After Discount Mall’s unpopular downsizing in Little Village, Supermall is the only shopping mall of its kind on the South Side—a huge business hub made up almost entirely of immigrant vendors, from Mexican to Korean, in rented ten-by-ten-foot stalls.
One exception might be the interior of the Swap-O-Rama flea market, but they require an entrance fee. Meanwhile, Super Mall is free to browse and loiter in.
When I was a student at Curie High School, and in the absence of community centers and hangout spots, I would often cross the four-lane street at 52nd and Pulaski and a massive parking lot to go to Super Mall, alone or with friends.
I’m talking about the pre-digital era, and what first drew me in were the various discotecas (music stores) that would promote young talent in the house, hip-hop and duranguense music genres. If you were lucky, you could even bump into music promoters who would pass out complimentary baile tickets.
But what has kept me coming back is the variety of products that you could find in one place.
I have literally visited the shopping center to: buy a gold ring for a quinceañera, grab medicinal herbs for a home remedy, get a graduation t-shirt airbrushed, get something embroidered, find soccer cleats, solicit a DJ for a party, ask prices for a plane ticket, and try on imported sombreros. Not to mention, the tacos from the food section are fire!
Places like this are needed to allow independent entrepreneurs to start up and flourish, even when there might be a language barrier or a limited understanding of how to run a business in Chicago.
The Super Mall of the Midwest is managed by E.P.K. Management and opened in 1996, when the area had yet to see many Latinx people living on the Southwest Side. We’ve seen its evolution into a busy and colorful market, hopefully for decades to come.
Super Mall, 5220 S. Pulaski Rd. Monday–Saturday, 10am–8pm; Sundays, 10am–7pm. (773) 581-9200
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