Gaston County's Hispanic community finds economic growth in WoW Supermarket

Gaston County's Hispanic population has exploded in the last decade and a host of local entrepreneurs are using that growth to fuel their own new businesses geared to Latinx customers.

From food spots and clothing stores to beauty salons and barber shops, business owners are promoting both their products and their Latin culture to a cross-section of buyers interested in trying new products and learning about Latin customs and traditions.

Location is one of the most important factors in the success of a business and the interior of a Gastonia supermarket is proving to be a surprisingly successful incubator for new entrepreneurial efforts.

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The WoW Supermarket, one of the largest Hispanic/Latinx supermarket chains in North Carolina, has served customers with popular Latin American products at its Gastonia location since 2016.

Within its walls, however, the market features not only traditional Hispanic grocery products but also rental spaces for several small Hispanic-owned businesses.

Taking advantage of growth

The most recent U.S. census showed just how rapidly the Hispanic population is growing in Gaston County.

In 2010, Gaston's Hispanic/Latinx population stood at 12,204. Since then, it has increased 64.4%, meaning that 20,068 Hispanic/Latinx residents now live here.

Miguel Rodriguez, has been in the supermarket business since migrating to America from the Dominican Republic in the 1980s.

His father was a grocery store employee in Brooklyn, New York, where Rodriguez trailed his dad to work and watched and learned many of the things necessary to run a successful grocery store.

"I worked with my father as a bagger without pay for months, but I kept busy trying to learn different things like running the cash register and the process of purchasing products," he remembered.

"The boss took notice and offered me a job making $250 a week. I turned him down and said I wouldn't do it for less than $300 because of how familiar I was with the store and how hard I was willing to work," Rodriguez said.

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Rodriguez's boss agreed to the demand and Rodriguez worked at the store for a while and then went on to make up to $500 a week in a different grocery store located in Long Island.

Finally, upon arriving in Gastonia in 2012, Rodriguez aspired to be his own boss so he decided to go out on his own.

"I opened a Compare Foods where the current WoW Supermarket is, but later had to close because our ceiling fell down and I lost a lot of money," he said. "Then the owner of WoW offered me a job as a general manager in the Charlotte branch."

His 25 years of grocery store experience proved helpful at the Charlotte store as he was able to boost weekly sales in a short amount of time.

"Before I took over, we were only making $35,000 in sales a week, but after, we went up to making $94,000 in sales. The owner noticed the progress and started to pay me 20% of our weekly sales on top of the salary I was receiving," Rodriguez said.

In 2016, Rodriguez was presented with a new opportunity. He was offered the chance to return to Gastonia to run the branch located at 2557 W. Franklin Blvd. He was granted  20% of the weekly sales and also 20% ownership of the store. 

After working for a couple of weeks at the new store, Rodriguez came up with various ideas to boost the Hispanic/Latinx presence at the store and provide customers with more than just traditional grocery products.

"The store is huge, and the bills were very high, so I looked around and suggested we rent other local Hispanic businesses some of the available space we had and we did it. Their rent contributes to our income and at the same time we are supporting those Hispanic/Latinx entrepreneurs who want their businesses to grow," Rodriguez said.

Businesses inside of Wow Supermarket

Half-a-dozen businesses currently sell different goods and products to daily shoppers inside the WoW Supermarket.

From baked goods to a barbershop, customers are exposed to a variety of different Latin American customs and products located just a few feet apart from each other. 

Leticia Rebolledo has rented a space to feature a variety of traditional Mexican pastries. The smells of fresh loaves of bread and sweets help lead curious non-Hispanic/Latinx customers to her business.

"We get a lot of curious customers here who do not know about Mexican pastries, so we help them by letting them try them," Rebolledo said in Spanish, her native language.

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Migrating from Idalgo, Mexico, five years ago, Rebolledo was ready to expand her pastry-making talent to the public, in a business which she calls "D'Lety's Bakery."

Rebolledo's business space is shared with a Mexican restaurant called "Villa Mexican Grill."

Even though they both sell food, their clientele often supports both businesses as customers have their lunch at Villa Mexican Grill and then turn to Rebolledo's pastry shop for dessert.

Aside from eating authentic Mexican cuisine, customers may also stop by "Gaston Hair Salon," owned by Dominican native, Wilmer Perez.

Perez took over the lease of what used to be "Destino Hair Salon," converting it from a barbershop/beauty shop to exclusively a barbershop.

Perez established his business in just four months but quickly gained clients as customers learned his location.

"Sometimes it is a bit slow, but I wanted to grow and be better at my craft, so business has picked up and I am happy to be here," Perez said.

Being located in a supermarket also helped Perez find a reliable second barber to work with him.

"I was getting groceries and noticed a section of the store was very different, I checked it out and noticed a barbershop with various clients. I am a barber so I inquired about employment and here I am," said Perez's employee, Carlos Mendez, who has been at the barbershop for three weeks.

Available spaces for rent at the supermarket have given local business owners a chance to connect with the community and an opportunity to experience entrepreneurship.

Even for businesses whose space isn't as big as the others, success can still be found while promoting a business.

"It is a small place, but I am my own boss and I get to do what I am good at. That is all that matters," said Guadalupe Rodriguez, owner of "Jugos y Liquados Lupita," which translates to "Juices and Smoothies Lupita."

Three years ago, Rodriguez migrated to Gastonia from Guadalajara-Jalisco, Mexico, and began working at a meat shop upon arrival.

"My son used to work in this store and noticed this space was for rent. I used to run a juice stand back in Mexico, so I decided to take advantage of the space and start to sell my juices once again," said Rodriguez in her native language, Spanish.

Her success inspires her every day to continue to work to better provide for her family.

"Overall we have good days and bad days like any other business, but I motivate myself during the bad days by selling my juices. It helps me appreciate that I am my own boss and it helps me want to keep trying to sell even more," Rodriguez said.

Additional businesses inside the supermarket include a furniture outlet store, tax form preparation office, and a special occasion store that mainly sells dresses and party decorations.

Supporting the Hispanic/Latinx community

Aside from the inclusion of different local Hispanic/Latinx-owned businesses, WoW Supermarket has sponsored several events to reach the Hispanic/Latinx community in Gastonia. 

On Saturday, Oct. 16, the store will be hosting a celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month in its parking lost, an event the store is coordinating with the Gastonia Police Department and a number of private vendors.

The celebration will feature traditional dances from various Latin American countries, Zumba, traditional foods, and many more activities that will educate non-Hispanic/Latinx residents about the Hispanic/Latinx culture in Gaston County.

Conducting these types of events helps support other businesses by exposing them to all in attendance and creating a clientele of their own for the future, organizers said.

"It's about supporting those who want to better themselves and grow in our Latin community," Miguel Rodriguez said.

Beatriz Guerrero can be reached at 704-869-1828 or on Twitter @BeatrizGue_