Beads of sweat run down Rafael Macias Rizos’ forehead as he runs through the Arizona desert. His feet ache, but the adrenaline running through his body won’t allow him to slow down.
He left Guanajato, Mexico and is trying to catch the train that will take him to a new life in the United States. After catching the train he then has to worry about when to jump off. “The train was going so fast that when I finally jumped I slid into the dirt hands first and I immediately felt the rocks being lodged into my palms,” said Rizos.
After 25 years in the United States, Rizos became one of the 30 percent of immigrant business owners. Rizos, or Rafa as he is known by friends, is now the proud owner and proprietor of Rafa’s Cyclery.
Rizos’ shop may seem a little rough around the edges when compared to other Mission District bike shops, but it is a diamond the rough. He concentrates more on customer service than visual aesthetics.
When you walk into his shop you can smell the grease from the chains that he uses to rebuild the bicycles that he sells at reasonable prices. Tires, bike rims and frames hang from the walls where people can see them and decide whether they will be a good fit for their bikes or not. Most bike shops try to hide their work quarters. Rafa’s is the complete opposite. Rizos’ work quarters are in front because he wants everybody to see him in his element.
“When we first opened the store on 16th Street back in 1998, I wasn’t worried about people coming to my shop because we were already established from the swap meet. From the beginning I’ve always loved doing what I do,” said Rizos. He started to work on bikes in Guanajuato, which gave him an introduction to his future career.
Rizos’ beginnings are just like any immigrant’s – he started with nothing. “Working in a restaurant, the hours are long and the money was not enough so I had to think of a way to make money,” said Rizos.
The opportunity presented itself when Rizos accompanied a friend to a car auction in Napa Valley. There he saw used bikes for sale. Some were damaged but he thought he could use the parts to rebuild bicycles and then sell them at a cheaper price. “I brought $80 with me and walked out with one hundred bikes!,” said Rizos.
Rizos rented a space at the local swap meet for twenty dollars. He operated out of that space for about two years until the owner of the swap meet shut down the operation. “The building I lived in had a retail space available so I negotiated a deal with the owner and I’ve been here for close to twelve years,” said Rizos.
Things have changed for Rizos since he first arrived in this country. His palms no longer have rocks lodged into them but the scars are still there to remind him of the journey he embarked on to better his life.
Rizos now begins his daily commute by leaving the house that he bought in Hayward. Every morning he says goodbye to his loved ones and rides the BART to his shop in the Mission District. He’s still riding trains, but this time he gets to walk off as a proud business owner.
This article was done in collaboration with the Department of Raza Studies at SF State University.