la patrona mexican tienda | Application Preview
La Patrona Mexican Tienda is a small, family-owned grocery store applying for government funding to expand its services and better serve its local community. In operation for just over a year, the business aims to add a deli and butchering section to offer fresh meat, responding to strong customer demand. As the only Hispanic grocery store in the village, they hope this expansion will increase foot traffic and allow local Hispanic and non-Hispanic residents to shop closer to home for authentic products.
Grant funds would be used to purchase necessary deli equipment, including a meat display cooler, refrigerators, freezers, and sinks to meet health department standards. If funding allows, the owners would also like to invest in a visible LED sign to make the store easier to find, as many customers currently struggle to locate it. Promotion is currently limited to a Facebook page and a window decal.
Their long-term goal is to become the town’s first full-fledged Hispanic mini-market, offering everything from baked goods and household staples to fresh and frozen foods from Mexico and Central America. They hope this growth will create local jobs and increase cultural diversity in the area.
The owners believe funding should be approved due to their deep local roots, bilingual ability, and dedication to the community. With strong customer relationships and a focus on traditional Hispanic products not carried by nearby chains like Walmart and Pick 'n Save, they offer a unique shopping experience. Their commitment to authenticity and community service provides them a distinct edge in the local market.
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General Information
Business Registration Number: 992123633
Location: schofield, wi, United States
Length of Operation: 1-5
Number of Employees: 1-10 Employees
Annual Gross Income: Less than $100k
Annual Gross Expense: Less than $100k
Open to Loans: YES
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Funding Usage
We would appreciate to receive help in creating our deli/butchering section to sell meats to better serve our customers. We have been in business for a little over a year and I believe selling fresh meats would increase our customer flow. Our customers mention a lot of how it would be great to have a deli section. We are the only Hispanic store in our village and customers state they would love to shop locally instead of driving elsewhere. Our two main obstacles are saving up enough money for a led sign for our business as customers have a hard time finding us. We cannot afford at the moment a sign. I think that would greatly help us attract more customers. We only have a window decal and a Facebook page to promote our business. If we were to get funding help, we would be able to buy deli equipment such as a meat display cooler, a fridge and freezer to keep our meats in and sinks to comply with the health department rules. If we have enough, we would definitely get a sign for our business to attract more customers.
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Business Plan
We have one main dream to accomplish. We would love to be the first Hispanic mini market in our town. One where you can buy everything you need. We want to have a baker section, a deli section and the rest would be isles and isles of Hispanic products from fresh foods, frozen foods, spices, fresh produce, household items and much more. We would love to create job opportunities for our community and bring in more diversity. I believe my husband and I have worked very hard to get to where we are today and we are very grateful we received this opportunity to provide to our community. We invested everything we had to make this dream come true. I think what sets us apart from other Hispanic stores around the area is that we are bilingual and can help Hispanic and American customers without any misunderstandings. We have a great personality, and we have been told how nice people we are and how welcoming they feel at our store. Also, I was born here in Chicago but grew up in this area, therefore I grew up with the Hispanic and American culture. I graduated from the area and went to college as well. I was the first in my family to have any type of schooling. My husband migrated to the US when he was 16 and learn the English language very well as well as preserving his Hispanic language.
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Self Identified Competition
Our top three competitors in the area are big chain stores. We have a Walmart that is about 10 minutes away. Although they have Hispanic items they don't focus on the more traditional products like we do. We also have a pick and save a few blocks down the road but as I mentioned they do not have all the traditional Hispanic products. A few things that make us different from our competitors are that we are both bilinguals. Therefore, we can eliminate the language barrier, and we can answer questions for our customers. I believe that is our strongest asset because the majority of Hispanic stores do not have employees or owners that speak both languages. Our customers, especially American customers mention that they are grateful that we speak English. They feel more welcomed and more confident in asking questions or interacting with us. We also focus on Hispanic branded products directly from Mexico and Centroamerica. There are a lot of Americanized products in other grocery stores, but we focus on our products to be Mexican branded which may be healthier and less chemicals and preservatives. Another strong asset is that we bring in fresh produce that is not locally found. We also bring a diverse of fruits, vegetable and herbs native to Mexico and Centroamerica.
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Contact Applicant
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