Mercados are popular across the border, and the Rio Grande Valley has many of their own.

You can find one of them in Weslaco.

The concept of Mercado Weslaco on Texas Boulevard is not original, but it's a familiar one for many in the Valley. 

"You go across to Mexico and even right here in Progreso, you see Mercados all the way down the main street,” Steven Valdez of Mercado Weslaco said. “So we thought, ‘how can we bring a piece of what's successful in Mexico to Weslaco.’"

That's what started the mercado concept in downtown Weslaco. They even added a little cantina behind the Mercado - Cantina la Campana.

Mercado Weslaco features two anchor stores, a barbershop, a jewelry store, a seamstress and even a K-Pop store.

"She's actually the largest draw of the people who come in because the Korean pop music is as popular as it is,” Valdez said.

Mercado Weslaco and Cantina La Campana, they're Valley Made, and Local Strong