Kathryn Sears
Love, legacy, and innovation came together September 6th at the Garcia Center for the Arts as the community honored founder Dr. Ernie Garcia with a tree planting ceremony while debuting Mercado 536, an artist co-op retail space designed to support and elevate local creators.
In the Culture Garden, family and community members planted a persimmon tree, sponsored by Tree People IE and chosen for its deep personal meaning to Dr. Garcia’s life and family. His son and Garcia Center Board President, Tim Garcia, recalled how the fruit symbolized his father’s South Colton roots.
“One of the trees that was in the backyard of the home that my dad grew up in had a huge persimmon tree, and I just remember that tree when I was a kid,” he said. “He would always bring persimmons home for my mom to make persimmon cookies and persimmon bread. So, when we first discussed planting a tree in honor of him…I said let’s plant a persimmon tree. It’s about time. He passed away 2.5 years ago and it’s something we’ve talked about for that long.”
Dr. Garcia’s wife, Dottie, expressed both emotion and admiration for the center’s progress.
“My son Tim knew a persimmon tree is one of the trees that Ernie would have really wanted, and I did use to bake persimmon bread years ago when we had a tree,” she said. “I am impressed with everything I saw today and the leadership and board are doing a great job. It looks like the center is thriving.”
Garcia Center Board member Robert Vidaure said the ceremony reflected the Center’s mission of inspiration.
“Today is a way to show how one person can make an impact in their community and inspire others to do the same, and that is exactly why I joined the board,” Vidaure said. “I think it’s much needed in San Bernardino to create and have a space to collaborate in the arts.”
Executive Director Michael Segura added that the persimmon is just the beginning.
“We have a garden map that has been drawn out, and that whole side, where the persimmon tree was planted, is going to be food,” he said. “So, there are different crops and they will be seasonal…so they’ll be rotated out.”
As the garden grew in memory, Mercado 536 blossomed with possibility. The co-op store held its soft opening, offering a platform for artists and makers to showcase and sell their work.
“There are currently 18 artists that have signed the agreement to be a part of the mercado. Today is day one, it’s a soft opening,” said Crystal Ramirez, Mercado 536 volunteer manager and Garcia Center board member. “You’re only seeing about seven artists’ inventory today. Within the next week we will be filling up our walls and shelves with a lot more inventory to represent all signed 18 artists.”
Ramirez said the center plans to expand the marketplace into a neighboring second room within a month, welcoming up to a total of 40 artists.
“The artistic and vendor community is already challenging, but to provide a space like this with a deep sense of community is great because you get to build on that,” she said. “There is a lot of excitement. You’re seeing more of these co-ops and consignments popping up, but now here in San Bernardino, where we have a thriving artist community, people are excited about this.”
Current offerings include prints, jewelry, reclaimed clothing, stationery, homegrown flowers, and natural body care products. Ramirez, who runs Stellar Herbs & Body Care, described her mission as both personal and communal.
“It’s important for me to serve my community by providing all-natural holistic body care products that are non-toxic to make it easier for us to take better care of ourselves,” she said.
Attendees also enjoyed community flavors thanks to Sweet Blyss Co., a local coffee cart serving espresso, americanos, and lattes. The cart’s brown sugar latte and dulce de leche brew quickly became crowd favorites, adding warmth and energy to the morning.
Segura said the response to the co-op reflects a renewed vibrancy for the Garcia Center as a whole.
“The response about the mercado has been positive and people are saying it’s lively, it looks brand new and the paint job is helping,” he said.
The day’s events embodied the Center’s purpose: honoring the past, nurturing the present, and planting roots for the future.
Learn more about the Garcia Center for the Arts at thegarciacenter.org.
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