Neighbourhood Franklin
The neighbourhood Franklin, is a considerably commercial sector in the south commune (village) of Santiago, Chile.
Its origins are related to the construction of the slaughterhouse in 1947, becoming therewith the commercial pole and supply in the south of Santiago, from where products were distributed to central and southern Chile. After the 1979 crisis the slaughterhouse was closed and in 1982 the sheds were given to the vendors. The neighbourhood acquired its importance during the nineties, with still a lot of butchers being there.
Currently its main feature is that it centralises more than 4,500 retail outlets in particular craft workshops, small business, selling antique, local food, clothing, furniture and pets, as well as garage sales. It is a popular center of great commercial activity.
You can stroll around the neighbourhood Franklin 3 to 4 hours. Its exhibitions open on Saturdays, Sundays and during holidays from 9:00am. Located between the streets Franklin and Biobío, the neighbourhood has an average number of 30,000 visits daily.
Through the street Placer it is possible to find the bazaar (junction of many commercial shops) Some of them are:
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Bazaar Victor Manuel, is the oldest one with three thousand tenants, where you can find antiques.
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Bazaar Nuevo Placer, has special promotions for products and tools.
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Bazaar Biobío, has 300 rooms in which they sell furniture, electrical goods, clothing and tools. Unlike the others, everything which is offered is new.
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Mall del Mueble, is located on the corner of the Placer with Arturo Prat with a great assortment of artefacts.
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Bazaar Paseo Santa Rosa, opened in December 2009 with a total of 500 new antique shops, books, computers, clothes, food courts and parking. The premises are located in the block consisting of the streets Santa Rosa, Placer, Biobío and Victor Manuel. The new bazaar has an area of approximate 10.000 square meters and facilities from a formerly textile factory.
How to get there: the simplest way is to Metro station Franklin (Line 2, yellow) and after walking less then 5 minutes the first commercial locations will appear.
More information about the neighbourhood Franklin and the bazaars of Santiago can be found in Wikipedia.