El Mercado Peru is a One-Stop Pop-Up Shop for the Holidays

Hortensia Handmade employs women in Peru who hand-knit every piece with alpaca wool.

It’s always a shock how quickly “holiday season” comes around, as if stores start promotions a day earlier every year. And if Christmas music before Thanksgiving isn’t enough, advertisers and media tell you to start your shopping early.

The first week of December gives enough buffer time to finish Thanksgiving leftovers, acclimate to the dropping temperatures and drum up a couple lists for gifts to give and gifts you want. Maybe you’ve even seen some lights around the city and put up your Christmas tree.

If you aren’t an earlier-bird shopper, but prefer to call yourself an efficient shopper like myself, it’s always good to have a couple stores on your itinerary you know will have something for the majority of your friends and family.

Pop-up shops around New York City are a great way to shop this holiday season, while also promoting local business and ethical production. Since the essence of a pop-up is to showcase several designers and brands all in one store, it offers more variety at once, which means less hopping from one store to another in the cold. Plus, the products aren’t mass-produced, so your gifts will be unique.

The El Mercado Peru pop-up, located just a few blocks from Grand Central will have something for your mom, nephew, bestie, sister and pooch. They sell everything from home décor, knitwear, children’s clothing, body products, activewear, jewelry, accessories, cookies, and dog collars. Each brand represented in the shop has a connection to Peruvian artisans or designers.

Designs from Andrea Bocchio’s accessories line are one-of-a-kind, made by female inmates who are paid fair wages.

New York-based Peruvian designers, Michelle Peglau and Andrea Bocchio, opened the seasonal shop last year to bring Peruvian design to Manhattan, with help from the Trade Commission of Peru.

“We adore the materials and honestly the craftsmanship is unique,” said Peglau. Her brand, Hortensia Handmade provides jobs for women in Peru who hand-knit sweaters and accessories in alpaca wool.

“I think that people don’t know the beauty of the things that we have over there,” she said. “We wanted to show the beautiful things that are amazing in our country.”

The partners have been working in fashion together for over 12 years in New York, so they know how difficult it can be for designers to reach buyers.

“We have the experience working wholesale that we know the customer and what they’re looking for,” said Peglau.

From right to left, top to bottom: athletic-wear by FAYD.CO, jewelry by Judith Hass, candles and soaps by Brooklyn Bar Body and Bath, and handbags by Kuskaya.

Bocchio’s textile-based jewelry and accessories line works with female inmates, offering them fair wages for their craft. Each woman will add different touches to their pieces that reflect their artistic expression and individuality.

“If you’re the kind of person who’s looking for something different to stand out, to give something special with meaning and a story, this is the place to shop,” said Peglau.

For anyone outside of New York City, El Mercado Peru also has an online shop with primarily the same products, but in different varieties, colors and designs.

The pop-up shop is located on the corner of the Roger Smith Hotel and will be open through December 31st. The e-commerce shop will be available until January 10th.

Here’s how to find the store: 501 Lexington Avenue New York, NY, 10017

Phone: 929–266–7378

Hours: Monday-Friday 9am-7pm / Saturday 10am-6pm / Sunday 11–5pm