For decades, Marta Torres has worked at the immigrant-run Discount Mall in Little Village since it opened, helping manage it as it became one of the area’s busiest shopping centers, but now preparing for what appears to be its last Christmas in business. The mall “gave life to the community,” said Torres, who co-managed the mall for 31 years. “... We wish to stay, but only they know what will happen,” she said, referring to the owners of the mall. Since opening in 1991, the Discount Mall at the intersection of 26th and Albany streets, near the iconic “Bienvenidos a Little Village” arch, has become a destination for Mexican and Latino shoppers around Chicago. But the 100 or so vendors are bracing for the worst with the mall’s lease set to expire next month. The property’s owner, John Novak, has revealed few concrete details about the future of the mall or the larger six-acre Little Village Plaza where it is located, which he bought in 2019. Read the full story through the link in our bio. Photo: Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times