The tiny plaza of Old Schoolhouse Square in National City was bustling late into the evening Saturday.
Marketgoers crowded around booths selling crepes, lumpia and skewers of barbecued chicken. The rhythmic click-clack of mahjong tiles and a rendition of Bee Gees’ "How Deep is Your Love" filled the air.
Jordan Martin stood in line for lemonade with her cousin, enjoying the atmosphere. Martin said she had just recently moved back to San Diego after a stint in Arizona.
“Coming back to see different things like this, people out in public and fun activities to get into — it makes it worthwhile to be back,” Martin said.
The event, billed as the first National City Night Market, was planned by local pop-up tea cafe Thaiyo and longtime Filipino restaurant Villa Manila. Raven Woodley, a co-founder of Thaiyo, said the market was a reinvention of the local flea market.
“There's so many day markets on the weekends too, so I feel like there's not many night markets in this area,” Woodley said. “I think it was kind of a perfect opportunity to fill a void.”
Night markets, with their vibrant food halls and bustling atmosphere, are a staple of many major cities in Asia. They’re also becoming increasingly popular in California, from Los Angeles to the Bay Area.
San Diego’s share of night markets includes the 626 Night Market, Daygo Night Market’s pop-up events and the Convoy District’s night market series, which ended in 2019.
National City has its own tradition of local markets. The National City Swap Meet, which takes place every weekend at the south end of D Avenue along Sweetwater River, said it has been operating since 1962.
Two years ago, Villa Manila also began hosting Sunday morning flea markets. The markets took place monthly at the Old Schoolhouse Square plaza, where the restaurant is located.
The flea markets were James Camanyag’s idea. Camanyag handles marketing and baking for Villa Manila, which he said has been hosting wedding receptions, baptisms and birthdays for years.
Camanyag’s family moved to National City in the 1980s. He said he saw events like the night market as a way to bring more people to the city’s older east side.
“I wanted to bring and have people, new and old, rediscover East 8th Street,” Camanyag said. “The goal is to keep it growing and bring all kinds of people to a part of National City that no one really knows about.”
The National City Night Market was also co-hosted by First Gen Scholars, a local nonprofit that supports first-generation, low-income high school students, and local event consultant Social Artistry.
Even as clouds gathered overhead Saturday, the market was still bustling with teenagers and families.
Chula Vista resident Sofia Miranda was visiting with her sister, Tatiana, and her mother Karla Sanchez. Their mother loves flea markets, so they typically make the trek to the Little Italy market in downtown San Diego. But Miranda said it was exciting to have a market closer to home.
Miranda also said she appreciated the diverse range of cultures highlighted at the market.
“I see a lot of people from different places,” she said. “I really like it.”
Anne Marie De Jesus, who lives just a 10 minute-drive from the plaza, said she didn’t remember events like this growing up. Back then, she said the main community events were more localized, neighborhood-driven block parties.
“Something like this where it's more community driven, it's really nice,” De Jesus said. “It's nice that my kids also get to enjoy something like this.”
At the east end of the plaza, Fabe Fan was running a set of open-play mahjong tables. Fan said she had worked with Thaiyo on a previous event and was excited to be a part of this one.
“I feel like everyone had a good time,” Fan said of the previous event. “So, same thing over here — just meet more people in the community and introduce people to Mahjong.”
A highlight of the evening was a performance by Together Again, a local band from Chula Vista. Marketgoers crowded around to listen as they sang covers of the Bee Gees and James Brown in the glow of the towering Old Schoolhouse Square sign.
For Woodley and her partner and co-founder, Audi Bunchien, the night was exactly what they had hoped for.
The young couple recently left their jobs to run their year-old Thai- and Filipino-inspired pop-up cafe full-time. They have also launched an event series, hoping to create a platform for other local vendors and artists.
Bunchien said he grew up seeing his mother, an immigrant from Thailand, work days and nights to keep their family restaurant running. The business wasn’t the most successful, but it was the only way she could provide for her family.
“My mom showed a lot of passion in the restaurant,” Bunchien said. “We want to show that we can be successful from passion.”
As night fell, a sprinkle of rain fell on the plaza. Vendors broke out umbrellas to cover the mahjong tables, and musicians rushed to wipe off their instruments.
But the summer shower quickly passed, and the market went on.
Thaiyo's next solo event, a celebration of the cafe's one-year anniversary, will take place on Aug. 1. The next National City Night Market is currently planned for Aug. 15.
