DALLAS — The music, the food and the dancing are all part of the rich culture of Mexico and a part of the Cinco De Mayo celebrations.
”It was a time of celebration, a time to come together with family, with friends and to eat good food,” said Anthony Lucero, the owner of YuYu Cultural Shop.
Lucero is from the city of Puebla, Mexico. That is where the Cinco De Mayo celebrations began after the battle of Puebla in 1862.
”That is the essence of Cinco de Mayo, the victory of the Mexican Army over the French Army so they could not have control over Mexico.
Lucero loves the rich heritage of his country, so when he immigrated to the U.S., he brought part of that with him and started the YuYu Cultural Shop on Jefferson Boulevard
“To me, it was super important to continue with the traditions that I grew up with,” said Lucero.
At YuYu you will find goods not just from Mexico, but 18 other countries.
”To help remind them of all the beautiful places around the world,” said Lucero.
YuYu sits in the middle of the Mercado on Jefferson Boulevard.
The Mercado is the vision of Amanda Lake, a real estate developer who wanted to help people like Lucero start their own business.
”That’s why we created the Mercado and divided into small spaces and even giving 6-month leases and giving people an opportunity to get started to make their dream come true,” said Lake.
She says, to her, this is what her culture represents: hard work, resiliency and celebration of victories.
“You look at our culture. We start our own small businesses – we aren’t afraid to take risks – we have that commitment, that dedication -- that perseverance to make a difference,” said Lake.
Lake’s vision is to continue bringing new businesses to Oak Cliff and Southern Dallas County and continue to revitalize those areas and give more people opportunities to live the American dream.