 At an indoor, Latino cooperative market in the Little Mexico neighborhood of South Minneapolis, Manuel Gonzalez has finally realized his dream of opening a restaurant.
Manny's Tortas serves more than 150 specialty sandwiches a day to hungry patrons of the Mercado, an anchor of the community's redevelopment and a magnet for Hispanic and non-Hispanic residents alike since it opened in July 1999.
The project was made possible through the efforts of the CCHD-funded Interfaith Action, in partnership with a community development corporation.
Before realizing his dream, Manny read about the Neighborhood Development Center in a Latino newspaper and signed up for NDC's small business training classes. NDC is a CCHD-funded project that provides technical assistance to aspiring entrepreneurs who seek to locate their businesses at the Mercado. "They were really informative," he says, "and covered everything from taxes and permit procedures to marketing. NDC pretty much took my hand to guide me in opening my business."
Graduates of the classes were invited to submit a business plan, a menu and a sample to a group selecting vendors for the Mercado. Because capital and labor costs are the major stumbling blocks to opening a food business, the Mercado decided to offer food booths, rather than restaurants. The Mercado covered the expensive ventilation costs. The NDC helped vendors to get loans from the Small Business Administration and also gave low-interest loans to the entrepreneurs. Now, NDC provides ongoing support through meetings with Manny and the other vendors to discuss financial management and staffing.
NDC achievements...
The Neighborhood Development Center is expanding on its impressive record:
- NDC has provided entrepreneur training to 965 low-and moderate-income people in the Twin Cities, including Somalis, Latinos, American Indians and the Hmong.
- Almost 300 of those trained have opened new businesses in 20 low-income neighborhoods. Each business generated 3 to 4 local jobs.
- NDC has made loans averaging $17,000 to 86 businesses with a combined value of $1.8 million.
Success stories:
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