A popular market for the Hispanic community in and around Southeast Dallas is set to close early next year to make room for a new Home Depot.
Garibaldi Bazaar has been a home for small, largely Hispanic-owned businesses for more than 20 years. Earlier this year, a representative for Home Depot submitted an application to the city’s Board of Adjustments noting that the company intends to become the next tenant of the site located on the southwest corner of East RL Thornton and Buckner Boulevard.
In a letter obtained by The Dallas Morning News, the bazaar’s management said vendors need to vacate by March 31, 2025.
“We tried to obtain an extension but we could not,” the letter reads in Spanish. “Finish your contract with Garibaldi Bazaar so your deposit will be returned and you can remain in good standing with the bazaar.”
Elias Ramirez, the manager of Garibaldi Bazaar, did not immediately respond to KERA's request for comment, but local advocates say the bazaar’s closing is going to impact the community.
“It's going to be a financial hardship for them, the vendors, as well as for the customers that frequent those types of establishments,” said Juanita Arevalo, a Garibaldi customer and advocate with the neighborhood association Pleasant Grove Unidos.
She added that for low-income patrons, the bazaar was a place to find affordable merchandise.
“The cost is a lot less for you to buy an outfit than you go to the mall and try to buy something,” she said. “There's no comparison.”
For Daniel Wood, chair of the nearby Buckner Terrace Homeowners Association, the bazaar’s closing is a “mixed bag” for residents in the area.
“I understand some people are not going to be happy about it,” Wood said.
But he said the market has been an “eyesore” in the neighborhood for years.
“That's not reflective of the tenants or the people, the hard working people that ... have their stores in there,” he said. “That's a testament of a slumlord not taking care of his property.”
The bazaar’s management told vendors in the letter that it’s already looking for another location for vendors.
“At the moment there are two options for us to move to,” read the letter. “We’ll soon advise you of the new location.”
The city’s Board of Adjustments approved Home Depot’s request for the new location in October. It’s now up for consideration in the City Plan Commission and, if approved, will go to the city council for a vote.
Pablo Arauz Peña is KERA’s growth and infrastructure reporter. Got a tip? Email Pablo at parauzpena@kera.org. You can follow him on X @pabloaarauz.
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