Clarita's Candy Store

Since Clarita was a little girl, she always wanted to sell something. In the communities she grew up in from Washington Heights to Echo Park; it’s what she saw her people do. Sell things. And then in turn…making money.

In Washington Heights, the salty aroma of empanadas & the sweet smells of cinnamon and sugar from the habichuelas didn’t come from fancy restaurants, they came from the sidewalks. They came from the tias, who cooked all night and sold all day. They lingered next to the ladies selling clothes, handbags & mixtapes. Everyone claiming to have the best or the latest. The best quality, the best taste and the latest sound and trends. The buzz around them gave off so much energy, excitement.

“How much?”

“3 for 10.”

“No that’s robbery. I'll give you 10 for 4.”

“Ta bien” and auntie snatched the 10 before the customer changed their mind….the only thing on her mind was selling all of her inventory, so she’d have enough to send to her kids, back home.

Selling things, to 5 year old Clarita, felt like the only job imaginable.

One Friday afternoon, she was surprised when Mami was on the sidewalk to pick her up from school instead of her big brother. She ran to her and squeezed her tight. She could smell empanadas in her hair.

As Clarita embraced her mami, she heard the bells of the paletero man. Her eyes lit up, cause her brother never had a dollar, but she was sure mami did!

Before she could even ask, Mami was waving the dollar around, Clarita snatched it and ran, getting her favorite, Tweety bird with the blue bubblegum eyes.

On their walk home Clarita asked, Mami, what can I sell?”...

You see, Her mami owned a bodega and fried the crispiest empanadas in the back to sell at the counter. Sometimes, on Saturdays, Clarita would get to go to the store and sit at the register and mami would let her make change for customers.

Mami responded, “whatever you want, mija”

Is the paletero man rich? “ Resisting a laugh Mami answered... I don't know, why do you ask?

He gets so many dollars from the kids at school every day.

Puede ser, mija, I'm not sure.

The next morning when Clarita, her brothers and Mami were out shopping for the bodega mami asked clarita, "Mija have you thought about something to sell?"

Pointing to the big bag of candy on the shelf she adds, “You think your classmates would like to buy candy from you?"

Clarita lights up… delighted at the thought that she was being trusted to sell something, she screams “Yes Mami, I want to sell that candy.”

The bag of candy was $17 dollars for 30 candy bars. After some debate on the pricing - because Clarita wanted $100 a bar but settled on $1 - she went home and made a sign. She found pictures of the candy in magazines around the house, cut them out and glued them to a piece of paper, and in her writing put $1 in big red marker on the board.

Her mami helped organize the bars in bags and reminded her to only sell them after school when her brother got there to pick her up.

That Monday, she only sold one candy bar… to herself.

Tuesday, her friends brought a dollar to buy candy from her after school.

By Friday, even kids in the big grades were lined up until she sold out!

Clarita couldn't wait to go home and share the news with mami.

“Look, I made all of these dollars!”

“How many?” Mami asks.

“30!” Replied Clarita.

Do you feel rich mija? … Si! Clarita screamed.

“Okayyy, hoara el negocio! Do you remember how much we paid for the big bag of candy bars?”

$17 , said Clarita.

“Ok, so count 17 dollars and put them to the side”.

And Clarita started sorting her crumbled up ones, her brother helping her with the quarters. She put $17 dollars to the side.

“How many dollars do you have left?” Mami asked.

Clarita looked around, overwhelmed at the thought of counting again, but her big brother whispered the math in her ear.

“13!”she screamed

“Do you still feel rich?” Asked Mami.

“I feel soo rich Mami!”