Little Pulperia On The Corner - Costa Rica

One of the things I've taken notice of in my travels in Latin America is how small family businesses seem to proliferate there. These little grocers... more

by Mark Tisdale

Title

Little Pulperia On The Corner - Costa Rica

Artist

Mark Tisdale

Medium

Photograph - Photo

Description

One of the things I've taken notice of in my travels in Latin America is how small family businesses seem to proliferate there. These little grocers seem to be on practically every street corner. If you wander inside, they are often part of someone's home, simply one room with the rest of the family space beyond. More than once I've waited for the shop owner to wander in from their living room to tend to their customers. It's a very informal but neat arrangement for so many of us from a world where home and business are separate worlds kept far apart physically and often emotionally.

This little Pulperia is from the streets of Liberia in the Province of Guanacaste in Costa Rica, but there's a universal feel to it. It could literally be the corner store in practically any of the Latin American cities I've visited so far. Right down to the omnipresent power lines crisscrossing the skies! They are such a true to life feature of the urban fabric in these places that I would be hard pressed to banish them. If you've walked the streets of Mexico and Central America, you likely understand!

Uploaded

November 10th, 2013