Big Mich Antojería: Cultivating a Special and Delicious Environment for Cicero
Nathalie Solis (L) and Javier Garcia (R) in their antojería on 31st St and S. 54th Ave. in Cicero, Ill on April 20th, 2021. After success with their michelada business, Solis and Garcia opened their tiendita that became what many grew up having near them with a wide range of snacks, food, soda and everything in between (Photo courtesy of Big Mich).
By Nati Madrigal
Editor's note: Cicero Independiente first wrote about Big Mich in 2020. We caught up with them again to see what they’ve been up to.
Those of us who grew up near or around the city know how valuable our corner stores or tienditas can be. They’re a place where kids can meet up before and after school to get their Hot Cheetos with cheese, where abuelita can quickly pick up her tomates and where you can pick up your satisfying snacks on a late night.
Big Mich Antojería carries a wide variety of snacks, chips, drinks, and fresh sandwiches. The antojería has created the environment and the tiendita many grew up having near them (Photo courtesy of Big Mich).
In Cicero, Nathalie Solis and Javier Garcia are providing that sense of comfort and hominess with their new antojeria located at 5400 W 31st St. According to Solis, an antojeria is “a place you go to for your munchies and you come here to pick out what you like. For example chips, soda, vegetables, fresh sandwiches” and they’ve successfully achieved that accommodating and quaint environment for people in town. The antojeria follows the launch of their michelada businesses a few years ago.
Solis and Garcia always wanted to start a business but didn’t know where to begin until Garcia’s michelada mix was a hit at his and Solis’ wedding. “Our family loved it. They kind of kept asking me about it afterwards and then Javi was kind of burnt out his last two years in the [restaurant] industry. So he just was like, what if I just sell this mix? And I figured yeah. Go for it.”
After success with their michelada business, Solis and Garcia opened their antojería near their home in Cicero, Ill. on 31st St and S. 54th Ave. (Photo courtesy of Big Mich).
They acquired a former grocery store close to their home in Cicero and began using the space to develop their michelada mix. They say community members started to get curious. “They would see us working and community members would be like, ‘when are you going to open? We need something here and I have to walk to this block, or I have to go over here to pick things up’ and we thought, okay – we’ll open it!”
That same building is now the kind of tiendita many of us grew up going to.
Nathalie Solis of Big Mich, at the anotojería which offers a variety of snacks such as a cheese station to pour over your Hot Cheetos (Photo courtesy of Big Mich).
With little knowledge about how to start their own business, they quickly started to grow and garner a lot of support from Big Mich mix buyers and more importantly, the community. When asked about whether or not they expected this rapid growth, Solis articulated that she has to “take a step back and remind [herself] that this is a feat. This is a major accomplishment. This is a success.” But like most people can relate to, there’s always the expectation to keep growing and continue to set new goals.
“Sometimes you get so deep in the trenches trying to grow the business that you feel like things aren't working out, or things aren’t where I want it to be. I just need to be reminded I’m capable of selling a lot and I'm proud of myself but not exactly where I want to be yet.”
Solis and Garcia have already outgrown the original space and opened a warehouse in Willowbrook where they’ve developed a team of people in charge of shipping, marketing and sales that are keeping up with Big Mich’s high demand since the pandemic.
While many businesses closed their doors during the pandemic, Big Mich blossomed since everyone was at home wanting their micheladas and Big Mich just so happened to have the right product. Now they are as motivated as ever. “We're gonna launch a couple of new products under the name but still different. We're just trying to diversify as much as we can.”
If Big Mich didn’t already seem like a major success, wait until you learn that they are also going to expand the antojeria by adding a taqueria and other hot delicious foods available to elevate your antojos even more.
Nathalie Solis and Javier Garcia opened their antojería after members of the community inquired about them opening up a tiendita after using the space to develop their successful michelada mix (Photo courtesy of Big Mich).
The community and environment that Solis and Garcia have been able to foster through their corner store and michelada mix is one that will stick with anyone who’s ever bought from Big Mich and is emphatically approved by both your old school Tía and trendy cousin. If I’ve learned anything from my experience with Solis and Garcia at Big Mich, it is don't be afraid to evolve, have trust in people who support you, and always remain positive because you’ll always be rewarded.
Nati Madrigal is a full-time student at the University of Illinois at Chicago studying Communication and Professional Writing. She enjoys diving deep and writing about the topics that interest her – with styles ranging from cultural criticism, album reviews, interviews, etc. You can read more of her writing at linktr.ee/nati_0214.
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