Gaston County’s Hispanic population has exploded over the past decade, and a host of local entrepreneurs are using this growth to fuel their own new businesses for Latinx clients.
From restaurants and clothing stores to beauty salons and barbershops, business owners promote their products and Latin culture to a cross-section of buyers interested in trying new products and exploring. Latin customs and traditions.
Location is one of the most important factors in a business’s success and the interior of a Gastonia supermarket turns out to be a surprisingly successful incubator for new entrepreneurial endeavors.
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WoW Supermarket, one of North Carolina’s largest Hispanic / Latin supermarket chains, has been serving customers with popular Latin American products on its Gastonia site since 2016.
Within its walls, however, the market not only offers traditional Hispanic groceries, but also rental space for several small Hispanic-owned businesses.
Profit from growth
The most recent US census showed how rapidly the Hispanic population is growing in Gaston County.
In 2010, Gaston’s Hispanic / Latinx population was 12,204. Since then, it has grown by 64.4%, which means 20,068 Hispanic / Latin residents now live here.
Miguel Rodriguez has worked in the supermarket business since he emigrated from the Dominican Republic to America in the 1980s.
His father was a grocery store employee in Brooklyn, New York, where Rodriguez followed his father to work and watched and learned many of the things needed to run a successful grocery store.
“I worked with my dad as a bagger without pay for months, but kept busy trying to learn different things like handling the cash register and the product buying process,†he recalls.
“The boss noticed and offered me a job earning $ 250 a week. I turned it down and said I wouldn’t do it for less than $ 300 due to my familiarity with the store and how difficult I was willing to work, â€says Rodriguez.
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Rodriguez’s boss agreed to the request, and Rodriguez worked at the store for a while, then earned up to $ 500 a week at another grocery store on Long Island.
Finally, upon arriving at Gastonia in 2012, Rodriguez aspired to be his own boss, so he decided to go out on his own.
“I opened a Compare Foods where the current WoW supermarket is, but had to close later because our cap fell and I lost a lot of money,†he said. “Then the owner of WoW offered me a job as a general manager in the Charlotte branch.”
His 25 years of grocery shopping experience came in handy at the Charlotte store as he was able to increase weekly sales in a short period of time.
“Before I took over we were only making $ 35,000 in sales per week, but after that we went to $ 94,000 in sales. The owner noticed the progress and started paying me 20% of our sales. weekly sales in addition to the salary I was receiving, â€Rodriguez said.
In 2016, Rodriguez was offered a new opportunity. He was offered the chance to return to Gastonia to run the branch located at 2557 W. Franklin Blvd. He got 20% of weekly sales and also 20% store ownership.
After working for a few weeks in the new store, Rodriguez came up with various ideas to strengthen the Hispanic / Latin presence in the store and provide customers with more than traditional groceries.
“The store is huge and the bills were very high, so I looked around and suggested that we lease some of the available space to other local Hispanic businesses that we had and we have it. Their rent contributes to our income and at the same time we are supporting Hispanic / Latin entrepreneurs who want their business to grow, â€said Rodriguez.
Businesses inside the Wow supermarket
There are currently half a dozen companies selling different goods and products to daily shoppers inside the WoW Supermarket.
From baked goods to the barber shop, customers are exposed to a variety of different Latin American customs and products, located within meters of each other.
Leticia Rebolledo rented a space to present a variety of traditional Mexican pastries. The smells of fresh breads and candies help bring curious non-Hispanic / Latinx customers to his business.
“We have a lot of curious customers here who don’t know Mexican pastries, so we help them by letting them try them,†Rebolledo said in Spanish, his mother tongue.
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Coming from Idalgo, Mexico five years ago, Rebolledo was ready to extend her baking talent to the public, in a business she calls “D’Lety’s Bakery”.
Rebolledo’s business space is shared with a Mexican restaurant called “Villa Mexican Grill”.
Even though they both sell food, their clientele often supports both businesses, as patrons eat lunch at the Villa Mexican Grill and then turn to Rebolledo’s pastry shop for dessert.
In addition to eating authentic Mexican cuisine, guests can also stop by the “Gaston Hair Salon” owned by Dominican native Wilmer Perez.
Perez took over the lease of what was once the “Destino Hair Salon”, transforming it from a barber / beauty salon to an exclusively barber shop.
Perez started his business in just four months, but quickly gained clients as clients learned of his location.
“Sometimes it’s a bit slow, but I wanted to grow up and be better at my job, so business picked up and I’m happy to be here,†Perez said.
Being located in a supermarket also helped Perez find a second reliable barber to work with him.
“I was shopping for groceries and noticed that one section of the store was very different, I checked it out and noticed a barber shop with various customers. I am a hairdresser, so I inquired about it. ‘job and here I am, “said Perez employee Carlos Mendez, who has been at the barber for three weeks.
The spaces available for rent at the supermarket gave local business owners a chance to connect with the community and an opportunity to experience entrepreneurship.
Even for businesses whose space is not as big as the others, success can still be found by promoting a business.
“It’s a small place, but I’m my own boss and I can do what I’m good at. That’s all that matters,” said Guadalupe Rodriguez, owner of “Jugos y Liquados Lupita”, who is translated as “Lupita Juices and Smoothies.”
Three years ago, Rodriguez migrated to Gastonia from Guadalajara-Jalisco, Mexico, and began working in a meat store upon his arrival.
“My son was working in this store and noticed that this space was for rent. I had a juice stand in Mexico, so I decided to take advantage of the space and start selling my juices again,†Rodriguez said. in his mother tongue, Spanish.
Her success inspires her every day to continue working to better provide for her family.
“Overall we have good days and bad days like any other business, but I motivate myself on bad days by selling my juices. It helps me appreciate that I’m my own boss and it helps me want to keep trying to sell even more, â€Rodriguez said.
Other businesses inside the supermarket include a furniture store, a tax form preparation office, and a special occasion store that primarily sells dresses and party decorations.
Support the Hispanic / Latinx community
Besides including various local Hispanic / Latin businesses, WoW Supermarket sponsored several events to reach out to the Hispanic / Latinx community in Gastonia.
On Saturday, October 16, the store will host a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration in its lost parking lot, an event the store is coordinating with the Gastonia Police Department and a number of private vendors.
The celebration will feature traditional dances from various Latin American countries, zumba, traditional food and many other activities that will educate non-Hispanic / Latinx residents about the Hispanic / Latinx culture of Gaston County.
Hosting these types of events helps support other businesses by exposing them to all attendees and building their own customer base for the future, organizers said.
“It’s about supporting those who want to improve and grow in our Latin community,†said Miguel Rodriguez.
You can reach Beatriz Guerrero at 704-869-1828 or on Twitter @BeatrizGue_
