Page 19 - NSA GALA JOURNAL 2015

Miguel Garcia
2015 NSA Member of the Year
Miguel Garcia is a first generation immigrant from the Dominican Republic that has experienced tremendous success as an owner/operator of a number of independent supermarkets in New York. Garcia’s journey to the United States began on July 4th 1975. He arrived in New York specifically Washington Heights, NY, the hub of Dominican migration on the east coast.
Initially, he focused on his studies and 1979 he graduated from John F. Kennedy High School. After graduating he immediately went to work in a local Bronx supermarket owned by the Mobarak family, a family he still maintains contact with today. Working at that supermarket inspired Garcia to pursue opening his own supermarket in the future. That inspiration led to the pursuit of more education in the form of business school, he graduated in 1995.
The year 1995 was important to Garcia for more than just graduating, he also met his wife Gretty, who he has been married to for over 20 years. Additionally, that year he also acquired his first store on 170th street in the Bronx. That first store was not in the best shape but Garcia was not deterred and worked tirelessly to turn it around.
Over the next couple of years he bought and sold various stores and in 2002 he finally purchased his current flagship store on Morris Park Avenue in the Bronx. Garcia with the support of his family, particularly his wife, Gretty and brother, Aurelio has made this store quite successful.
Continuing his hard work in October 2013 Garcia formed a partnership with Mr. David Rosa another independent supermarket owner in New York. The goal of the partnership was to establish new supermarkets in communities around New York. On September 5, 2014, Garcia, through his partnership with Rosa, celebrated the grand opening of Big Deal Food Markets located in the Morris Park section of the Bronx and Rosa opened Orchard Fine Foods in Forest Hills, NY.
Garcia’s spirit and hard work continue to pay off as evidenced by his ability to open a new supermarket that will cater to a local customers that he has gotten to know well over the years. Garcia’s peers describe him as a “high quality operator” that gets involved with the local community, so that his supermarket can cater to the specific needs and demands of that community. Garcia believes that as an owner of just a handful of stores it allows him to provide direct input in the store operations while simultaneously allowing for exceptional customer service. Garcia still believes in old-school customer service, his stores still keep customer suggestion boxes, which are large part of his business model.
Miguel is a proud father of four children Arletis, Miguel, Gretty and Elizabeth.