Mexican goods neighborhood shop

Mexican and Latino families, home cooks looking for authentic ingredients, and visitors or gift shoppers in the area.

Retail markup on products bought from wholesalers and importers, with higher margins on crafts and gifts and steady repeat sales from pantry staples.

• Knowing Mexican products and what customers want
• Buying and stock control
• Customer service, ideally bilingual (Spanish and English)

• Sales tax registration with your state and rules on taxable items
• Health department rules for selling packaged or refrigerated food, check with your county
• Food labeling rules for imported products, and checking that suppliers are reputable
• General liability and property insurance, and lease terms before signing
• Tight margins on groceries and spoilage on items with short shelf life

Startup costs are typically around $25,000 to $100,000, depending on your opening stock, lease terms and the size of your premises. These are estimates, and your own costs will vary with location and the range you carry.

Monthly revenue is typically around $8,000 to $40,000, depending on your location, product range and customer base. That is revenue, not profit, and groceries often have tight margins and spoilage on short-shelf-life items.

Check sales tax registration and rules on taxable items, plus county health department rules for packaged or refrigerated food. Also check labeling rules for imported products, supplier reputation, liability and property insurance, and your lease terms before signing.