Rene

March 17, 2018

I met Rene while he was working inside of his little shop in the middle of Olvera Street in Downtown Los Angeles, California. Though he does not look his age, he is 74 years old . His father opened up the shop 88 years ago when Los Angeles was still in its infancy.

Before the shop, Rene's father was a day laborer who helped build the Los Angeles Courthouse. "All the buildings you see now were potato fields."
Rene took the reins of the shop 47 years ago after his dad retired. Now he is getting ready to retire in a few months. He is ready to meet all of his nephews and nieces that he has yet to meet because of the countless hours he has spent at his shop. "They don't even know my wife is married because I'm working so much."

God bless Rene in his retirement. It was really cool to have a conversation and take a few photos of someone whose family's fingerprints are all around Los Angeles.

Rene