As deportation fears rattle Little Haiti, a new shop hopes to rebuild community

On a recent Saturday, a Little Haiti storefront just bigger than 900 square feet was packed. Kids moved around colorful paintings and handmade garments for sale. Vendors sold drinks made from fresh fruit and spices.

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The elimination of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians has seemingly turned Little Haiti into a ghost town, and the temporary closure of the Caribbean Marketplace at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex has left the area without one of its signature community spaces during such a pivotal time. But Tanbou Collective’s storefront at 91 NE 54th St. is helping keep joy alive in the neighborhood.

The collective is a group of 20 Haitian artists who are selling their work. Hollywood resident Sandy Dorsainvil, a curator for the collective, said she considers art to be the core of Little Haiti’s identity.

“It’s the creative people that will save its cultural identity,” said Dorsainvil, 49.

The Caribbean Marketplace at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex will be closed for the next 14 months as it gets a new roof and other upgrades, but the neighborhood’s creatives are still at work — and finding community during a time when it is needed the most.

Francoise Penha, 55, is the co-owner of Spiced Hut Beverages, a mobile natural juice business that sells drinks made with ingredients like fresh ginger. Penha said that her father, Michel, was the first Haitian person to own a business on 54th Street, a clothing store.

“I always find myself coming back where he started,” she said.

Other vendors at the shop see their work as a way to educate curious customers about Haitian culture. Myriame Pierre, 54, is the owner of Apparel Milou, a clothing and accessories brand that uses popular Creole sayings like Mezanmi, or Haitian Creole for “Oh my God,” on items to get buyers’ attention.

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Evelyne Blanchard, 59, an event designer and member of the collective, said she understands the challenges Haitian artists and their supporters are facing right now. Those who have lived in the U.S. with TPS, some of whom have been here for decades, are receding from public life, afraid of being deported to a country experiencing gang violence and instability. That affects both the vendors and their customer base.

“Some of them are afraid to even venture out, so they’re not able to showcase what they have,” Blanchard said. “Those out there that are able to, are not able to get the visibility because people aren’t going out.”

Blanchard is hopeful the shop will have a steady amount of traffic, though she noticed how the ending of TPS significantly slowed down the number of people that shopped at the Caribbean Marketplace.

As Dorsainvil attended to customers at Saturday’s soft opening, she emphasized the importance of the Tanbou Collective to the local Haitian community.

“When you support the artists in our collective, you’re feeding Little Haiti,” she said. “You’re supporting and nurturing these artists and helping the vision grow.”

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