Plenty was happening back in 1973. President Nixon’s Watergate scandal dominated the headlines. Troops came home from Vietnam. Bell-bottom jeans and long sideburns were in vogue. And in San Francisco, a nonprofit named the Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) was formed. The goal: asset-building for the low- and moderate-income Latino community of San Francisco. To…
With MEDA invited to be part of “San Francisco Small-Business Week 2016” starting May 21, last night was time to celebrate a big win for community-serving enterprises in the Mission. That’s because D’Maize Restaurant – an immigrant-owned establishment – held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its brick-and-mortar location at 2778 24th Street (between York and Hampshire streets)….
Juana and Raul Ttito immigrated to the U.S. eight years ago, the doting parents looking to follow their grown daughter … and with the dream of a better life for themselves and their two other children. The industrious couple, who were always artisans, had a successful business for 15 years in the Andean city of…
Back in his native Peru, Yeral Caldas’ industrious mother was always running her own businesses in Lima, which varied based on market demand. Sometimes she would sell vegetables; other times she would bring items down from the Highlands and sell them in bulk. Then there was Yeral’s father, who ran a restaurant where he served…
Stitching jerseys and jackets in a basement seven days a week is no task for the weary. When you know that is the only way to get a business off the ground, you make it happen. Such is the story of Astrid Acero López, who emigrated from Colombia in November 1988. She and her husband,…
Turning onto interestingly named Hacker Way in Menlo Park, after a half-hour bus trip down the Peninsula from San Francisco’s Mission District, about 20 MEDA small-business clients were excited to go behind the curtain and be directly provided social media counseling from the innovators at Facebook. All knew they were being afforded an opportunity not…
The current situation “Living at Vida means you live in a richly diverse neighborhood with immediate access to . . . locally owned businesses. Living at Vida means you are part of a vibrant community.” These words jump off the pages of a brightly colored brochure touting sales for expensive residences at a 114-unit, gleaming…
Growing up in San Francisco’s Mission District, MEDA’s Director of Evaluation Carolina Guzman saw a Latino neighborhood built upon waves of immigration from Central America and Mexico. Despite a continuous influx of new residents, there was a constancy to the community’s flavor. This is now in question. “Things are changing too fast, with the Mission’s…
The journey It’s a long journey from growing up with limited opportunities in an impoverished, small town in Mexico to opening your own restaurant in the trendy, foodie-filled Bay Area. That’s the inspiring story of Victor Caicero, an immigrant who came to the United States with a dream that is now a reality for this…
When Nathanial Owen pulled his U-Haul into San Francisco in mid-July, he knew he had left behind 2,000+ miles, humid weather . . . and a history of success. As the Market Manager at Accion Texas’ Memphis office—part of the largest microlending organization in the country—Owen had funded 56 small businesses in the first 18…
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