By Emma McGrath, News Correspondent
For many Northeastern students, Parker Street is a road to Mission Hill, which, in turn, is known for its abundance of upperclassmen and its weekend apartment parties. But for Miguel Fuentes, owner of Fuentes Market, Mission Hill holds a bit more meaning – it is where he got his start as a small business owner, where he achieved and persevered despite tremendous setbacks, and where he invested in not only his own business, but in a community of people he holds dear to his heart.
Fuentes, a Puerto Rico native, came to Boston with a hope that millions of young people over the years have shared – to pursue higher education.
“I went to Mass Bay Community College, and I studied what I’ve been doing for the last 38 years in Mission Hill: business,” he said.
Familiar as it may seem, Fuentes’ story is anything but typical. Born into a poor family in the Puerto Rican countryside, Fuentes came to the United States largely for the sake of his sibling.
“I have a twin brother. When we finished high school back home, one of us could go to college, and it was very difficult even for one,” he said. “I was the first one to practically desert the family in 1968. I chose to tell my brother to go to college there and decided to come to Boston because my aunt told me that there were many opportunities for minorities here. It was true.”
In the United States, Fuentes participated in an Action for Boston Community Development program called New Careers for which he worked 20 hours per week, and went to school 20 hours per week. The program paid for his tuition, books and other expenses in full, allowing his parents to finance his brother’s education.
While in school, Fuentes worked for Massachusetts Attorney General Robert H. Quinn as a consumer investigator, and later for Massachusetts Governor Francis W. Sargent as an equal employment opportunity officer. It was there that Fuentes first became active in the Latin-American communities in Massachusetts.
“It was a great experience. We found that [in state government] people that were supposed to be representing our community didn’t know a word of Spanish.”
For Fuentes, government work was only the beginning. Fuentes Market, run by Fuentes, his brother-in-law, sister-in-law and two nephews, has become an integral part of Mission Hill through its dedication to the community. On Oct. 15 Fuentes was among 12 small business owners to be honored at a Latino Heritage Month celebration organized by City Councilor Felix Arroyo at City Hall.
“We consider my business a family business,” he said. “We work together, and we also work together with this community. They back us up all the time.”
Fuentes Market participates in a variety of local activities, including those of Sociedad Latina, Mission Main and Mission Church. In an effort to keep the area clean and free of litter, the market recently opened what it calls its Redemption Center, where customers can drop off their used cans and bottles.
“No matter what they bring, we take,” Fuentes said.
Despite his deep loyalty to Mission Hill, however, Fuentes’ experience in the area was not always conflict-free. His market has faced four devastating fires, which he said was retaliation for his stance against drugs.
“Ever since we’ve been here, we’ve been fighting against the drug problem. At one point, I teamed up with the late state representative Kevin Fitzgerald, who was a wonderful man. He helped us a lot through those fires because he knew we were standing for the right thing. And we got burnt because we were fighting against it.”
Following the latest fire on Sept. 8, 2001, Fuentes Market was nearly razed for good due to a clause in the insurance policy that left it on its own financially.
“Everything was destroyed,” Fuentes said. “I had to really get back in business by my own savings, and by the help from Mayor Menino’s office.”
Boston Local Development Corporation loans, Fuentes said, played a vital role in the rebuilding of his market. The store’s success enabled him to pay back the loans in full.
“When we had a fire, we reopened, and we reopened better,” Fuentes said. “Even the fires, even everything that happened to me, nothing pushed me out of Boston. I believe, I always believe, that stuff happened for a reason. And no matter what, you can’t surrender.”
Fuentes’ loyalty to Mission Hill, and to Boston, never wavered.
“We invest in the community because everything I’ve got, I owe to this community,” he said. “This community is great, no matter what happened. I will never say anything bad about Mission Hill. All of my friends are here. The people that work [at Fuentes Market] are from here, which is a tool to employ people from this community.”
Though he has lived in Greater Boston for nearly four decades, Fuentes remains in touch with his roots. When asked whether he still visits Puerto Rico, Fuentes replied with a resounding yes.
“Every year. Every year I go back home,“ he said. “My culture, you know?”
That Fuentes calls Puerto Rico home is, of course, no slight against the Bay State. One only need speak with him for a few minutes to feel his deep sense of gratitude and affection for Massachusetts.
“The state has been great to me,” Fuentes said with a smile. “Even though I’m a Yankee fan.”
