The smell of raw meat has filled Luis Tirado's life since he was 20. That's when he first took a job at the Butcher's Choice Meat Market, where displays showcase slab upon slab ranging from traditional steak cuts to pig's tails. Working the meat saw behind the counter in the Mott Haven store, Tirado, 38, always dreamed of owning his own business. And in 2003, when Tirado's aunt refinanced her house so he could buy the Butcher's Choice, his dream came true.
Now his dreams are being battered. Since the economy began to slow earlier this year, Tirado has feared losing everything – the store, his independence, his ability to support his 12-year-old son Jake. He has seen a noticeable drop in customers, and he has slashed about $1,000 a month in payroll by cutting two positions. He hopes things turn around before 2011, when his $3,250-a-month lease will increase.
"If I don't make it, it means I have to close the gates," Tirado said, perched on the stool in his office in the back of the store. "And what happens then? Do I have to start over again and go work for someone else?"
Tirado is one of countless small business owners in the Bronx who don't know exactly how this economic downturn is going to affect them. "Landlords don't care about a mom and pop," said Tony Brea, owner of Most Wanted Wireless, a cell phone store located a block from Tirado's market that may have to close soon.
Would he say yes?
When I made a second visit to Luis Tirado's meat market, I held my breath. After two days of walking through the South Bronx looking for a profile subject, I wasn't having any luck. Luis was by far our best possibility, but would he let us chronicle him? Where would we turn if he didn't? My chances looked dubious when I walked into a crowded store and saw Luis busy helping customers. But he greeted me with a welcoming smile and promptly invited me into his office. I quickly explained we'd chosen him for the project, and he was on board. Relief.
An unexpected expertise
The great thing about being a reporter is the opportunity to learn about a wide array of subjects. My partner, Michele Hoos, and I had spent the day wondering through Mott Haven gathering prices of cough syrup, diapers and milk for an interactive map. Suddenly, I found a deal so good, I unwittingly blurted out, 'Wow, that's a great price for diapers.' Michele began cracking up. I was now an expert. Whenever I have kids, I guess I'll be the one doing the diaper shopping.
—Chris Kieffer
To stay profitable in these tough times, Tirado said he constantly adapts his routines at work and at home, remembering that at any minute, things could change. "Now it's like, I don't know what can happen. I can lose the business or things can turn around and I can stay with the business," Tirado said. "I've devoted so much time into this store: This is all I know."
Long before Tirado started working at the Butcher's Choice, he was a child who always looked for financial stability. Tirado remembers selling lemonade in front of the house, sweeping yards and packing boxes at the supermarket. Growing up in the South Bronx, his grandmother raised him after raising nine children of her own, including Eva Rodriguez, the aunt who would eventually refinance her home to help him buy the business.
"Luis is my nephew who always wanted to have something in his life—to become something," said Rodriguez, 56, a landlord to a six-tenant building on Miller Avenue in Brooklyn. "He always loved to work."
However, when Tirado first started working at The Butcher's Choice (then called the 149th Street Meat Market), the job seemed to be a day job getting in the way of his dreams. Tirado made just $55 a day cutting meat and helping customers. Eventually, he became a driver, making deliveries to restaurants, and was later promoted to manager, increasing his salary to $110 a day.
