El Colmadon
EL COLMADON
Photo courtesy of Korey Ponusky
Bodegas, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is defined as a small Latin grocery store mostly found in Spanish-speaking neighborhoods. These bodegas serve as a cultural hub for generations of immigrants who left their motherland in pursuit of the American dream. Leaving everything behind, it may be difficult to maintain one’s cultural identity as well as preserve one’s culture to pass down to new generations. What bodegas do for the immigrant communities is help keep the culture alive by providing a space for Latinos to shop for goods found in their home. This film is a short documentary that highlights bodega owners and their stories by conversing and learning about their journey.
In the Dominican Republic, the colmados often serve as a cultural hub where one can eat food, have a drink, and even dance to some music. These places are humble and culturally vibrant establishments that are a staple to the island and the essence of a colmado lives on in the United States through the bodega. This film will inspire the spectator to step foot into their friendly neighborhood bodega and learn a little more about the story behind them.
About The Project
The documentary will be between 15-20 minutes and will take on an urban aesthetic that will highlight texture, color, and the repeating patterns that are often overlooked in media. With me serving as a guide for the spectator, I’ll navigate the landscape and interact with the owners in different cultural hubs in the east coast United States.
With the owners of a couple of Dominican-owned bodegas I’ll be able to converse regarding their personal stories, what inspired them to come to the United States, and what they believe the bodegas mean to communities. These interviews will take place in their storefronts partaking in a culturally relevant activity such as playing dominos, tapping into the island time and sitting in the front and indulging in some Dominican cuisine or even helping stock up the isles. These bodegas help bring a slice of home to the thousands of immigrants that may not have the ability to go home. Filming will take place in Dominican communities such as Jamaica Plain, Roslindale, Roxbury, Lawrence, Washington Heights, and a Dominican colmado on the island. I’ll also talk about my experiences with bodegas as the child of an immigrant as well as the son of a bodega owner. My mother had her bodega in Fitchburg, Massachusetts and I remember her sitting in front of the store with her customers and discussing everything and sometimes not even talking at all. For a young person trying to maintain a connection with their culture, this meant everything, being able to talk to the older generation and hearing their perspective was a valuable experience.
“Con un pie aqui, y el otro alla,” a Dominican saying that translates to “with one foot here and another one over there,” has been a motto that many immigrants from the Dominican Republic have embodied since coming to the United States. Historically, the Dominican people have always been in between two worlds as the children of the conquered and the conquerors.
Throughout the complex history of the Dominican Republic, there have been various cultural staples to emerge such as vibrant music, baseball powerhouses, and savory cuisine. Dominican Spanish is like no other, with slang spoken quickly and words often abbreviated, the dialect is easily identified. The Dominican Republic is a place where island time is very much a real thing and the Caribbean sun pairs nicely with an ice-cold Dominican beer. The Dominican bodega manages to create an oasis from the American lifestyle, it creates a safe environment for Latinos to tap into their roots.
The goal of this project is to educate people on the importance of bodegas to Latin American communities, highlight the stories of bodega owners by dissecting the price they had to pay to achieve the American dream, and lastly, to honor my culture as well as my mother who owned her own bodega. At the time I wasn’t as appreciative as I should have been, and now that I’m older I reflect on the time I spent sitting with my mother at the store. I want this project to accurately represent my community in all aspects and bring the “sazon” our culture is known for. What I hope this documentary will do for my young Dominican and Latino people is that it will spark the urge to rediscover their roots in hopes to preserve our culture and proudly showcase it in the United States.
Behind the scenes
GoFundMe video shoot
Photos courtesy of Korey Ponusky
Nunez Market of Boston, MA
