MARSHALL SQUARE — Swaths of pink, purple and golden fabric adorn the window of a recently vacant storefront in Little Village’s commercial corridor on West Cermak Road.
The fabric drapes are a signature of South Side photographer Mercedes Zapata, who is opening Bridges Built Studios, a holiday pop-up photo studio and art shop.
It is Zapata’s first store, a space where she will offer photography services and sell photo prints, greeting cards, artwork and jewelry by other artists. Bridges Built Studio, 3138 W. Cermak Road, opens noon Saturday.
Raised in an artistic family, Zapata grew up taking photos and painting. In her 20s, as she began her career as a photographer, she turned to fabric as a more affordable alternative for creating photo backgrounds for portraits and headshots.
Mercedes Zapata looks at her work hanging on the wall of her photography studio in Little Village on Oct. 7, 2026. Credit: Giacomo Cain/Block Club Chicago
Over the years, Zapata has collected dozens of fabric swaths, which she uses to build colorful, maximalist and unique backgrounds that reflect a person’s essence, culture and personality.
“I started seeing fabric as paint strokes, and I would envision them as a background of a painting for someone,” she said.
At her new pop-up shop, the queer South Side photographer will offer photography services with customized backgrounds and reduced-rate services for holiday-themed sets she creates.
For Dia de los Muertos, Zapata and her father, who often lends her a hand, built a photo set with an ofrenda, or altar, using fabric, natural elements like cactus, corn husks, chili peppers, flowers and a bench and fountain that could be found at a Mexican garden or home. Behind the bench, the altar holds a photo of Zapata’s late aunt, one of the artists in her family who has inspired her work, she said.
Lights illuminate a portrait set that Mercedes Zapata built in her photography studio in Little Village on Oct. 7, 2026. Credit: Giacomo Cain/Block Club Chicago
Neighbors can book individual or family photo sessions using this set through early November or bring photos of their late loved ones to place on the altar and be photographed with them, Zapata said. Afterward, she will create another holiday photo set for Christmas portraits. Customers can also hire photography services for other celebrations or portraits.
“I feel like having portraits of yourself and of your family for the archive is really important and sometimes feels really unattainable,” she said.
With each photo, Zapata aims to honor people’s ancestry, capture their essence and make them feel seen and celebrated, she said.
“I found myself loving photography more than anything else because I get to interview people, know them, deeply feel their essence and hear their story to be able to show them what they can look like,” she said.
It is a principle she also applies in her set-building. The Dia de los Muertos set draws inspiration from her family’s hometown of San Luis Potosi in Mexico. One of the greeting cards that customers can purchase includes a photo of a Christmas set inspired by the winter solstice celebration, honoring her Lithuanian heritage.
Having a store allows Zapata the space to offer photo services to South Side neighbors, families, blue-collar workers and anyone who wants to document their lives but feel it’s economically unattainable, she said. In late May, she photographed 200 people, ranging from soon-to-be moms and graduating students to parents and cancer survivors, during a free portrait day with The Unapologetic Street Series and Plan C.
“It just showed me how necessary documenting our lives is and how unattainable it can seem,” she said.
At the same time, by photographing everyone and anyone, from an artist to a neighbor, her work questions “respectability politics,” she said.
“It forces whoever is looking at the photograph to see the person within the photograph with respect and reverence,” Zapata said. “That’s really important to me, that people like me are building the narrative of our community.”
Mercedes Zapata looks at her work hanging on the wall of her photography studio in Little Village on Oct. 7, 2026. Credit: Giacomo Cain/Block Club Chicago
Over the years, Zapata has built sets for poets, writers and creatives with a specific vision for how they want to be represented. The photos and the custom sets built for her clients have showcased and celebrated their heritage and family roots, she said. Often, those before the camera discover a new side to how they are seen and perceived, walking away feeling “really confident and good about themselves,” she said.
The pop-up shop’s opening is possible thanks to a city-funded grant to revive Latino commercial corridors in partnership with Latinos Progresando, which is supporting the first-time business owner.
The grant covers rent and utilities through December. Zapata hopes to be able to keep the shop open and turn it into a home studio where she can also offer workshops and wellness events, which will be announced on Instagram.
Bridges Built Studio’s grand opening is noon-5 p.m. Saturday at 3138 W. Cermak Road. Those attending will find a special Dia de los Muertos photo set where they can get the first photo for free and choose photo packages at affordable rates. More information is available here.
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