Businesses fill a need in the neighborhood
Thirteen years ago, when Vicente Zepeda opened his first business — a grocery store in what today is known as Moline’s Floreciente neighborhood — he started from scratch.
While working full-time at a Rock Island bedding manufacturer, he struggled financially to fill the shelves in his Imperial Mexican Grocery Store at 134 4th Ave.
But Zepeda, who runs the business with his wife, Maria, persevered and six years ago they made their second investment in the neighborhood — converting a tavern down the street into La Imperial Laundromat.
Like the grocery store, a laundromat wasn’t something Zepeda necessarily aspired to own. “But it was a need” he saw in the neighborhood.
This time however, instead of scraping along on his own, he realized resources were available — and accepted help from the city in the form of a startup loan. Next year, he has the goal of adding a restaurant onto his grocery, which now serves his wife’s homemade tamales and tacos on the weekends. Those items, he said have been a draw to bring in non-Hispanic customers.
Located in the heart of Floreciente, his business is a barometer for how those in the Hispanic neighborhood are faring. “When people are not working, business is not so good,” he said. “When IBP is working 48 hours or more (a week), they have money to spend.”
When they don’t, he works with them to make sure no one goes without groceries.
Zepeda knows what it is like — especially for those new to the country. Originally from Mexico, he has lived in the Quad-Cities since 1972.
When he arrived, he took any job he could to provide for his family. “I had never worked in the fields until I came here. My wife worked the fields too.”
Now for the parents of two sons and two daughters, keeping the store open daily is a family affair.
“When I started the store, it was not my idea,” Zepeda said. “My sister and brother-in-law owned this building and he said ‘why don’t you open a store.’ ”
After turning them down a couple of times, he finally accepted their offer.
“I’m my own boss,” Zepeda said proudly, admitting that he never thought that would have been possible.