Mercadito Pop is a platform with a specialized market, committed to promoting disruptive ventures.
Founded in June 2012, Mercadito Pop established itself as an independent and self-managed platform, a pioneer in promoting the concept of creative economy in Bolivia, fostering the launch and growth of more than 500 creative ventures and initiatives of young entrepreneurs working in the areas of designer fashion, ingenious crafts and culinary creation.
The Pop Market creates spaces for creative and cultural experimentation, promoting collaborative dynamics among producers, committed to the ethical production of goods and aiming towards new patterns of more responsible local consumption.
Innovation, itinerancy, and the design of creative in-person experiences for the public have led us to carry out a total of 36 events in 24 spaces in the cities of La Paz, Cochabamba, and Santa Cruz; each event with a theme inspired by the local imagination and cultural diversity.
It's 12 years of resilience for Mercadito Pop and its commitment to promoting local, disruptive, and proactive ventures that work with more honest and conscious creative processes, aiming for healthy competition in the community and learning to live well, but of course, with plenty of style and identity.
In this decade we have been able to observe that in our habitat a community has formed, a network of support, containment and collaboration of purpose-driven brands, mostly led by women who persevere to live off their creativity, within an economy that presents them with enormous challenges and few incentives to take flight.
Mission
Mercadito POP aims to empower and raise the profile of Bolivian brands and entrepreneurs in the creative sector, promoting responsible consumption and fair trade. Through fairs and promotional platforms, it fosters the growth of small local businesses and supports the development of a sustainable creative economy in Bolivia.
Vision
To be a leading force in Bolivia's creative economy, generating impact both locally and internationally. Mercadito POP aspires to nurture a community where entrepreneurs and consumers understand that, through conscious consumption choices, we can strengthen the creative economy, value our cultural expressions, and protect the environment. Mercadito POP seeks to showcase Bolivian talent in new markets and consolidate its influence globally.
Gabriela Durán
Founder and manager of the POP Market
Gabriela Durán holds a bachelor's degree in anthropology from the University of Maryland and a master's degree in media studies from The New School in New York. In 2012, she founded Mercadito Pop, a specialized market that has since supported over 500 Bolivian creative ventures and artistic initiatives in the areas of designer fashion, innovative crafts, culinary arts, and performing arts. She is a multidisciplinary artist, cultural manager, audiovisual producer, music producer, bilingual communicator, creative experience designer, and activist for the creative and circular economy.
