DOWNTOWN — The Riverwalk’s Community Marketplace has reopened for the season with items from small neighborhood businesses owned by women and people of color.
The Community Marketplace features six vendors selling clothing, art, home decor, jewelry and souvenirs, according to a city news release. It is open along the Riverwalk between Michigan and Wabash avenues. The Riverwalk is open 6 a.m.-11 p.m. daily, but hours can vary for vendors in the marketplace.
Returning vendors include Chiya Chai, which provides South Asian cuisine; Colores Mexicanos, which offers handmade Mexican art and one-of-a-kind embroidered clothing; and Neighborly, where visitors can buy “modern souvenirs,” according to city officials.
ChiBoys — a Chicago-themed fashion line — is new to the community marketplace. Feed Your Head, a woman-owned business, is also making its debut as the first vegan concession on the Riverwalk, offering plant-based sausages, meats and cheeses.
Fabulous Freddie’s Italian Eatery will also open its first location in the marketplace to serve pizza by the slice, Italian beef, hot dogs, milkshakes and Italian ice.
The Riverwalk will also feature a 12-week musical series, Sounds of the Riverwalk, with free performances through early October, according to the city. Concerts are 1 p.m. Sundays on the Riverwalk between Franklin and Lake streets.
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