Success Story

Bernardo Figueroa's dream of owning his own small business came true in 2011 when a $10,000 business loan from LEDC helped him make a downpayment on his father's grocery store in the Columbia Heights neighborhood.

My father started the business outside just selling fruits – me, him, my mom, and my sister, Bernardo says. And then we tried to get more money as we could to open inside [the market].

With the DCUSA Mall just blocks away, Bernardo’s business on Park Road is one of a host of small businesses that have thrived despite the challenges of nearby redevelopment. With a façade improvement from the Department Corporation of Columbia Heights and the business loan, Bernardo is now planning to repaint the business and expand his market’s goods. 

Bernardo's father, especially proud of Bernardo, was moved to tears at this son's success. 

"He is a centered man," says Bernardo's father. "He likes to work, that is why he is doing to stay here. It is good to have a great son."