Clark-Fulton boasts about 7,300 residents. Many of them hail from Puerto Rico, but the neighborhood represents numerous cultures from around the world.
The neighborhood is also part of the mayor’s Neighborhood Transformation Initiative, which aims to provide healthy, equitable and sustainable opportunities to build wealth and stabilize neighborhoods.
“There have been some changes in the last years, and there are more people trying to get houses here, and the city has provided more resources for small businesses to establish in the area,” says Maria Anaya, small business coordinator at Metro West Community Development Organization. “There’s more to offer than there has been in recent years.”
CentroVilla25
In a city where many buildings match the color of the wintertime sky, the eye will immediately be drawn to the vibrant colors that splash the walls of a warehouse building — a new space called CentroVilla25 — that is part food hall, marketplace, event center and commercial kitchen.
“Cleveland needed a little color,” says Jenice Contreras, who leads the vision for CentroVilla25 and is also President & CEO of the Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic Development Economic Development. “We wanted to be big and bold and colorful and happy and create this feeling of joy when people drove past.”
In the green food hall, eight vendors represent cuisine from Venezuela, Mexico, Cuba, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. The pink market has retail and service kiosks featuring clothing, jewelry, massage and more. A 3,000-square-foot kitchen is intended for food producers outside of the market to rent. The space also features a rum bar and Elder Plaza, an outdoor area where visitors can enjoy the community’s ambiance.
“CentroVilla is now a destination place, just like the West Side Market or the Rock Hall,” Contreras says.
Old San Juan Jewelers
Old San Juan Jewelers carries traditional Latino items such as azabaches (bracelets for babies with a black charm in the form of a fist and red and black beads), rosaries and quinceañera jewelry.
“There are a lot of special life moments that certain Latino backgrounds celebrate,” says Alexandra Pagan, who co-owns the shop with her father, founder Ramon Pagan. “We take pride in our business and it being family based and prioritizing our people.”
Old San Juan Jewelers also features 10 and 14 karat gold, silver stainless steel and gold-plated collections, watch batteries and name jewelry and provides in-house watch and jewelry repair services.
Pawsh Cle
Pawsh Cle, a pet grooming boutique founded by Chelci Edmonds in 2022, opened its Clark-Fulton location in 2024.
Offering haircuts, baths, nail trimming and more, Pawsh Cle provides its customers a peaceful experience, Edmonds says.
New this year, Pawsh Cle will open on Sundays for people who simply need a place to wash their pets themselves. During Self-serve Sundays, customers can use the amenities for their allotted time and rent shampoo treatments for a small fee. Also new, a $40 membership will allow pet owners to come in anytime to take advantage of these services.
Guanaquitas
A woman-owned restaurant founded five years ago by Blanca Hernandez, Guanaquitas offers fresh Salvadorian cuisine including mini pupusas, sweet plantains and more.
“We are trying to bring our culture to this community, and I’m very happy with what we have done,” says Hernandez.
Guanaquita’s pupusas are made with corn flour and water and then filled with ingredients like beans, pork, chicken, pastor and asada. On weekends, the restaurant offers a special dish called Siete Mares, a fresh seafood soup.
“I think what makes Guanaquitas unique is that I focus on homemade food, using original recipes from El Salvador,” Hernandez says. “I buy fresh ingredients daily and don’t use freezers.”
