Interview: Tres Hermanos Grocery Store, Keeping Family Dreams Alive
It is very possible for an immigrant family to get their dreams to come true even if it seems like a daunting journey. One must have not only the desire, but imperative to have other skills such as discipline, perseverance, patience, unwavering faith, and the immense desire that your dream come true. To find people who meet all these traits, it is not easy.
Despite the hard times that this couple has been facing with COVID-19, they have continued to navigate through the circumstances that surround them. We are speaking about Mr. and Mrs. Ricardo and Anabel Ortiz. They own the Tres Hermanos grocery store in Harrisburg, PA. Ricardo and Anabel are from México, specifically from the city known as Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl, or more commonly known as “Ciudad Neza”. This is a city and municipality in the State of México right outside of Mexico City. It was named after Nezahualcoyotl, the Acolhua poet and king of the nearby Texcoco. The city was built on the drained bed of Lake Texcoco. The name Nezahualcoyotl comes from the Nahuatl, meaning “fasting coyote."
We asked Mr. and Mrs. Ortiz, how, and in which way have they been affected by Coronavirus, and what have they done to get ahead despite the limitations that the government has imposed? Anabel replied and told us, “This situation has been difficult, although we did not have to close the store the authorities reduce our schedule to only five hours per day. With our new schedule, we decided to work as efficiently as we could. Right away we implemented all safety regulations."
These regulations were:
Masks for all employees, and the clients
Gloves for our employees
Mark distances on the floor for clients
Keep sanitizing gel around the store
Reduce the number of customers inside
Anabel continued telling us, “We also have a taqueria which we had to close completely. The business of our taqueria practically died! Now we have to work harder than ever, and despite COVID-19, or anything else, we will continue working as hard as we can on trying to get all the products that our clients ask us for. We believe that customer service has been a big part of our success, at the same time, we are trying to protect our employees as much as our clients.”
We wanted to know what advice would they give to someone who is thinking about opening a store? Ricardo asserted with this advice. “If you do not have a lot of money, try to keep your present job until you feel comfortable. In our case, I kept working at the pizzeria where I worked for years while Anabel was managing the store with our children. Once we felt that things were improving, I stopped working at the pizzeria to join Anabel. You must know that it will take several years of hard work just to see if you are going to make it. Be prepared to make many sacrifices.”
Ricardo continued, “After four-years, things started to get better. I bought a van and started to travel selling our products. In the year 2011, I bought a restaurant from my competition, everything was going well until COVID-19 came along and we were forced to close. I took the opportunity to start remodeling and that is what we are doing now. Believe me, we are going to make it through."
The Ortiz family has raised three children and that is the reason behind the name of their store, Tres Hermanos. The oldest graduated from the university; he is a Psychologist, the second one is a Movie Editor and the third is still in Middle school. "I would like to see one of my children continue the business we started. There are many things yet to be accomplished, and I am here to keeping our family dreams alive!" Ricardo concluded.
Tres Hermanos Grocery Store & Restaurant
712 Cameron St. Harrisburg, PA 17104
Phone: 717 233-1711