'Mercadera': 2 women create market to empower Latina-owned businesses

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Two women in Milwaukee have made it their mission to help Latina-owned businesses survive the pandemic, and together they created "Mercadera." 

During the day, Galy Montes owns and operates Yayo's Paleteria on Lincoln Avenue, in the heart of South Milwaukee.

Mercadera co-creator, Nataly Andrade, works at St. Joan Antida High School as the admissions coordinator. You could say neither of them have much time for anything else.

However this year, they took on another project by creating Mercadera. It's a marketplace that started exclusively as a Facebook group but as of this month, became an in-person market for women in the community to sell their products.

During Hispanic Heritage Month, the small group has a big message.

"We want to tell women, 'Yes you can! 'That yes you can, even if you don't speak English. That it doesn't matter if you have or don't have documents. That it doesn't matter if you don't know where to go, we want to do that as Mercadera. It's a group where we are all friends," Galy said.

She and Nataly say they want Mercadera to empower women, especially Latinas.