By Paola Velasco
It is a classic in every coffee shop or restaurant that, during the morning of each day, a group of friends takes over a table or a corner of the establishment. These cliques meet every morning to conspire; they usually discuss and solve the most relevant problems of the moment; they can be international or national issues, or simply propose solutions to the most common but also the most important problems of our town. If you want to put your friends’ opinions on the table, send us an email to: generalcoordinator@atencionsanmiguel.org.
In recent editions we wrote that during the pandemic there was a silent arrival of stores such as City Market, Farmacia Guadalajara, and OXXOs. Right now the arrival of a Walmart in the middle of more shopping plazas is in transit. We went out to ask women entrepreneurs who are directly facing this phenomenon for their opinion on the matter.
Adriana Criollos (on the cover image), entrepreneur of Moda Mexicana, shares:
«I think that we entrepreneurs know that there will always be large corporations, so welcome the mix. There are clients for all types, each one is looking for something special. Everything is complementary, everything is for the best. San Miguel offers a wide range of products made in Mexico, with an enormous diversity. For us entrepreneurs there will always be a challenge, to bring unique pieces to the boutique. I don’t see advantages or disadvantages, I believe in the sum of the offers, diversity makes a city grow, we all become more competitive.»
Mariana Peraza, owner and founder of Luna de Queso:
«Every day it is more difficult, we cannot compete with the prices of the big corporations, every day it is more difficult to maintain the business. I appreciate the preference of my customers, but people are losing the habit of buying local, and prefer to buy everything in the same place.»
Lucia Gonzalez, fashion entrepreneur, comments:
«I have loved being a local entrepreneur for 10 years in San Miguel and I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to reinvent myself along with the growth of the pueblo. I offer textile, leather, jewelry, footwear, and so forth, with proposal, quality and differences from what you can find in a department store. People buy with entrepreneurs to live an experience of acquiring an article with history, with design, chosen with love, and created by people who make things with passion. Let’s continue to support local commerce.»
Jimena de León, restaurateur:
«The biggest disadvantage of being an entrepreneur is the lack of constant capital to be able to compete against corporations. It is easy for them to double employees’ salaries and ‘steal’ them from small businesses. They have no problems in terms of investment, furniture, and so on and so forth. The advantage is that many of the tourists who come to San Miguel look for local products and/or businesses, for their folklore and details. I believe that in every business there are advantages and disadvantages in terms of competition, which should always be even and not unfair. San Miguel should be an offer for everyone, however, I believe that the local effort will be more valued by the people.»
