A SMALL BUSINESSMAN CALLS IT QUITS. RATS!

By Juan Montoya
Felipe has always been into business.
A native of Coahuila, this naturalized citizen came to this country with a pocket full of dreams about making it in the United States and improving his and his family’s economic condition.
He always had a sharp eye for an opportunity, and when he saw that large department stores like Target, Walmart, Dilliards, Marshalls, Old Navy, K-mart, etc., were selling pallets of slightly damaged merchandise and electronic appliances such as floor samples, he invested in the business.
He leased a warehouse by the railroad tracks on Lincoln St. just a block away from Guadalupe Church and set up shop. As he started selling his goods, he began to stock the warehouse and marketing his wares.
At the Sportsman Lounge – and in other places – he let the owner use large screen televisions for free as a kind of advertising for his business. When a customer commented on the nice picture on the set, he would tell him he could get him one for less than half the price he could get it at the store.
When he wasn’t there, the owner would tell customers that Felipe could get them one for a fraction of the cost they could get one in the stores.
Over time, Felipe’s business flourished. He hired more people to help him pack, sort, label and store the goods. Sometimes he got a bonanza. Other times, he got a pallet full of junk. However, since he was a good customer, the truck drivers hauling the goods would tell him which pallets seemed to have more value.
After a while, between 15 to 20 workers were helping Felipe at his warehouse and delivering goods to customers. A steady stream of clients – from this side and from Matamoros – filled his shop. He hired a technician to fix electronic items that had suffered some damage on the trip across the country. Business was good.
He started taking some of the best merchandise to the 77 Flea Market on Saturdays and Sundays. A good marketer, he usually came back with an empty trailer after having sold all his goods. After the flea market, he usually treated his workers to a barbecue and beers after their week’s work.
Then came the rats.

The warehouse is located facing a neighborhood street to the west. To the east, an empty lot stretches almost to the next corner, perfect for the two-legged rodents.
They started coming in through the floor at first. Whatever fit through the holes they broke in the floor went out. At first, it was small stuff: a television, a stereo, video games.

The the holes started getting bigger as they went after the bigger stuff.

Each time, Felipe's workers would patch the holes, and each morning they would reappear.

One time they broke a hole through the wall. Finally, after Felipe had reinforced the walls, they came in through the corrugated steel roof.

Felipe would call the Brownsville Police Department each time to make a report. They always said they'd call back when they found something. They never did.

Finally, Felipe had had enough.

"I emptied the warehouse and my living space where I kept my clothes and refrigerator," he said. "Now there are not even any cockroaches. There's nothing for them to eat."

He also had to let go of all his workers, except for one or two to help him at the flea market.

The BPD states in its 2008 crime statistic report that there is one property crime reported every 51.98 minutes and one burglary ever 5.5 hours. From 2003 to 2008, burglaries increased from 1,024 to 1,590. The operative word here is reported. Many people, like Felipe, eventually did, simply stopped reporting the break-ins.
Even though the PD reported that the department cleared 14.84 percent of all burglaries – higher than the nationa 12.4 average – it's of small consolation to the other 85.16 percent of the victims like our small businessman.

Felipe keeps a collection of the business cards left him by the different police officers taking his reports. He has at least 20 to 25 cards in his truck.

"I lost more than $36,000 because of the rats in the warehouse," he said. "I'll never open another business here."