Every time I think of bodegas nowadays, the musical "In The Heights" plays in my head. The musical, produced by and starring Lin Manuel Miranda, takes place in Washington Heights and revolves around a group of adults who are going through life day by day. It surrounds Usnavi, who runs a bodega with the help of his cousin Sunny.
The bodega used to belong to his parents but after they died, it was passed down to him. He lives with Abuela Claudia, who we find out is not his actual grandmother but someone who acts like a grandmother to everyone in the neighborhood and took Usnavi in. We see how much of an importance bodegas and the community have to neighborhoods like this.
The people at bodegas know you by name, they know what you want and they treat you like you're a part of a family. Now, here are two people that took two things that already exist, vending machines and delis, combined it and are now selling it as their own product, which is honestly really irritating.
Are things not gentrified enough or are things not moving fast enough for them? It's annoying to see all of the new construction and new stores in our neighborhoods because the prices keep going up and soon we'll be kicked out of the few places we can call home. For example, they recently took out a Barnes & Noble from a neighborhood in the Bronx and put a Saks Fifth Avenue in its place.
Sometimes, it's hard to make ends meet for rent but yes, I sure can afford that $1,000 coat. No, of course, we can't and it's sad to see one of the few bookstores in the Bronx being closed down.
When it comes to the startup 'Bodega,' which is what these ex-Google employees call their 'invention,' they feel like it will soon take over, but it'll also take many of the bodegas out of business. I don't know what's the inclination to force a bunch of business owners out of business, but it's not okay and it's honestly really sad. Many of these bodegas are mom-and-pop businesses, so oftentimes they are people who came into the country with nothing and made a business out of it.
I'm pretty sure the 'Bodega' businessmen have never really gotten the opportunity to interact with bodegas or their owners like many of us have. If you are not a part of a community, it makes it difficult to identify with said-community. If you are trying to channel your admiration, do so in a way that is not destructive to that community.
