreneurs that's out here, to get a chance to, you know, just use our platform to sell their stuff and get some exposure,” Thomas said.
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Kisha Thompson helped organize the event, in hopes of showing off the talent and diversity of the neighborhood.
“A lot of people don't know Frankford. The only thing they may hear are bad things about Frankford. This is something positive going on. Everybody walking around, eating, drinking … basketball.”
There was a basketball tournament for the kids. There were dozens of vendors, a bounce house and other entertainment.
Malan Walker, 13, of North Philly was one of the many vendors in attendance. She said she got started handcrafting jewelry during quarantine in the pandemic.
“And I just wanted to express myself and show people my creativity and stuff. Everybody is here having fun and showcasing what they love to do,” she said.
Thomas said it’s a nice change for a neighborhood he says doesn’t typically get a lot of positive recognition.
“I feel like Frankford always has this bad perception on people viewing us from the outside. So this just shows that, you know, we have a neighborhood that can come together that can put on these events, and everybody is a part of it.”
While the day was a showcase of unity and creativity, Zarinah Lomax’s curated art exhibit lined the fence of the field as a subtle reminder of Philadelphia’s ongoing gun violence crisis.
“You hear about the numbers, but you don't see the faces. I'm really big on people coming and seeing that these are real people that have real destinies, real lives, real loved ones,” Lomax said.
“So when you see that, you can't deny what our community is in — because these are faces, these are not numbers. So it's really just taking those numbers and humanizing them. So they can really understand the state of emergency that we're in.”
Organizers say they hope the variety of entrepreneurship and creativity will serve as inspiration to young people and an illustration of the opportunities available to them.
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