Open for everybody

June 25, 2010 No Comments

Plaza Fiesta attracts stores, shoppers from various ethnic groups

by Angela Lindsay Hilst

photos by George Harrison

What was once CrossRoads Mall, an unassuming shopping center off I-77 at Exit 90, has blossomed into a colorful, bustling 200-store retail space catering to a multicultural clientele. Despite its name, Plaza Fiesta of the Carolinas boasts a diverse roster of vendors, customers and merchandise beyond the Hispanic community.

“The idea behind the concept is to share and promote diversity in this country,” says Arturo Adonay, managing partner of Plaza Fiesta.

A native of Mexico City, Adonay moved to the United States 13 years ago and to Charlotte just three years ago. He opened Plaza Fiesta in 2007 after researching the area and discovering the “growing potential in the Carolinas.” He wanted to recreate a plaza atmosphere akin to the ones in found in Europe and Latin Amerinca and give various ethnic groups a place to gather.

“The Plaza is open for everybody,” Adonay insists. “I always get disappointed when people say, ‘Well, it’s only for Latinos. It’s not only for Latinos. It’s for everybody. We want to share our culture. We want to show that we are here, and we want to be part of the community.”

Another part of Adonay’s vision for Plaza Fiesta was to give small business owners an opportunity to start their businesses. While the mall houses larger retailers such as Bass Shoe Outlet and Black and Decker, most vendors in the mall are local entrepreneurs like Pedro Zuniga, who has operated La Poblanita Enterprises, a convenience store and Mexican restaurant, in the mall for three years.

“I’m very happy with what they are doing and how they have been developing this mall and projecting this mall,” he says.

Mix of retailers and food vendors

Zuniga says his businesses are thriving at the mall due, in part, to Plaza Fiesta’s “professional, dedicated people”. He refers to other states that have areas created by and for racial groups, such as Chinatown in New York, and says Latinos in Charlotte needed a similar area. While he feels Plaza Fiesta fills that void, he points out that other cultures benefit from it as well.

“You have not only Latino, you have also Anglo-American stores here, as well as Greek, Chinese and many, many others from other countries,” he observes.

One place in the mall where the different cultures converge is the food court. Adonay says this area not only allows vendors to share their genuine but also gives patrons the opportunity to try something unique.

“In the food court, we try to do it more international in a way that people can have an experience,” Adonay explains. “We have food from Peru, from Colombia, from Mexico, from Ecuador, from China, from Italy. We have a small Italian restaurant and a Greek restaurant. It gives a different kind of taste, a different option to the community.”

Plaza Fiesta has become a destination — a place where families can stay all day.

“Yes, it’s a destination,” Adonay confirms. “That’s why on the weekend more people go to visit the Plaza. During the weekdays in summertime, it’s good because that’s when the kids are out of school, so the big playground is a big attraction for everybody when we get more people and more traffic during the weekdays.”

Adonay says the jungle gym at Plaza Fiesta is the largest in the region. The 1,500-square-foot indoor playground is equipped to hold 600 children at once and is possibly the most important element at the mall.

At $3 per session, it is also affordable, something most people from any background can appreciate.

Adonay looks forward to bringing more projects to the Charlotte area, especially since the city has been so accomodating.

“I would say the city and officials, the government are trying to do their best to embrace other cultures and obviously show the community that other cultures are here and it’s getting more diverse,” he feels. “Charlotte has been open . . . In the beginning, they liked the (Plaza Fiesta) idea. They liked the concept, and they were very open.”

Articles