Hard times force a leader of Monroe’s Hispanic community to leave

Published 12:23 am Wednesday, May 12, 2010

MONROE — Alberto Robles weighed his trouble in corn tortillas.

When the Monroe man opened his Latino grocery in 2006, he made about 2,100 pounds each week.

Now, the bakery at La Talpita turns out about 450 pounds. The steel appliances that also produced dozens of fresh coconut-covered cookies and iced cakes sit mostly idle.

“This is a cold place,” said Robles, 42. “It used to be nice and warm.”

The lack of business is driving one of the most prominent members of Monroe’s Hispanic community out of town. In June, Robles plans to move his family to Port Orchard, where he will wait tables at a Mexican restaurant run by his extended family.

The move will mean more than a new owner at his store.

Robles founded Northwest Latinos United, a successful nonprofit group that brought together Monroe’s growing Hispanic population with longtime locals.

His work with the Monroe Chamber of Commerce, the Monroe Family YMCA, the Monroe School District and city government kept his name front-of-mind.

“He is the pillar of the Latinos in our community, and he is a big loss,” said Monroe Councilwoman Margie Rodriguez, who also is assistant principal at Frank Wagner Elementary. “He is the one that started getting the Latinos recognized in Monroe.”

Marc Avni, executive director of the East County Senior Center, tried to recruit Robles to the center’s advisory board last year. Avni said the news that Robles was leaving threw him back in his chair.

“His involvement with Latinos United put forth a positive image of the Hispanic community,” Avni said.

Robles moved to Monroe from Mexico in 2000, but didn’t really make a mark on the town until 2006, when he bought La Talpita on West Main Street.

He added new offerings to the old grocery store — racks of CDs and clothing, shelves of religious icons. Then he aimed his sights on the community at large.

He sponsored a soccer team. He catered 100-person parties. He founded Northwest Latinos United, which hosted regular cultural events and built a series of award-winning floats for the city’s Fair Days Parade.

“Everything worked,” Robles said.

Then the economy failed. His store went from making about $1,200 a day to closer to $400. His children, ages 5 to 18, came directly from school to the store, where he and his wife, Esperanza Ramos, worked seemingly endless hours.

They were barely able to make ends meet.

“It is terrible for parents when your kids ask for something and you don’t have enough money in your pocket,” he said. “You just have money for rent and nothing else.”

He suspects the economic downturn is thinning the city’s Hispanic population, chipping away at his customer base. The remaining shoppers are spending less.

During a one-hour stretch Tuesday morning, only one woman walked into the store. She browsed for a few minutes, looking for a tortilla warmer. None were in stock. She spent $2 on yogurt drinks for her daughter and left.

While those experiences have become typical, making the decision to leave was difficult.

Robles worries about the long-term health of Northwest Latinos United, which for now will be run by Reina Guitron, another active member of the local Hispanic community. He said his store will continue operating under a new owner.

He also wonders if Port Orchard will be as welcoming as Monroe.

“That’s the very thing I’m going to miss: my people, my customers, the Fair Days Parade, that connection with the community,” he said.

He cannot survive any longer in Monroe, he said, and so he remains optimistic about the move.

His new job will give him more time to spend with his family. His kids will no longer have to go from a school to a store. And the Port Orchard restaurant will provide him with the thing he needs most — a steady paycheck.

“We’re kind of excited,” Robles said. “It’s a new life.”