BSBG BLOG
Community Stories & Updates
Insights, advocacy news, and stories from the bodega community.
He Was Shot 3 Times — The Untold History of Dominican Bodegas in New York CityESEN
Francisco Marte, founder of the Bodega & Small Business Group, sits down with Somos Pueblo Media to share the real history of Dominican bodegas in NYC — including being shot three times, lines of people buying drugs outside stores, and how bodega owners became the backbone of New York's immigrant communities.
JUNE 21, 2026
By Somos Pueblo Media / BSBG
Advocacy
BSBG Meets with NYC SBS Commissioner & Deputy Mayor to Advocate for Small BusinessesESEN
BSBG Vice President Carlos Collado and members met with NYC SBS Commissioner Kenny Minaya and Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su to discuss the current landscape for NYC small businesses and the support needed to help local shops thrive.
Community
BSBG Welcomes Asadero Doña Pula!ESEN
From Santiago to the Bronx: Doña Pula Brings a Dominican Success Story to New York. What began with a small grill at a gas station has grown into a celebrated restaurant brand and a powerful example of Dominican entrepreneurship.
Community
Bodega of the Week: Vivi's DeliESEN
For more than 14 years, the owner of Vivi's Deli has kept her doors open and her community fed — not with flashy marketing or corporate backing, but with consistency, care, and the quiet pride of a true bodeguera. In an era where corner stores face rising costs, safety concerns, and thinning margins, her story is a reminder of what it looks like when a small business owner shows up, day after day, simply because her neighbors depend on her.
Advocacy
Bronx Small Business Owners and NYPD Form WhatsApp Group Chat for Community SafetyESEN
Small business owners in the Bronx have launched a WhatsApp group chat with NYPD members to share surveillance footage and suspect information, creating a faster response system than traditional 911 calls.
Public Safety
NYC Workers Under Attack: From the Bronx to ManhattanESEN
A series of violent attacks targeting workers across New York City has prompted Carlos Collado of the Bodega and Small Business Group to call for greater accountability from the justice system, as MTA employees, bodega workers, and retail staff face escalating on-the-job violence.
Community
BSBG Welcomes Banco Vimenca Executives in Special Community GatheringESEN
The Association of Bodegueros and Small Businesses welcomed the executives of Banco Vimenca — Mr. Roque Del Giudice, Vice President of Personal Business, and Mr. Cesar Hurtado, Business Manager — who met and shared with members of the board and the organization.
Community
Dominican, Puerto Rican and Yemeni Bodegas
From Puerto Rican colonias in 1920s Brooklyn to Yemeni-owned storefronts across five boroughs, the New York City bodega is an enduring institution built on immigrant resilience, community trust, and the quiet heroism of the corner store.
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