March2017-Flipbook

REMITTANCES
HOMEBOUND BARGAINS
For Cubans who travel back and forth between Miami and
their island home, Ño Que Barato has become an institution
By Ariana H. Reguant
Photo by Matias J. Ocner
Shoppers hunt for deals at Ño Que Barato in Miami's Hialeah neighborhood
At the start of every school year, families
line up outside the studios of America
TV––a popular local Spanish-language
television station in a Miami suburb––to
receive a backpack filled with school
supplies, courtesy of Ño Que Barato.
Hundreds of children are served, and
every immigrant home knows storeowner
Serafín Blanco gives back to the community.
Indeed, Ño Que Barato is more than
a business.
Blanco, a Cuban immigrant, founded
Ño in 1996 to cater to the newly arrived
balseros who, unlike earlier migrant
cohorts, remained in close communication
with their families on the island.
Some 20,000 immigrant visas were being
granted every year to Cubans and, by the
end of the decade, both Cuba and the
U.S. had eliminated travel restrictions for
Cuban-Americans returning for family
visits. This led to a growing consumer base
for underpriced clothes, shoes, and plastic
household wares that could be transported
in suitcases.
Known for his sense of humor, Blanco
came up with a business name that was
a stroke of genius. “Ño” is shorthand for
a colloquial swear word that denotes surprise.
The entire expression, Ño Que Barato,
could be translated as “Wow, that’s cheap.”
The motto quickly stuck. As the store’s
advertisements proclaim, “the name says
it all.” In addition, the candid promotions
on local TV, spoken directly to the camera
by program anchors, local celebrities, or
Blanco himself, convey proximity and familiarity,
as in “I am one of you.” Any day
of the week, people flock in to buy—by
the dozen and by the pound.
Located in an industrial area of
West Hialeah outside of Miami, Ño Que
Barato functions like a department store.
The large warehouse space, lacking in
air-conditioning, is filled with racks of
cheap clothing and shoes for men, women,
and children, including school and work
uniforms, guayaberas, lingerie, baptismal
baby robes, and beddings. At Ño, one can
also find religious objects, USB drives,
unlocked cell phones, perfumes, watches,
mosquito netting for beds, hand fans, and
everything else conceivably useful in Cuba.
Along the walls, independent sellers rent
counter space with specialty services and
merchandise, like optic and jewelry shops.
On the floor, the sales staff is older, much
like the average shopper.
A life-size statue of San Lázaro, also
known as Babalú Ayé in Afro-Cuban
religions, greets the public and guards the
store. San Lázaro—St. Lazarus—was an
old beggar who suffered from leprosy and
was saved by Jesus in the New Testament;
as they exit the store, many patrons leave
spare change at his feet as a sign of respect
and devotion. As Babalú Ayé, however,
he experienced a rebirth and became a
righteous ruler who punished humans for
their transgressions.
When thieves broke into Ño Que
Barato last year, they might have thought
they could escape the saint’s wrathful
watch. Police caught them in the act, and
one who ran was later found unconscious
inside a hot industrial dryer in the laundromat
next door. At Ño Que Barato, staff
and clients expressed relief, knowing well
that under San Lázaro’s watch, no bad
deed goes unpunished—and no good one
goes unrewarded. H
28 CUBATRADE MARCH 2017