2021 Holiday Posada in Little Village. (Courtesy of Little Village Chamber of Commerce)

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, when you spend $100 at a small business, $48 stays in the community versus when you spend the same $100 at a big-box store or national retailer, only $14 stays.

(Courtesy of Little Village Chamber of Commerce)

About 20% of Chicagoans claim Mexican heritage, according to U.S. census data. That’s a distinction that makes itself especially evident every September when people celebrate Mexican Independence Day.