PILSEN — The Pilsen Community Market made its winter debut Sunday at the Honkey Tonk BBQ restaurant — the first time the market was held indoors.
Amid the deer heads and kitsch hanging on the walls of the Honkey Tonk at 1800 S. Racine Ave., market-goers found fresh broccoli, jars of organic honey, and salted caramel tarts.
Esmirna Garcia, a member of the Pilsen Community Market committee, said she expected a steady flow of customers throughout the day.
“We should have exactly 106 people coming in, because that’s how many ‘liked’ our Facebook page, last I checked,” Garcia said.
In honor of Thanksgiving, Emily Ingram, 27, of Ingram’s Jam and Bread, made a special cranberry sauce with orange, cognac and pears.
Ingram said her stand was a potential peanut butter and jelly haven for shoppers.
“I’ve got jam and bread, but I don’t know if they sell peanuts around here,” she said.
While sipping a bloody mary at the bar, Kathy Gomez, 42, a teacher and longtime Pilsen Community Market attendee, commented on the combination of Honkey Tonk décor and organic market goodness.
“I’m sensing a kind of Western, old American theme running through this,” Gomez said while looking up at a disembodied moose head. “Cozy, easy shopping, and a nice prairie experience.
"I love this, I think this is great.”
Honkey Tonk BBQ will continue to host the market one Sunday a month, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., through April.