When Angel Diaz opened Angel Meat Market on Washington Street in Codman Square in 2011 even though he lived in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, he did so because of the community.
“He had been commuting into Boston to work at a local meat market,” explains Bryan Guerrero, Angel’s oldest son, who now runs the shop along with his father, mother Maria, brother Michael, and uncle Jovani. “He did that for five or six years, gained a lot of experience, and started noticing people around here really loved him. Something about his personality attracted a lot of customers.”
So, Angel decided to open his own business. “He thought, ‘I’d rather commute and serve people here that love me and have supported me than go back home and start over,’” says Bryan.
That customer focus paid off as the business thrived. Then came COVID. “COVID really impacted us a lot,” remembers Bryan. “We’re a small business. We don’t have any other franchises. Everything we do comes out of our pocket.”
They lost employees and had to cut back costs to stay competitive. And most significantly, they could no longer cater their offerings as much as they like to specific customer requests, because they had to focus on the basic necessities. To make matters worse, a critical machine needed repairs.
Then one day, CSNDC’s Small Business Specialist, Naldo Cardoso, wandered into the shop and introduced himself.
“He took the time to get to know us, asked questions about the business, and offered to help,” Bryan recalls. “He became a friend, and we came to trust him.”
Naldo suggested the business pursue a grant through City of Boston’s Re-Fresh Program, and he helped Bryan through a successful application process. The grant came through in late 2024.
“It’s a small amount of money, but it helped us get back on track,” says Bryan. “It helped us repair the machine. And now we’re back into that space of making every customer feel like they’re the most important customer coming through that door.”
