Innovation drives inclusion and entrepreneurship at NYC’s Queens Night Market

John Wang, creator of the Queens Night Market, knew he wanted a business that celebrated and reflected the unique people of New York City.

Queens, one of the most culturally diverse places in the world, offered the perfect setting for Wang to cultivate an inclusive community of entrepreneurs, performers and marketgoers.

A highly acclaimed food and culture destination for residents across the city, every Saturday from mid-April to the end of October, the open-air Queens Night Market features live performances and up to 100 vendors selling clothing, items, art and food centered on cultural authenticity and traditions.

As a supporter and sponsor of Queens Night Market since 2023, Citizens met with Wang to discuss how the night market drives innovation by fostering a safe and inclusive space and an accessible platform for small businesses to test new ideas and grow.

The journey of creation for Queens Night Market

After business school and law school, Wang pursued a few short-lived entrepreneurial ideas, including an app-driven food company and weather consulting. Eventually, his knack for innovation clicked with his strong desire to have a positive impact in the community.

Inspiration started in his childhood when he and his family frequently enjoyed the revelry of the night markets of Taiwan and deepened as he explored other parts of the world as an adult.

As an avid traveler, Wang believes the heartbeat of every community is at the market.

"Every time I travel, I'm not a sightseer or a museum person," he says. "The first thing I do is go straight to the local markets and enjoy getting exposure to the everyday life of people."

When he had the first inkling of creating a night market about 10 years ago, Wang gave himself a year to bring the idea to fruition. He was clear from the start that it would have to authentically reflect real people in the communities of NYC and Queens. His vision led to the Queens Night Market and the development of a vibrant venue that unites and honors more than 100 different countries and cultures through food, music, commerce and an atmosphere of togetherness.

Innovation fosters inclusion in Queens

Successful businesses aim to solve problems. Wang knew he wanted to establish an authentic, culturally vibrant marketplace in the heart of New York City — while being affordable for all people.

Wang wondered why New York City didn’t have something like that. "It was the question I was trying to solve, and the only way I knew how to solve it was to try to do it," Wang says.

As he brought the idea to life, Wang credits not having prior experience in the market industry as an asset. He says the lack of paradigms to follow freed him up to consider the limitless possibilities of his vision for a marketplace in New York City.

The ideal solution needed to capture certain classic NYC elements: the city's ubiquitous street food, diverse neighborhoods and multicultural essence. And the prices? Everything capped at $5, maybe $6 for something special, because that would draw a large and wide audience.

For the setting, Wang was drawn distinctly to Queens. Opening the night market there was a deliberate decision to pay homage to the borough's unique cultural vibrancy.

"The diversity in Queens is pretty remarkable," Wang explains, "but it also has an underdog status, right? Queens is like stepping into other worlds all the time. As you go down the streets, from block to block, the languages on the awnings change. There's something like 150 spoken languages in Queens."

Wang's business mindset: Focus on what's unique to you

From the moment Wang opened Queens Night Market, it created a lot of buzz. Even now, a decade later, it consistently ranks as one of the best restaurants in NYC and regularly features as a must-experience destination in travel publications.

Wang candidly shares the details of the full entrepreneurial experience.

"The first three years were a struggle," he says. "There's a reason why, generally speaking, it's uncommon for prices like $5 and $6 to exist at these types of markets."

But Wang deeply believed in the night market concept and wanted to share that with Queens. His passion for food and community, he says, framed his overall approach to business. Entrepreneurship, Wang says, takes not being afraid of taking risks or "chasing the superlatives."

"The night market has probably two superlatives that we chase, with the first being the most affordable and the second being the most diverse or most representative event space in New York City," he says. For a business to truly thrive, Wang believes focusing on money can't be your main source of motivation.

"If the identity of your company is driven by a specific value or offering, I think you have to be the best at that," Wang explains. "One of the best approaches to running a business is to focus on something specific and unique to you rather than a vague metric or a desire to make money," he adds. For Wang, helping others unite in diversity while staying true to his brand's identity was the main motivation.

Citizens' partnership with Queens Night Market

Like many businesses, Wang’s Queen Night Market was impacted by the pandemic. To maintain his business model and keep prices low amidst the rising overhead costs that followed, Wang knew he needed to find like-minded partners.

Meanwhile at the same time, Citizens had recently entered the New York City market and was looking to build local community partnerships that supported its commitment to strengthen communities by supporting small business and creating pathways to opportunity.

Inspired by Wang’s vision and the Queens Night Market’s proven success catalyzing entrepreneurship — the market has helped launch 450 businesses since its launch — Citizens signed on to become the night market’s title sponsor in 2023.

Wang says the Citizens sponsorship of the Queens Night Market alleviated his stress about potentially having to increase fees and prices due to rising inflation.

"Citizens overwrote more than half of our vendor fees in 2023," Wang notes, adding that this has helped to keep the pricing accessible. "Citizens was a little bit of a lifesaver, a life preserver for the market." Wang says Citizens understood his vision to stay financially inclusive and that the partnership allowed him to cut vendor fees and keep the market's signature $5 price cap on items.

"Citizens really seems to 'get' Queens Night Market, and I'm very appreciative," Wang says. "I genuinely value and cherish the relationship."

Ultimate positive impact: 'Everyone has a smile'

The Queens Night Market is undoubtedly making a mark as a family-centric, accessible cornerstone for Queens and the surrounding communities. With the market’s positive impact on the community and high levels of diverse representation, Wang says he feels pride and gratitude seeing the entrepreneurial spirit the market has taken on for its hundreds of vendors from across the city.

"On Saturday nights, when exhaustion sets in, there's a moment when the adrenaline is starting to slip or fade, and I look across the audience, and everyone has a smile — all the smiling faces and people from different backgrounds and ethnicities — and this makes me feel so good. It's like being at an oasis, and you don't have to worry about the cost of being there."

Taking the risk of stepping into entrepreneurship has paid off for Wang. For him, it's a full-circle experience.

"What started as a concept from Taiwan became my love letter to New York City," Wang says.