NORTH LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — After being closed for more than a month due to immigration concerns, popular North Las Vegas swap meet Broadacres Marketplace has reopened.
It's been six weeks filled with uncertainty for the vendors and customers at Broadacres, which hasn't gone away now that the gates are open again, but now there's some hope mixed in too.
WATCH | Broadacres Marketplace patrons and vendors discuss its reopening
As swap meet vendors washed the dust from the closure off of their booths, a decent line of die-hard Broadacres fans braved the desert heat to be the first inside on Friday.
"It's very exciting for me personally, this is a staple in the city," Eddie Escutary told Channel 13. "I'm a reseller, I've been coming out here since I was a kid, with my mother bringing me down here as a child, now I'm bringing my kiddo out here. I was here as soon as they opened — very excited to be out here, it means a lot to all of us."
Seeing people in Broadacres again is a welcome sight for vendors, many of them small family businesses who were hugely impacted by the closure.
"Just Broadacres closing affected our business," said Gorditas El Fogon manager, Ana Bernal. "Our gross profit went down 90%, even at our brick and mortar [location]."
Now that the swap meet has reopened, Channel 13 asked Bernal if she was hoping that trend will reverse for her family's business.
"We're not expecting big numbers," Bernal said. "We're expecting maybe a slow first month while people get the nerve to come out, but hopefully we're going to start seeing some profit again."
Broadacres closed abruptly on June 21, saying at the time it was "out of an abundance of caution," citing fears and concerns from the local immigrant community after an increase in raids by federal immigration agents across the country, including at a sister swap meet in California.
Those concerns from the community haven't disappeared, but in a statement on social media released on Thursday Broadacres officials say they've partnered with legal experts, the ACLU, and community organizations to make sure everyone can feel comfortable returning.
Broadacres says in the statement they've created a new "vendor alert protocol" to let people know about visible law enforcement activity in the area — they say "within legal guidelines" — and have educational materials and "know your rights" training available.
The statement ends with Broadacres officials explaining why they're reopening now: "We're reopening because our vendors are ready — and they deserve a marketplace that has their back."
Channel 13 asked Bernal what she thought about what Broadacres has done to protect the community.
"At first we were kind of nervous, because, you know, the closure came out of nowhere," Bernal said. "We remained in contact with Broadacres, they were really open, so we feel a lot more comfortable."
Broadacres Marketplace will be back open on both Saturday and Sunday from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., with an entrance fee of $2.
You can find more information on their website by clicking here.
