Carlos Lopez opened the bodega as an ode to his mother, whose Victoria businesses have created a space of 'home' for Latinos for over three decades.
"I named the store after my mom because she's been a cornerstone in our Latin community," said Lopez, age 39.
Josefina Sanchez, also known as "Mama Tina" – as those who know her affectionately call her – has been a prominent Latin business owner in Victoria for 35 years. After running Guatemala Shop in Market Square, she opened Mexican House of Spice, a well-known food store, in 2011.
Walking into Lopez's new bodega, which opened on July 8 on Goldstream Avenue, the "passing of the torch" is complete: inside Mama Tina's Bodega are bright and colourful exotic drinks and snacks from Mexico, Columbia, Peru, El Salvador, Central America, Brazil and more.
"We're just really committed to delivering products to the community that most people don't cater to," said Lopez.
But despite Lopez remaining true to Mama Tina's clientele who had asked for "quite some time" if they would open a Langford location, Lopez has added his own touch, catering to a young demographic. One of his prides of the store – making it unique compared to traditional bodegas or small grocery stores – is the wall of brand-name sneakers.
"I'm into shoes, so I always wanted to open a shoe store. It adds a little buzz, too," Lopez said. He built on that buzz with Carl, his business partner who owns Vic Streetwear, a company that cleans shoes and flips them on the market. Together, they gave back to the community after under two months of opening by giving out 25 free pairs of shoes. That day, earlier this September, the business had a lineup at 2 a.m. of people eagerly awaiting the 11 a.m. doors opening.
As a father of three with his partner Janelle, Lopez said he wanted to do the giveaway because he could empathize with parents about the current cost of living.
"We wanted to do something special for the community since we're new here. And we decided to give back because there are a lot of kids right now, especially with the inflation of prices and the cost of living, who can't afford to buy these types of things, especially for back to school. It also created hype for the store because it's never been done in Langford."
Giving back is one of those valuable lessons Mama Tina passed down to Lopez and inspires him as a business owner.
"She has always taught me to be a hard worker, but at the same time, you also have to be nice to people, just be a good human being. I think that's the best trait that she ever taught me. Everybody who gets the pleasure of meeting her always has nothing but great things to say."
Mama Tina moved to Vancouver Island in '87. Born in the Mexican state Chiapas, she also lived in Guatemala, both of which came to influence her store. When she first arrived in the Victoria community, she found only a few people from Guatemala.
Lopez has seen the Latin population grow in Langford. Continuing his mother's legacy, his store is a place where that community can find comfort.
"We're super thankful we're here because it brings a little home to them."
He also added that it took a year to find the location due to high rent costs but that it was worth the wait. "We wanted to find the perfect location as we have customers as far as Courtenay and Comox that travel to our downtown store, so even though it took the year, we are finally here and ready to serve all customers from near and far," he said.
