The Fair@44

Thanks to a short-term lease agreement with Price Philanthropies, a vacant lot located on El Cajon Boulevard between Fairmount Ave. and 44th St. has become The Fair@44 International Market. Fair@44 is now openly daily with new businesses such as The Dojo Cafe, which is open Monday through Saturday from 7am to 8pm (hours extended for special events). Working more as a partner than a vendor, The Dojo Cafe works shoulder to shoulder with local youth and adults to bring regular, family friendly, free events to the space. The space is a product of the City Heights Economic Development Collaborative (CHEDC) which is comprised of several City Heights stakeholders. The temporary lease agreement is between Price Charities, the owner of the vacant lot, and the longtime community based organization City Heights Community Development Corporation. The placemaking efforts are brought to the space by partners such as The Dojo Cafe and the El Cajon Boulevard Association, who work directly with designers from SDSU, High Tech High Chula Vista, and the Hoover High School sustainability program, to abate blight and make the space safe and appealing for community members and the adjoining neighborhoods.

Project Goals

• Act as the incubator launch pad for new and established local micro-entrepreneurs looking for high profile seller spaces where they can test their product(s) and grow their customer base. The City Heights CDC’s economic development department is working directly with families looking to start or legitimize their home based businesses. This helps increase the families’ incomes and stabilizes housing permanence in order to be more resilient against housing and homelessness issues. Long term City Heights families can keep their households intact and youth can finish high school.
• Serve as a flexible and adaptable outdoor space for local families to stop in and decompress, grab coffee or international food between transit stops, and attend family friendly community events. Free wellness classes include yoga and dance. Hours, class and event information can be found at https://www.facebook.com/fairat44/.

Partners

Fair@44 is a not-for-profit project of the City Heights Economic Development Collaborative. The collaborative includes but is not limited to, the City Heights CDC, the El Cajon Boulevard Business Improvement Association, The Dojo Cafe, Office of Awesome, SDBC, LISC, the City Heights Business Association, Accion, the Karen Organization of San Diego, the International Rescue Committee, the Media Arts Center of San Diego and Horn of Africa.