The Power of A Chicago Mexican Corridor Generating $900M Annually | Jen Aguilar, Executive Director Little Village Chamber of Commerce
Can you believe it? We have arrived at the last installment of 2024 with Moneda Moves, and thank you for joining us this year! Throughout this season, we continued to cover top Latino entrepreneurs and leaders in the space looking to close capital gaps in our ecosystem, starting with my hometown, Chicago, the wider Midwest, and beyond.
This week, we’re coming back to our roots and talking about how Latino culture is influencing purchasing power. Little Village, a neighborhood in the southwest side of Chicago, is named the "Mexico of the Midwest" and generates over $900 million annually through its Latino-owned businesses. People come from all over the U.S. to experience the very specific type of nostalgia they can usually only find in Mexico. My immigrant parents sure did as I was growing up. It was here where we could find the botanica with medicinal herbs we were looking for or specific ingredients for a dinner with a taste of the motherland on Sunday afternoons.
Customers come for the food, the street vendors, and the experience of feeling at home in a familiar place. This kind of success has the potential to be a blueprint for Latino communities all over the U.S., and this week’s guest is sharing how we can both protect this wealth and strengthen it.
Jennifer Aguilar is the Executive Director of the Little Village Chamber of Commerce, where she leads the mission to foster the growth and prosperity of businesses in Little Village while harnessing the community's rich cultural heritage to create fresh opportunities. In her role, Jennifer orchestrates the comprehensive planning, coordination, and execution of all facets of the Little Village Chamber of Commerce and Little Village Special Service Area #25. This includes staff management, operations, programs, projects, and services. With over a decade of experience, Jennifer has excelled in safeguarding corporate brand image and reputation through adept management of public and private stakeholder relationships.
Authenticity is at the heart of Little Village’s success. With traditional street vendors, quinceañeras, and over 100 restaurants, the corridor's success comes from knowing what its customers want. That includes products that are not only culturally comforting but also good for them. During her time at Nostro Queso, Jennifer found that customers prefer to buy organic, preservative-free products and are willing to pay higher prices for products in places like Little Village than they would in chain grocery stores. She says that customers who come to shop at Little Village would rather pay for traditionally made products than anything else. But when towns like Little Village become popular, large corporations often move in, which can negatively affect the community when not done responsibly.
In this week’s episode, Jen talks about what’s going well in Little Village’s economy and what we can do to protect it. $900 million is just the beginning. There is so much more that the people of Little Village can accomplish if given the opportunity. To make sure they do get that opportunity, Jen is working with the community to ensure they have the chance to own their spaces, limit the negative side effects of gentrification, and thrive in this generation and the next.
No te lo quieres perder.
Follow Jen on Instagram: @jenmydear @littlevillagechamber
Follow Moneda Moves on Instagram: @MonedaMoves
Follow your host Lyanne Alfaro on Instagram: @LyanneAlfaro
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